Embedded Files
Me and Nishtha Desai serve as the Committee Leaders of the Movie Screening Committee, Department of English, M.K. Bhavnagar University. In this role, they are jointly responsible for planning, organizing, and documenting film screenings conducted across all semesters — both as a part of the academic curriculum and as special enrichment screenings for the department.
Their responsibilities include coordinating with faculty members to ensure that selected films align with the syllabus, maintaining accurate records of all screenings conducted by students of Semesters 1, 2, 3, and 4, and leading a committed team of members drawn from both junior and senior semesters. Together, they have successfully overseen an extensive programme of screenings — ranging from canonical literary adaptations to thought-provoking contemporary Indian films — fostering a culture of critical thinking, collaborative learning, and cinematic appreciation within the department.
About the Committee
The Movie Screening Committee is a student-led academic body within the Department of English, dedicated to enhancing the study of literature through the medium of cinema. The committee organizes and oversees film screenings that complement the postgraduate curriculum, bridging the gap between textual knowledge and visual storytelling.
From canonical literary adaptations such as Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Pride and Prejudice, and Macbeth, to significant Indian and postcolonial works including Midnight's Children and Ghare Baire, the committee curates a rich and diverse programme of screenings each semester. Special screenings addressing themes of neurodiversity, artificial intelligence, displacement, and regional literary heritage further broaden the academic experience of students.
Objectives
Academic Enrichment — To complement the literature curriculum through carefully selected film adaptations and thematically relevant cinematic works.
Critical Thinking — To encourage students to critically compare literary texts with their cinematic adaptations, examining fidelity, interpretation, and creative transformation.
Cultural Contextualization — To deepen students' understanding of the cultural, historical, and social contexts embedded in literary works through visual representation.
Collaborative Learning — To promote post-screening discussions, debates, and analytical sessions that encourage the exchange of ideas.
Skill Development — To strengthen students' analytical, interpretative, and presentation skills through structured engagement with both literature and cinema.
Community Building — To create shared intellectual and cultural experiences that strengthen bonds among students across semesters,
Special Screenings — Academic Year 2025–26
As part of their leadership, Me and Nishtha organized and oversaw five special screenings for students of both semesters of the Department of English, each addressing a distinct and significant theme.
1. Sitaare Zameen Par Director: R. S. Prasanna | Date: 05 July 2025 | Venue: Maxus Cinema
The committee organized a special theatrical screening of Sitaare Zameen Par as part of the study of R. K. Narayan's Crime and Punishment, with a focus on teacher–student relationships. The film critically examines fear-based discipline in conventional academic systems and advocates for empathy, inclusivity, and emotional intelligence in education. The post-screening discussion encouraged students to draw meaningful parallels between the film's narrative and Narayan's literary world, reflecting on how compassion can transform the learning experience.
2. Maharaja Director: Nithilan Saminathan | Date: 14 July 2025 | Venue: Vishvakarma Lab, Department of English, MKBU
The screening of Maharaja offered students a compelling introduction to non-linear narrative structure in contemporary Indian cinema. The film, set in an urban environment, explores themes of crime, trauma, and justice through a carefully layered storyline that gradually reveals incidents from different timelines. Students engaged in an analysis of screenplay construction, character psychology, and the use of cinematographic techniques to build suspense and emotional impact.
3. Kavikant Director: Jay Kholia | Date: 28 November 2025 | Venue: Najraj Auditorium Hall, Bhavnagar
This biographical documentary film on Manishankar Ratnaji Bhatt — the celebrated Gujarati poet and thinker known by his pen name 'Kant' — was screened to introduce students to the richness of Gujarati regional literary tradition. The film traces Kant's remarkable spiritual and literary journey, from his early life in Gujarat to his conversion to Christianity following personal grief, and his pioneering contribution to Gujarati poetry through the Khandkavya form. The screening enriched students' understanding of regional literature, the relationship between personal belief and creative expression, and the biographical documentary as a literary and cinematic form.
4. Homebound Director: Neeraj Ghaywan | Date: 06 January 2026
Homebound was screened to engage students with themes of migration, displacement, identity, and the search for belonging — topics central to contemporary literary and cultural studies. Known for his sensitive and realistic storytelling, Neeraj Ghaywan crafts an intimate narrative that focuses on internal emotional journeys rather than external drama. The post-screening discussion encouraged students to reflect on the concept of "home" as both a physical and psychological space, and to connect the film's themes with broader literary ideas of exile and identity.
5. Humans in the Loop Director: Aranya Sahay | Date: 16 February 2026
The screening of Humans in the Loop introduced students to the largely invisible world of digital labour that sustains artificial intelligence systems. The film explores the lives of workers engaged in data annotation and content moderation — essential yet unrecognized contributors to technological development. The screening sparked critical discussions about digital capitalism, labour ethics, and the intersection of technology and human agency, connecting academic frameworks in media studies and digital humanities to real-world contemporary concerns.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse