Aaye-gaye manzilon ke nishaan
Lehraake jhooma-jhuka aasmaan
Lekin rukega na yeh kaarvaan
(The markers of destinations came and went;
The sky swirled, danced, bent down:
But this caravan will not stop…)
– From ‘Mud-mudke na dekh’ (Shree 420, 1955), lyrics by Shailendra, music by Shankar-Jaikishan. Sung by Asha Bhonsle and Manna De, picturized on Nadira.
This is in the heart of New Delhi’s Connaught Place, though (sadly, but not surprisingly) it’s tucked away down one little-frequented alley. Across three adjacent deep-blue-painted spaces are larger-than-life mural portraits of three of Hindi cinema’s foremost Jewish actresses: Nadira (aka Florence Ezekiel), Sulochana (aka Ruby Myers) and Pramila (née Esther Victoria Abraham).
The project was part of a collaboration to mark 30 years of diplomatic ties between India and Israel, and (even longer) ties between Indians and Jews. It was designed by Yogesh Saini, founder of the start-up Delhi Street Art, and executed by Delhi Street Art’s team of artists. The Israeli embassy in Delhi helped conceive and support the project, and Israel’s ambassador to India, Naor Gilon, inaugurated the murals in August 2022.
For anybody who’s as keen on old Hindi cinema as I am, it’s easy to see which iconic photographs or stills the street artists used as reference. To be brutally honest, I think the paintings are a little wonky, not quite photographically exact, but there’s a charm to them that I found utterly beguiling.
My only grouse (besides the fact that these beautiful paintings are tucked away in a neglected corner of Connaught Place) is that there is nothing here to explain who these ladies really were. Yes, their names are there; but beyond that, there’s nothing. Given that most Indians today don’t even know of Nadira (who might, arguably, be considered the most familiar face of them all, for anybody who’s seen Shree 420, for instance), this might have been an opportunity to offer some information. Even a small plaque with a few sentences about Nadira (debuting opposite no less than Dilip Kumar!), Pramila (the first Miss India, in 1947) and Sulochana (who was one of the best-paid and biggest stars of the 30s) might have been very useful.
But anyway, at least there’s something. And who knows? Maybe someone will see these and be inspired to look these ladies up on the net (perhaps they might even stumble onto this wonderfully informative web page, on Jewish actresses in Bollywood). And perhaps, just perhaps, someone might be inspired to commission some more street art in Delhi commemorating the golden days of Hindi cinema. There’s a serious paucity of it around.
Dustedoff 
Cameo of an article on the Jewish ladies who adorned Hindi cinema . I had a fleeting meeting with Nadira in the corridor her apartment building on Peddar road, Mumbai & she bore sphinx like countenance, but loneliness & moroseness were written all over her once glamorous face . It is both sad & tragic that these women , who entertained masses during their time, are forgotten today even by their confreres & colleagues. Thanks for the wonderful post
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True, it’s so sad that so many of these women (and some men, too) who were once so famous and so well-loved, ended up alone and often in poor financial circumstances as well. Kaagaz ke Phool, in real life.
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Terrific find! Did the newspapers come out with any articles about the actresses at the time these murals were made? Did you just happen to wander through that street or did you know about it and looked for it?
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I just happened to stumble upon it, Lalitha. My husband, the LO and I had been in Connaught Place for lunch, and while we were waiting for the LO to finish her meal, I was checking on my phone to see if there were any interesting sights in the vicinity which we hadn’t seen yet (over the years, we’ve seen pretty much all there is to see in Delhi…), and found this on Google Maps. It was just 3 minutes’ walk from where we were eating, so we couldn’t not stop by! Actually, even if it had been further away, I’d have bullied my lot into coming with me. :-)
P.S. I found this article online, published around the time the murals were inaugurated:
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/delhi-news/israel-embassy-unveils-street-art-mural-in-delhi-honours-indian-jewish-actors-101650884206748.html
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Are nostalgia and tragedy inseparable?
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Such a wise reflection. So true.
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Madhuji, you never know what is tucked away in which street in India! There is so much of history in the by lanes of our cities. By the way, my comment too for an earlier post is not showing.
