^{Photo: Flickr / Vivek Mukherjee}

Some readings on films and filmmaking in Southasia from our archives as well as some recent publications.

Himal Founding Editor Kanak Mani Dixit writes on the popularity of Hindi films and Bollywood in Kathmandu. (September 2013)

Sinthujan Varatharajah on the anti-fundamentalist stance of the makers of Midnight’s Children and the production of the film in Sri Lanka. (October 2013)

Laxmi Murthy on the Bollywood hit ‘Padmaavat’, India’s anti-sati laws and the failure to confront misogyny. (May 2018)

A podcast interview with Zakir Thaver, the co-producer of ‘Salam’, a documentary on the Nobel-prize winning Pakistani physicist Abdus Salam. (January 2019)

A personal essay by poet Sridala Swami ‏on the rituals of viewing, the audience and the use of technology in film. (October 2013)

Writer D B S Jeyaraj on the Dravidian school of Tamil cinema. (July 2000)

Mahdi Chowdhury looks back at Western critics’ cold reception of the filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s seminal work. (July 2018)

Filmmaker Gargi Sen on the under-resourced genre of documentary film and the boost it receives from film festivals in India and other parts of Southasia. (October 2013)

In January 2019, we are discussing journalism and media spaces in Southasia.

Here are a few selected pieces from our print quarterly issue on ‘Growing Media, Shrinking Spaces?’ as well as some archival and recent articles:

Sukumar Muralidharan on the crisis of credibility for mainstream Indian media. (June 2018)

Journalist Abhishek Choudhary questions the creation and consumption of shoddy journalism. (June 2014)

Lahore-based journalist Sarah Eleazar on how Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act impinges on freedom of expression. (October 2016)

New Delhi-based independent journalist Neha Dixit writes on the real freedom of expression is eroding fast in India. (October 2016)

C Gupta and M Sharma analyse the overwhelming influence Hindi newspapers wield in Indian society. (August 1996)

A podcast featuring Subina Shrestha, Najiba Ayubi and Nupur Basu as they discuss gender norms, journalism, cyber-bullying and the #MeToo movement. (August 2018) 

Vanita Kohli-Khandekar on the era of India’s economic liberalisation welcomed by the business media. (March 2009)

Freelance health journalist Bindu S writes on health journalism and how it remains captive to commercial interests and government policy. (December 2016) 

As Bangladeshi voters get ready for their 11th parliamentary elections on 30 December 2018, we take a look back at our coverage of Bangladesh over the years.

Read our explainer on the upcoming elections over here.

From the archives: 

Khademul Islam on Bangladesh’s English language literature over the years. (October 2015)

Southasian culture and political commentator Garga Chatterjee presents a West Bengali’s perspective of the Bangladeshi diaspora. (October 2015)

Salil Tripathi writes on Bangladesh’s freedom of expression and the assault on three bloggers Lalmatia, Dhaka that lead to the death of Faisal Deepan, one of Avijit Roy’s publishers in Bangladesh. (October 2015)

Naomi Hossain on Bangladesh’s natural disasters that have shaped political consensus on development in the country. (January 2017)

In an article titled ‘Anti-politics of climate change‘, Development Sociologist Kasia Paprocki explores the depoliticisation of climate change and the historic reasons that made Bangladesh vulnerable to it. (November 2016)

Zia Mian and M V Ramana analysis on Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant and why it is not a good way to meet its energy needs. (August 2016)

Prashanta Tripura on the official position against indigeneity undermines Bangladesh’s ‘adibashi’ minorities. (March 2017)

Colin Long on the international support for trade unionism in Bangladesh. (February 2017)

Tanveer Reza Rouf comments on the internet and the space it has created to form an important kinship within the Bangladeshi gay community. (July 2013)

A review of Jeremy Seabrook’s ‘Song of the Shirt’ by Vijay Prashad. (October 2015)

As Bhutanese voters get ready to go to the polls on 18 October 2018 in what will be the young democracy’s third parliamentary elections, we take a look back at our extensive coverage of the Himalayan kingdom over the years.

Read our explainer on the upcoming elections here.

From the archives:

Kanak Mani Dixit’s comprehensive longform piece on Bhutan’s Lhotshampa question – ‘The dragon bites its tail’: Part I | Part II | Part III (July 1992)

Aletta Andre on Bhutan’s 2013 elections and the struggle of stateless Lhotshampas. (October 2013)

Reena Mohan on the challenges faced by filmamakers in Bhutan. (September 2013)

T P Mishra on resettlement and naturalization for Bhutan’s Lhotshampas. (January 2015)

Ross Adkin on civil service hopefuls in Bhutan and the country’s contemporary literary culture. (August 2016)

Dawa Gyelmo on how collection of a fungus known as cordyceps, or ‘fungus gold’, generates both cash and controversy. (February 2016)

A short story from Bhutan by Gopilal Acharya. (September 2016)