A tale of three people
The documentary Sarah, Thaha, Thoufeek is a tale of the bond among the namesakes of the documentary-Sarah Cohen,Thaha Ibrahim, and Thoufeek Zakriya.
Sarah Jacob Cohen was the oldest living Jew among Kochi’s Jewish community. Born on 9th September 1923, she was a descendant of the Jews who arrived in India almost 500 years ago from Europe. She passed away on 30th August 2019, aged 96.
The documentary is directed by Sarath Kottikkal, a Malayalee director and filmmaker. He was inspired to make the movie after seeing the loving bond between Thaha and Sarah Cohen, whom Thaha and his wife had been looking after ever since the death of Cohen’s husband, Jacob Cohen. Sara Cohen was visited by the British royal family, in Mattancherry. She carried on her culture by making traditional Kipaahs and studying Jewish culture.
Thaha Ibrahim, a local tailor who was very close with Sarah and Jacob Cohen, often helped her with her embroidery work. He had become close with the family after Jacob Cohen helped him out at a low point in his life. Thoufeek Zakriya met Sarah Cohen through his interest in Hebrew Calligraphy and Jewish culture. He was an aspiring chef at the time but currently works as a professional chef. Both Thaha and Thoufeek still jointly pursue their interest in understanding Jewish culture in India.
A synopsis of the documentary
The films deal with the bond among the three people. Thaha Ibrahim was like a son to Sarah Cohen and she is said to have been a loving, grandmotherly figure to Thoufeek Zakriya. The two men themselves are as close as brothers and work together on their research about Jewish history in the state of Kerala
The film released on March 1st, 2020 in Israel and was worked on by the likes of Justin Jose who also worked as a sound engineer on films such as Bahubali, Bajirao Mastani, and D-Day.
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