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True, India has so much tucked away deep in its streets. Though this, given that it has specially been commissioned, might have been better located. :-)
I’ll check my spam folder, sometimes WordPress arbitrarily sends comments into that.
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PS. I had a look through the spam folder, but there was nothing there. Had you commented on this post?
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What a find Madhuji!
Did you look for it or found it accidentally?
I agree with you, there should be a plaque mentioning thier history in brief.
:-)
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This was a completely accidental find, Anupji. I was in Connaught Place, and happened to look at Google Maps to see what sights were nearby. This popped up. :-)
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How wonderful! Beautiful portraits! I’ll make sure to check these out whenever I visit that place.
Nadira was so famous but didn’t know she was Jewish. When you mentioned Sulochana, I thought Sulochana the famous mother. 😊😊
And that’s a lovely photo –you with Nadira’s portrait!
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The ‘famous mother’ who was Sulochana was Sulochana Latkar. :-) The Jewish Sulochana actually became, in the 50s and 60s, a very familiar face as a character actor in tons of films – she often did cameos.
Thank you for the compliment. :-)
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What a delightful post – about a delightful find!
I really do like the pictures, too!
There is a lot of information about the classic Jewish actresses (and at least one actor) in old Hindi films in the documentary Shalom Bollywood, which was made in 2017.
Madhu, I think you must have seen my post about this film that I wrote in 2020? (I am not sure, because while Anup and AK commented, I see that you didn’t – though you have so often been one of very few commenters on my posts in recent years :) ).
Anyway, here’s the link:
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I am so glad you enjoyed this, Richard. I do recall you talking about Shalom Bollywood; it sounds like such an interesting documentary, despite the hiccups you point out at places. I must find it and watch – though when I will watch is another matter!
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Madhu, what a wonderful discovery ! There were lots of Jews in Bombay in the 50’s and 60’s , but now they’ve dwindled . Nadira is still popluar with You Tubers because her songs are played often. Ruby Meyers (Sulochana) came in many supporting roles in Hindi movies after she’d finished her stint as leading lady . She was the matron in “Dil apna aur preet parayee “, and featured in the song “Ajeeb daastaan hai ye”. She was also in “Pyaar Mohabbat”, “Jhuk Gaya Aasmaan” , and in “Mere Hamdam Mere Dost” , in which she’s travelling in a train and sees a woman being murdered in an adjacent train going along a parallel line , in a scene copied straight from Agatha Christie’s “4.50 From Paddington” !
Pramila, India’s first Miss India was married to famous supporting actor Kumar (Syeed Hasan Ali Zaidi, in real life). He sang the song “Zindabaad, zindabaad, ae mohabbat zindabaad” in “Mughal-E-Azam” . Kumar and Pramila had a daughter , Naqi Jehan, who, like her mother, was also crowned Miss India, in the 1960’s . Naqi Jehan, as you know was the main supporting actress oppposite Rajesh Khanna in Chetan Anand’s “Aakhri Khat”. Well I’m glad someone in India is now recognizing obscure film stars. Congratulations on your find.
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Thank you for that delightfully informative comment, Pradeep! I hadn’t known that Naqi Jehan was Pramila’s daughter (or that she was Miss India too). Wow!
Re: Sulochana in later films. That scene on the train is the one that always comes to my mind when I think of her! For me, that is probably her most defining role from her later films. :-) Incidentally, in my early years of searching for obscure old films, I remember spending a long time trying to find Sulochana’s Bambai ki Billi (1933, I think?), in which we played 8 roles. Needless to say, I didn’t succeed! I wonder how many of these really old films even survive.
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Comment’s not going again !
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Was in spam, again! Retrieved.
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Thanks for retrieving my comment, Madhu. I’m sure lots of Hindi movies of the 1930’s are lost to posterity, though Memsaab did manage to excavate a couple of films of that decade.
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Yes, indeed. We have much to be grateful to Greta for! She managed to unearth several forgotten films, and to put names to many little-known actors, including extras. Her actors’ gallery is an invaluable resource.
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What a find ! Where in CP is this please ? And seriously , we need more such nooks in Delhi.
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This is in N-Block, Middle Circle. If you search for ‘Street Art Connaught Place’ on Google Maps, it pops up. :-)
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