fulbright – Jefe's House

Q&A at UPenn

We had a wonderful time yesterday at the University of Pennsylvania‘s Van Pelt Library event hosted by Assistant Director of the Center for Global Collections and South Asian Studies Librarian James (Jef) Pierce, PhD.

Drexel University‘s Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Abhijit Chowdhury screened part 1 of his 4-part feature film he’s been editing here, The Strange Life of Dhrubo, with each vignette inspired by a different world-renowned Bengali painter. After the screening, I had a blast moderating a Q&A with Abhijit. What a great turnout!

A Cinematic Saraswati Puja

Congratulations, Abhijit Chowdhury, Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at Drexel University in the Screenwriting & Playwriting Program. His screening and Q&A at Saraswati Puja last Saturday in Delaware was just incredible.

“Abhijit is a highly acclaimed Bengali filmmaker, known for his exceptional work in films and web series. Some of his notable productions include “Manbhanjan,” “Aste Ladies,” “Turu Love,” “Johny Bonny,” and many more. His unique storytelling and captivating narratives have garnered him a loyal fan base and critical acclaim. We are honored to have Abhijit Chowdhury grace our event and share his insights with our community. This is a wonderful opportunity for all of us to learn from his experiences and gain valuable knowledge about the world of filmmaking.”
Bengali Association of Delaware Valley – BADV

Storytelling Workshop for Actors

Awesome. Philly area Bengali theatre ensemble Kushilob, known for often writing collaboratively and exploring diverse theatre forms, is hosting Drexel’s first Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence Abhijit Chowdhury who will be teaching a workshop on playwriting for actors this weekend. For more info, contact Kushilob directly via their facebook page.

Read my recap, “The Universal Language of Cinema“, in Drexel Westphal’s latest newsletter.

Welcome, Abhijit

Congratulations, film director Abhijit Chowdhury, on becoming a Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts & Design in the Department of Cinema & Television starting in September. We couldn’t be happier to be hosting him.

RRR is historically significant – and not because it smashed box office records

I’m grateful to have been offered an opportunity to write about the international Indian hit film RRR for Contingent Magazine, whose mission statement is “history is for everyone.” They purposely waited until 15th August (India time), India’s Independence Day, to publish the article as their lead story today. What does RRR have to do with my Kolkata theatre research as a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar? You’ll see. And be sure to read those footnotes.

The article begins below:

Sure, George Washington was a good war strategist, but could he pick up a motorcycle by one wheel and swing it around in battle? Or how about if Martin Luther King Jr. had busted Malcolm X out of prison by carrying him on his shoulders and dodging gunfire while hopping across rooftops, and together they took out J. Edgar Hoover? These events could not, and never did happen, but would be pretty cool to see in a big-budget historical fantasy action flick.

Cont’d at https://contingentmagazine.org