Cinema and Rasa: Or What Not to do In Film Theory

Type of Activity:  Special lecture on Cinema, Rasa, Indian aesthetics and Film Theory
Date of Activity: 16.02.2026
Time: 2:00 – 4:30 pm
No. of Participants: 12 (Excluding organizing teachers and invited guests)
Details of Resource Person: Professor Arijeet Mondal, Assistant Professor, Department of Film Studies, Jadavpur University.

Brief description of the event:
Prof. Mondal delivered a special lecture on Indian Aesthetics and Rasa Theory and its relations with cinema and Film Theory. He drew parallels between Rasa Theory and cinema to problematize this aesthetic concept itself and thus question whether such a theoretical framework may be used at all, when it comes to studying cinema.

Outcome of the Event:
The special lecture proved to be quite significant in terms of its critical inquiry of Rasa and the Indian aesthetic system as a method for understanding cinema. The lecture not only explored the connection between Rasa and Cinema, but also help reflecting on Indian philosophies as frameworks for studying cinema at large.