The Saint Thomas Christians, commonly called in India as Syrian Christians or Nasrani, is a community of Christians from Kerala, India, who trace their origins to the evangelistic activity of Saint Thomas in the 1st century, and is one of the oldest Christian communities of the world. The community was historically united in leadership and liturgy, but since the 17th century have been split into several church denominations and traditions.
Historically the Saint Thomas Christian community was part of the Church of the East, centred in Mesopotamia. They were organised as the Ecclesiastical Province of India in the 8th century, served by bishops and a hereditary Archdeacon. In the 16th century the overtures of the Portuguese padroado to bring the Saint Thomas Christians into the Catholic Church led to the first of several rifts in the community and the establishment of Catholic and Malankara Church factions. Since that time further splits have occurred, and the Saint Thomas Christians are now divided into several Eastern Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, and independent bodies, each with their own liturgies and traditions.
Nasrani is a 2007 Malayalam action drama film starring Mammootty and directed by Joshiy and produced by Rajan Thaliparambu. Story, Screenplay and Dialogues are by Ranjith. The film tells the story of a typical Achayan from a Syrian Catholic family in Travancore. The film was superhit at the box office.
The story begins on the eve of the wedding of David John Kottarathil (Mammooty) and Sara Eapen (Vimala Raman). The two were childhood sweethearts, both hailing from rich planter families in the small but affluent town of Kottayam, Kerala. While both families are celebrating in their own homes, Sara's father Eapen (Riza Bava) is visibly disturbed. He has just received a phone call from Alice, his mistress, who is demanding public acknowledgement of their relationship. She wants to attend the wedding of David and Sara, as a means to achieve this. Eapen, who is a rich planter, is at risk of losing his good name in society, despite having generously provided for Aice and their daughter thus far. He offers to pay for her silence with a bigger bungalow and his estates in a far-away town of Chikmaglur. He requests John Kottarathil (Captain Raju), his best friend - whose son is set to marry Sara the next day - to accompany him while talking to his mistress. John requests the help of M C Paul (Vijayaraghavan), a rising politician and Eapen's brother-in-law to aid in the negotiation. The trio meet the mistress to discuss terms, but in a fit of rage, a drunk Eapen ends up shooting her. Eapen also tries to kill his illegitimate daughter, the nine year old Annie (Baby Niranjana/Mukta) but John stops him. In the struggle that follows, Eapen is also shot. John looks at Paul for assistance, but is met with a helpless silence.
The Nasrani or Saint Thomas Christians are an ancient community of Christians from Kerala, India.
Nasrani may also refer to: