INSTITUTIONAL FEATURE ARTICLE | PRE-EVENT
Four-Country Academic Collaboration Places Indian Cinema and Central Asia at the Centre of International Research Dialogue
K. M. Agrawal College and its national and international partners will convene a two-day interdisciplinary online conference on 18-19 September 2026
Prepared for institutional, NAAC/AQAR, IQAC and press documentation
Kalyan, Maharashtra: Indian cinema’s long and emotionally powerful relationship with Central Asia will receive sustained scholarly attention at the Two-Day International Interdisciplinary Online Conference on “Indian Cinema in Central Asia: History, Culture and Cultural Diplomacy,” scheduled for 18 and 19 September 2026. The conference will bring together academics, teachers, research scholars, independent researchers and students from India, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka and Azerbaijan on a common bilingual platform in Hindi and English. With 45 individual presenters contributing 44 paper entries, the forthcoming event represents a substantial exercise in international academic networking and interdisciplinary research.
The conference is jointly organised through a partnership that connects Indian cultural and higher-education institutions with leading Central Asian academic centres. The organising institutions are K. M. Agrawal College of Arts, Commerce and Science, Kalyan (West); Maharashtra Rajya Hindi Sahitya Akademi, Mumbai; the International Institute for Central Asian Studies (IICAS), Samarkand, Uzbekistan; and Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies (TSUOS), Tashkent, Uzbekistan. On the Indian side, K. M. Agrawal College and Maharashtra Rajya Hindi Sahitya Akademi form the principal academic partnership, while the Directorate of Cultural Affairs and the Government of Maharashtra are represented in the official institutional framework and conference branding. On the international side, IICAS and TSUOS provide a direct scholarly bridge to Uzbekistan and the wider Central Asian region.
This collaboration is significant because it is not limited to the ceremonial presence of foreign institutions. Scholars based in Uzbekistan have contributed a substantial group of papers dealing with translation, reception, film history, acting, literature and cultural diplomacy. Sri Lankan participation brings the perspective of performing arts and contemporary digital audiences, while the contribution from Azerbaijan introduces a Soviet-period study of Indian cinema’s influence on Azerbaijani lifestyle. The result is a conference in which Central Asian and neighbouring Asian scholars participate as interpreters and producers of knowledge rather than merely as audiences for Indian cultural narratives.
The Indian participation is itself geographically diverse. The presenter list includes scholars and researchers affiliated with institutions or research locations in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh and the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Maharashtra has a strong representation from Mumbai, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar and Badlapur, including K. M. Agrawal College, the University of Mumbai, Wilson College, M. D. College, G. N. College and R. K. Talreja College. Uttar Pradesh is represented through scholars connected with Greater Noida, Meerut and Mirzapur; Bihar through A. N. College, Patna; Gujarat through an institution in Amroli, Surat; Himachal Pradesh through Shimla; and Delhi through Jamia Millia Islamia, Dr. B. R. Ambedkar University Delhi, the University of Delhi and the Centre for Cultural Resources and Training. This inter-state spread gives the conference a national base extending well beyond the host city and host state.
The composition of participants is equally inclusive. Senior professors, heads of departments, associate and assistant professors, research scholars, independent researchers and a final-year undergraduate student appear in the presenter list. This combination allows established academic expertise to interact with emerging scholarship. It also gives young researchers exposure to international presentation practices, comparative approaches and cross-cultural academic discussion.
The pattern of the selected paper titles reveals a carefully balanced academic approach. Priority is visibly given to topics that establish a clear relationship between Indian cinema and Central Asia, contribute an interdisciplinary perspective, and examine either historical experience or contemporary cultural change. The selection does not treat cinema simply as entertainment or celebrity culture. Instead, it approaches film as historical evidence, a vehicle of soft power, a medium of language transmission, a site of gender representation, a field of translation and performance, and an influence on social and consumer behaviour. This thematic focus gives coherence to a wide range of papers without restricting scholars to a single discipline or methodology.
One major group of papers examines cultural diplomacy and soft power. These studies consider how Indian films, stars and narratives created familiarity with India across Central Asia and how cinema continues to operate as an informal diplomatic resource. Papers on Raj Kapoor, the Soviet reception of Indian social films, Indian cinema’s popularity in Uzbekistan and the role of film in India-Uzbekistan cultural relations provide historical depth to this discussion. They are complemented by contemporary studies of OTT platforms, digital transformation and changing Central Asian audiences.
A second cluster focuses on language, literature and translation. Researchers will discuss Uzbek translations of Indian film dialogues, verb features and meaning preservation, dubbing and subtitling, and the work of translators who introduced Bollywood films to Uzbek audiences. Papers on Nirmal Verma, Bhisham Sahni and Hindi film translation demonstrate the movement between literature and cinema. The contribution of Indian cinema to the promotion of Hindi in Central Asia further connects film studies with language pedagogy and cultural communication.
The conference also gives space to themes that widen conventional film scholarship. Gender and women’s representation are addressed through comparative and contemporary studies; Kathak and embodied knowledge connect cinema with performing arts; research on consumer behaviour links film reception with commerce and management; and papers on Bhojpuri and Marathi cinema examine the place of regional Indian cinemas within Asian cultural and market networks. Other studies explore Gandhian philosophy, Muslim social films, historical narratives, women’s identity and the reception of Indian motifs outside India. Such topic selection confirms the interdisciplinary character of the conference and encourages dialogue among the humanities, social sciences, performing arts, media studies and commerce.
The inaugural session will be held online on Friday, 18 September 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon (IST). Mr. Evren Rutbil, Director of IICAS, Samarkand, will chair the session. Prof. Shitla Prasad Dubey, former Working Chairman of Maharashtra Rajya Hindi Sahitya Akademi, will attend as Chief Guest, and Prof. Nirmal Kumar of the Department of History, Sri Venkateswara College, University of Delhi, will deliver the keynote address. Dr. Nilufar Khodjaeva, Director/Dean of the Institute of the Languages and Literature of the Peoples of the East at TSUOS, will present the special address. Principal Dr. Anita Manna will welcome the gathering, Conference Convener Dr. Manish Kumar C. Mishra will introduce the conference and present its concept note, and Parveen Kumar will coordinate the session.
The academic leadership of the conference reflects the same collaborative spirit. Dr. Anita Manna and Mr. Evren Rutbil serve as patrons. Dr. Manish Kumar C. Mishra, Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Hindi at K. M. Agrawal College, is the Conference Convener. Dr. Nilufar Khodjaeva of TSUOS, Dr. Amali N. Perera of the University of Colombo and Dr. Usha Alok Dubey of M. D. College, Mumbai, are co-conveners. The organising committee includes Dr. Angha Rane, Prof. (Dr.) Manjeet Maan, Dr. Rina Singh, Parveen Kumar, Dr. Manisha Patil and Dr. Navin Kumar. The committee therefore combines institutional responsibility with academic participation across India, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka.
For K. M. Agrawal College, the conference has clear significance for institutional quality enhancement. It promotes a research culture, creates opportunities for faculty and student engagement, supports interdisciplinary learning and expands international academic contact through digital technology. For NAAC, AQAR and IQAC documentation, the activity is relevant to research promotion, the organisation of seminars and conferences, collaboration, internationalisation and ICT-enabled academic engagement. Its value can be demonstrated through measurable data on partner institutions, countries, participating states, academic levels and paper themes.
Because this is a pre-event article, the conference’s outcomes will be documented after completion through verified attendance, session reports, papers actually presented, participant feedback, screenshots or recordings, certificates, media coverage and publication details where applicable. These records will enable the College to convert the planned international collaboration into a fully evidenced institutional achievement.
The forthcoming conference ultimately recognises cinema as a living cultural bridge. By bringing together four countries, Indian participants from several states and the National Capital Territory, and topics extending from Soviet-era memories to digital-era audiences, it creates a broad yet coherent academic conversation. It also strengthens the position of K. M. Agrawal College as an institution committed to interdisciplinary scholarship, international partnership and sustained India-Central Asia cultural dialogue.
Article prepared from the official conference organising material, inaugural programme and final pre-event presenter list supplied by the organisers. Pre-event status: 23 August 2026.
