Kenneth Robbins
Bene Israel and Baghdadis in Bollywood and Beyond: Indian Jews in the Movies
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Summary
The early days of Indian cinema were a golden age for Jewish actors and filmmakers. There were many prominent female actors including Sulochana, Rose, Ramola, Pramila, and Nadira, as well as filmmakers like Ezra Mir and writers like Joseph David Penkar.
Kenneth Robbins
Kenneth Robbins has amassed a large diverse South Asian collection, which will be the basis for an archive at the University of Pennsylvania Library. He has published 17 books and 157 articles, mostly on maharajas and other local Indian rulers as well as South Asian minority groups like African muslim elites and Jews. He is creating an Indian Jewish Heritage Trail and working on documenting “small international crises” in Asia, Africa, and the Ottoman empire. Two of his many exhibitions documented the history of Jews in Indian movies. Three of his co-edited volumes develop different aspects of studying Afro-South Asia in the African global diaspora. They are African Rulers and Generals in India, African Diasporan Communities Across South Asia, and Black Ambassadors of Politics, Religion, and Jazz in India.