3rd i South Asian Independent Film co-presents:

The Jewish Community Center's Arts & Ideas Program

The Jewish (and other) Leading Ladies of Indian Cinema
A multi-media panel discussion with Erik Molinsky, Anuj Vaidya and Deborah Stein

Sulochana and D. Bilimoria in the super-hit talkie Indira M.A., 1934

When: Friday, February 19, 2010, 7:30pm
Where: Jewish Community Center of San Francisco (JCCSF)
3200 California Street
San Francisco, CA 94118
Cost: $10

Her given name was Ruby Myers, and she hailed from the Bene Israel (Indian Jews of Baghdadi descent) community in Bombay. Her screen name was Sulochana and she was one of the leading stars in Hindi cinema in the 20s and 30s, famous for roles in films like Telephone Girl (1926), Typist Girl (1926) and The Wildcat of Bombay (1927). But Sulochana was not the lone Jewish woman on the Indian screen... Documentarian Eric Molinsky, Professor Deborah Stein and 3rd i's own Anuj Vaidya bring us back to the era of Indian silent cinema when many of its leading ladies were Jewish, Parsi, Anglo-Indian and European (Remember Fearless Nadia!). Gain insight into a little known chapter of Bollywood and find out how these women became the "go-to girls" for leading female roles in the 1920s, 30s, and beyond. Learn how sound changed the filmi landscape, and how the vamp (Nadira, Helen) came to be a permanent fixture in the architecture of Bollywood films.

The presentation will include stills and clips from early films such as Indira, M.A. (1934) and The Magic of Baghdad (1936) amongst others. Erik Molinsky will also present his radio documentary about the Jewish presence in Bollywood at the event.

For more information on the program, please visit the website of the Jewish Community Center.

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