Janani's Juliet

November 15 16:00-18:00 CET/20:30-22:30 IST
(Pankaj Rishi Kumar, 53 min, 2019)

Deeply disturbed by a spate of honour killings, Indianostrum, a Pondicherry based theatre group, sets out to introspect the implications of caste, class and gender. They adapt Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet to their story. What emerges is a critical reflection and commentary on the contemporary world, where love struggles to survive.

Pankaj Rishi Kumar will be in conversation with Shayoni Mitra (Barnard College, NYC). The session will be moderated by Nate Roberts (CeMIS).


	Pankaj Rishi Kumar is a one-man crew producing, directing, shooting and editing his own films. Since 2012 he has been actively documenting Pondicherry (a former French colony in India). Two Flags (2019), Janani's Juliet (2019) (India's official entry to Oscars) and To Die a Frenchman (in post production) are three films that engage with the Tamil French community, its people and reflect on the historical past of Pondicherry. Pankaj Rishi Kumar's films have been screened at film festivals all over the world, and he has received grant awards from Hubert Bals, IFA, Jan Vrijman Fund, Banff, Majlis, Sarai and Pad.ma. He was awarded an Asia Society fellowship at Harvard Asia Centre (2003), and is an alumnus of Asian Film Academy (Pusan) and Berlinale Talents (2016). He also curates and teaches regularly.
	Shayoni Mitra is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Theatre, Barnard College, Columbia University. She teaches courses on performance theory, feminist politics and Asian theatre styles. Her writings have appeared in academic journals such as Contemporary Theatre Review, The Drama Review, Asian Theatre Journal, Economic and Political Weekly, and in news publications such as the Indian Express. She has been a Transnational Feminisms fellow at the Barnard Center for Research on Women, and is on the executive board of American Society of Theatre Research. She lives in New York with her two daughters, and an exuberant rescue dog whose training is a work in progress.

Pankaj Rishi Kumar is a one-man crew producing, directing, shooting and editing his own films. Since 2012 he has been actively documenting Pondicherry (a former French colony in India). Two Flags (2019), Janani's Juliet (2019) (India's official entry to Oscars) and To Die a Frenchman (in post production) are three films that engage with the Tamil French community, its people and reflect on the historical past of Pondicherry. Pankaj Rishi Kumar's films have been screened at film festivals all over the world, and he has received grant awards from Hubert Bals, IFA, Jan Vrijman Fund, Banff, Majlis, Sarai and Pad.ma. He was awarded an Asia Society fellowship at Harvard Asia Centre (2003), and is an alumnus of Asian Film Academy (Pusan) and Berlinale Talents (2016). He also curates and teaches regularly.

Shayoni Mitra is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Theatre, Barnard College, Columbia University. She teaches courses on performance theory, feminist politics and Asian theatre styles. Her writings have appeared in academic journals such as Contemporary Theatre Review, The Drama Review, Asian Theatre Journal, Economic and Political Weekly, and in news publications such as the Indian Express. She has been a Transnational Feminisms fellow at the Barnard Center for Research on Women, and is on the executive board of American Society of Theatre Research. She lives in New York with her two daughters, and an exuberant rescue dog whose training is a work in progress.