In this episode of our discussion series, Harsh Mander is in conversation with Ira Bhaskar, former assistant professor of cinema studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Harish Wankhede, assistant professor at the Centre for Political Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Together, they examine the politics of contemporary Indian cinema under the Modi government. The discussion looks at films that have been disallowed, such as Panjab 95 , and the films that have faced censorship, including Phule and Homebound . They explore what drives these decisions and the political thinking behind them. The conversation also looks at the kinds of films promoted by the current regime, such as Dhurandhar , and the ideological reasons for their encouragement. In this context, they reflect on the contin…
In this episode of our discussion series, Harsh Mander is in conversation with Ira Bhaskar, former assistant professor of cinema studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Harish Wankhede, assistant professor at the Centre for Political Science, Jawaharlal Nehru University. Together, they examine the politics of contemporary Indian cinema under the Modi government. The discussion looks at films that have been disallowed, such as Panjab 95 , and the films that have faced censorship, including Phule and Homebound . They explore what drives these decisions and the political thinking behind them. The conversation also looks at the kinds of films promoted by the current regime, such as Dhurandhar , and the ideological reasons for their encouragement. In this context, they reflect on the continued importance of films that foreground humanism, secularism, and social equality and how such cinema still finds space. They also discuss the portrayal of Dalits and Muslims in Indian cinema today, and what these representations reveal about the wider political and cultural climate. … Read more