New Delhi, April 26 (FN Agency) To mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between Israel and India, the Embassy of Israel collaborated with Delhi Street Art to conceive and execute a wall art project which beautifully depicts and pays tribute to three prominent Indian-Jewish actresses who made a mark in the early years of Indian cinema. The Ambassador of Israel to India Naor Gilon and Meenakashi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture of India, unveiled the mural today as a tribute to the deep-rooted cultural relations between Israel and India. Through this artwork developed by Delhi Street Art, three prominent Indian-Jewish actresses who made a mark in the Indian cinematic history – Pramila — Esther Victoria Abraham, Sulochana – Ruby Myers and Nadira- Florence Ezekiel, are highlighted. At the event, Ambassador Naor Gilon said, “Today we are revealing this mural, reminding us of the work of three extraordinary actresses from the Jewish community in India, and in doing so we are also revealing another layer of the unique cultural connection between India and Israel. “We hope that passersby in this corner will be inspired by these characters; women from a small community who have paved a path for other women to be bold and fearless, and left a mark on what is today, the largest film industry in the world, Bollywood. “This project is one of a series of events to mark 30 years of diplomatic relations between India and Israel, but as you can see, the relations between our communities have been strong, long before .”
“This project represents the shared history and friendship between India and Israel. I congratulate the people of both nations as together we celebrate 75 years of India’s independence and 30 years of our diplomatic relations”, said Meenakashi Lekhi, Minister of State for External Affairs and Culture of India. The mural was designed by Delhi Street Art’s founder Yogesh Saini and his team of artists. It took them 7 days to prepare the art. About the Actresses Pramila – Esther Victoria Abraham She is widely known by her stage name, Pramila. She was the first woman to be crowned Miss India in 1947. She belonged to the Baghdadi-Jewish community in Calcutta. Pramila starred in about 30 films as a fearless stunt star, including Ulti Ganga, Basant and Jungle King. In 1942, she became the first-ever woman producer in India, when she founded a production house with her husband by the name of Silver Films. Pramila used her position in the industry to encourage other women to join the film industry. She was a proud and courageous Jewish woman who broke patriarchal rules, as she got the ration cards of her children registered in her name. Nadira- Florence Ezekiel Florence Ezekiel, popularly known as Nadira, was an actress in Indian Cinema. She was born to a Baghdadi-Jewish family. She is best remembered for her performances in films during the 1950s and 1960s such as Shree 420, Pakeezah, and Julie.
Nadira’s cinematic prominence rose with the 1952 film Aan with her role as a Rajput princess. She won a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Julie’s mother Margaret, ‘Maggie’ in the 1975 film Julie. She is also fondly remembered as part of the Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh song (in the movie Shree 420). Sulochana – Ruby Myers Ruby Myers, better known as Sulochana, was one of the most successful silent film stars. She belonged to a Baghdadi Jewish family. Ruby’s career took off with her debut role in Veer Bala (1925). She went on to act in several movies, ranging in a number of genres like Typist Girl, Balidaan, Cinema Queen and Wildcat of Bombay, where she played eight different characters. Her career reached new heights with films such as Madhuri (1928), Anarkali and Indira B.A. In the mid-1930s, she was one of the highest-paid actresses of her time, reputedly drawing a salary higher than the Governor of the Bombay Presidency. In 1973, she was awarded Dada Saheb Phalke Award, India’s highest award in cinema for her lifetime achievement. Sulochana faced a mild setback in her career, owing to her discomfort with Hindustani diction. She then took a year off to learn the language and made an impressive comeback with the talkie version of her film Madhuri, an Israeli Embassy statement said.