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The Desi Gaze is a podcast about (mostly) Hindi films made from the 1930s to the present. The goal is to assert "desi" readings and to dismantle the western gaze that is often imposed on Bollywood films. From the Soviet era to the rise of far-right rhetoric, the podcast will bring in-depth understanding of lesser-known Hindi films, Indian/diasporic socio-political culture, and its often-overlooked nuances. Your hosts are Dr. Ankita Rathour, a scholar of Hindi films and postcolonialism at Georgia Tech, and Azharuddin, a Ph.D. candidate at Louisiana State University, whose research revolves around post-9/11 literary culture. Ankita's website is https://sites.gatech.edu/ankitarathour/. The logo is by Ankita Rathour. The editors are Jason Christian and Ankita Rathour. Music is by Sujay Govindaraj. Thanks for listening!
Our co-host Ankita was invited on the The Socialist Shelf podcast, along with her husband, Jason, the co-host of the Cold War Cinema, a podcast about movies made during the first few decades of the Cold War (1947–1991). So, we thought we'd add the episode to our feed as a special episode for July. In this episode, Jason and Ankita dicuss a radical cinema educational project they run in Atlanta, US, called Resistance Cinema, as well as the role that radical cinema plays in social movemets historically. We hope you enjoy this episode.
Don't forget to subscribe to The Socialist Shelf and Cold War Cinema. And leave us a review! Music for The Socialist Shelf by Solo Monk (@SoloMonk256 on X).
They say, save the best for last! We end our special series with an episode on myriad meanings and observations on Bollywood with Ankita's former students: Kandarp Vadia, Parth Parikh, Sai Lalith Kanumuri, and Vignesh Burugupalli. Our guests begin the discussion with the importance of Hindi films for the desi diaspora along with presenting crucial insights into the problems of (mis) representation, the use of CGI, issues of adapting/borrowing/stealing stories etc. Though difference in opinions arise here and there, all the participants do agree on the postcolonial power of Hindi film and the spirit of storytelling the contemporary Hindi filmmakers must return to.
Azhar miscalculated the time difference and could not make it. Though, Ankita and he have decided to be back for an episode before taking a much-needed summer break.
Show these youngsters some love, please like and subscribe!
May is special! Beyond celebrating May Day, Azhar and Ankita decided to crank it up a notch. As educators, cinephiles, Marxists, and postcolonial scholars, they believe in breaking hierarchies. So they bring you "Diasporic Gazes," a series of special episodes featuring Ankita's film students from her classes on Global Bollywood and Global Other Cinema.
In this short episode, Cierra Ferguson and Laksh Makhija reflect on their experience taking Global Bollywood with Dr. Ankita Rathour at Georgia Tech. Together, they discuss how the class shaped their understanding of Bollywood as both an art form and a cultural force. What does it mean to study Bollywood in an academic setting? How does your background shape what you take away from it? Along the way, they share unexpected insights and work through a tier list of the films they watched throughout the semester. Whether you're a lifelong fan or completely new to Bollywood, this episode invites you to join us in thinking about how cinema, culture, and personal perspective come together in the classroom. Show these young learners some love and cheer.
Speaker Bios:
Cierra Ferguson is a Taiwanese-American psychology student focusing on computation and cognition. Dr. Rathour’s ENGL 1102 class on decolonial film and literature sparked in them a deeper commitment to continue education grounded in historical understanding and liberation. Now, after taking Global Bollywood, they’re more passionate than ever, and SRK has officially gained another lifelong fan.
Laksh Makhija is a Computer Science major at Georgia Tech! Having grown up with Bollywood, Hindi films have played a huge role in his life. He had to perform a lot of the Bollywood songs at weddings and other events!
May is special! Beyond celebrating May Day, Azhar and Ankita decided to crank it up a notch. As educators, cinephiles, Marxists, and postcolonial scholars, they believe in breaking hierarchies. So they bring you "Diasporic Gazes," a series of special episodes featuring Ankita's film students from her classes on Global Bollywood and Global Other Cinema. In this episode, Lasya Malladi and Adi Krish unpack masculinity in Hindi and other Indian language films. They rate them over a "rizzometer." It turns out that SRK is a clear winner in portraying positive masculinity. But for more insight, listen to Lasya and Adi. Show these young learners some love and cheer.
Speaker Bios:
My name is Lasya Malladi, and I just recently took Dr. Ankita Rathour’s Global Bollywood class this past semester. I’m obsessed with everything Tolly/Bollywood, especially all things Nani and old SRK ! (We don’t speak of Pathaan)”. Thank you so much for featuring us!
I’m Adi Krish, but my friends call me Adi Krizz. I am a Computer Science major at Georgia Tech, and a huge Bollywood fan! I’m a terrible dancer, but I love dancing. I’m tone deaf, but I love singing!
Bougies, colonial hangover, hunting, party, and an unusual dinner! Ankita and Azhar bring you the criminally underrated and one of the most haunting Hindi films, Aranyak (1994), directed by the legendary Odiya cinematographer and screenwriter Apurba Kishore Bir. This film is a testament to Hindi cinema's versatility and uniqueness. It asks you to question the thin line between control and cannibalism, appreciation and objectification, and so much more. It is one of the earliest Hindi films to examine the subject of cannibalism and the objectification of the Indigenous people of Odisha, India. Hailing from Odisha, there can be no better storyteller than Bir himself, who carefully braids patriarchy, native elitism, and the rise of postcolonial capitalist machinery through the theme of cannibalistic consumption.
As always, please subscribe to the podcast if you like what you hear, and don't forget to leave us a review!
Ankita and Azhar continue their love for Ketan Mehta and Smita Patil by discussing Mehta's Gujarati language debut film Bhavni Bhavai (1980). The film depicts the caste atrocities of India through the lives of Dalits. It uses the popular theater form of Bhavai to bring forth a scathing critique of casteism. Bhavni Bhavai was Ketan Mehta's debut film and received critical acclaim. Mehta won the prestigious Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.
As always please subscribe to the podcast if you like what you hear, and don't forget to leave us a review!
Note: the release of this episode was delayed due to academic work commitments and Ankita's never-ending cold!
In this episode, Ankita Rathour and Azharuddin share their love for the trailblazing 1987 Hindi film Mirch Masala directed by the Gujarati filmmaker Ketan Mehta. The film is about Sonabai/Sonbai, a spirited woman who works at a local pepper factory with other women. A subedar working for the British Raj wants her and is not shy to use force. Sonabai runs and hides in her factory while the ageing Muslim security guard, Abu Miyan vows to protect her at any cost when the other men of her village won't. One of the finest anticolonial feminist films from the 80s starring the iconic Smita Patil as the protagonist. We now have an email address for our listeners! Please reach out to us at thedesigazepodcast@proton.me
As always please subscribe to the podcast if you like what you hear, and don't forget to leave us a review! Happy listening!
Join hosts Ankita Rathour and Azharuddin as they discuss Khwaja Ahmed Abbas's iconic film Dharti Ke Laal (English: Children of the Earth, 1946). The film is a fictionalized depiction of the aftermath of British orchestrated Bengal famine of 1943 in which millions of Bengalis were starved to death to feed Winston Churchill's imperial interests. One of the early films of Indian social-realist film movement, Dharti Ke Laal was immensely popular in the Soviet Union, opening doors for the widespread distribution of Indian films. The famous Marxist Indian actor Balraj Sahni stars as one of the main characters.
As always please subscribe to the podcast if you like what you hear, and don't forget to leave us a review! Happy listening!