Indian Council for Cultural Relations: Indian Cinema and Soft Power Seminar
In March 2022, the Centre organized a Seminar on Indian Cinema and Soft Power with Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Raj Bhavan and Films Division, Mumbai, under the aegis of the Governor’s Office of Maharashtra.
The two-day seminar drew filmmakers, scholars, and international relations experts into a lively exploration of cinema as a cultural force. It unearthed pressing questions: How does Indian cinema influence global perceptions of India? Is the global reception of Indian films still filtered through a Western lens, a phenomenon often referred to as "cinematic colonialism"?
From Bollywood's infectious beats to the stories of how regional films struggle for recognition, the event showcased how Indian cinema's impact resonates far beyond the screen.
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The seminar witnessed the participation and presence of the following (alphabetical order):
- Shekhar Kapoor -
- Dr. Dishan Kamdar,VC, FLAME University
- Opening Remarks: Dr.Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, President, ICCR
- Sh.Vinod Pawar, Creative Director
- Deepak Karanjikar, Chair, Finance & Program Committee, ICCR, Writer, Actor, Director
- Meenakshi Shedde, Film Critic, Film Curator
- Imo Singh, Journalist & Filmmaker
- Subhash Ghai, Filmmaker
- Roopa Ganguly, Actor and former Rajya Sabha MP
- Anant Vijay, Journalist and Author
- Nila Madhab Panda, Filmmaker
- Ashok Rane, Film Critic
- Arunaraje Patil, Filmmaker
- Mandar Kamalapurkar, Sound Designer
- Vaishali Samant, Singer and Music Composer
- Kaushal Inamdar, Music Composer
- Sameer, Lyricist and Writer
- GP Vijay Kumar, Film Producer
- Sasikiran R.M., Faculty, FLAME University
- Santosh Pathare, General Secretary, Prabhat Chitra Mandal
- Pabitra Margherita, Actor, Producer and Rajya Sabha MP
- Utpal Datta, Filmmaker
- Charudatta Bhagwat,Writer and Actor
- Prakash Magdum, Director, National Film Archive India
- Bharatbala, Filmmaker