Bodies in the Background: Extras, VFX, and the Transformation of Indian Filmmaking
Kartik Nair
October 28, 2024
In this issue of India in Transition, Kartik Nair (Temple University) discusses a strange development in cinema: the quiet replacement of human beings who appear in the background of a scene—those who used to be called “extras”—by virtual substitutes.
CASI in the News
Devesh Kapur (CASI Director, 2006-18; Senior Fellow, 2018-23), Milan Vaishnav (CEIP; CASI Non-Resident Visiting Fellow), and Sumitra Badrinathan (American University; CASI Sobti Fellow, 2020-21) published the October 28, 2024 CEIP Report "Indian Americans at the Ballot Box: Results From the 2024 Indian American Attitudes Survey." The report will be the subject of a October 31, 2024, 12 noon CEIP webinar "Deciphering the Indian American Vote." [Register]
Milan Vaishnav also co-authored with Caroline Mallory (CEIP) the September 26, 2024 CEIP Report "The Resilience of India’s Fourth Party System" and the July 2024 Journal of Democracy paper "The Rise of India's Second Republic."
CASI Fall 2024 Visiting Scholar Hilal Ahmed (Associate Professor, CSDS) published "Not That Simple" in the October 16, 2024 issue of The Telegraph and appeared in "Under Threat, Indian Muslims Look for Survival Strategies," an October 28, 2024 interview with Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay of The Federal. His book, A Brief History of the Present: Muslims in New India (Penguin-Random House, 2024) was also featured in "Is Aurangzeb Really a Hero for Indian Muslims?" (October 24, 2024, The Times of India), "Hilal Ahmed's Book Offers a Scrutiny of Contemporary Muslim Identity" (October 24, 2024, Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay, Business Standard), "India’s Largest Minority Deserves Better Politics" (October 22, 2024, Yogendra Yadav, The Indian Express), and "Review of Hilal Ahmed’s A Brief History of the Present—Muslims in New India: Everyday Communalism" (October 20, 2024, Ziya Us Salam, The Hindu).
Eswaran Sridharan (Academic Director & Chief Executive, UPIASI) co-edited with Sumit Ganguly The Oxford Handbook on Indian Politics (Oxford University Press, 2024), a comprehensive volume that offers an in-depth update on Indian politics, covering key topics from governance to international relations. UPIASI launched the book on October 26, 2024 at India Habitat Centre, New Delhi, featuring panelists Prof. R. Sudarshan (Dean, School of Public Policy, O. P. Jindal Global University); Mr. Raj Chengappa (Group Editorial Director, India Today Group); and Ambassador Shivshankar Menon (former Foreign Secretary and National Security Adviser).
Shikhar Singh (Duke University; CASI Postdoctoral Research Fellow, 2022-24) was featured as a new faculty member in the Duke University Political Science Department in the September 24, 2024 story by Shaun King, "A Kind of Majesty: Shikhar Singh Studies the Story of Democratic Accountability."
Upcoming Events
2024-25 CASI Seminar Series
November 7, 2024, 12 noon at CASI
"Mandate 2024: The Possibilities and Limits of Competitive Welfarism"
CASI / South Asia Center / Political Science Dept / PDRI-DevLab Seminar with Yamini Aiyar (Brown)
November 14, 2024, 12 noon at CASI
"A People's Court? Insurgent Lawyering and Social Movements in India in the 1980s"
CASI / South Asia Center / South Asia Studies Dept / History Dept Seminar with Rohit De (Yale)
November 21, 2024, 12 noon at CASI
"Politics of Muslim Representation: Ideas and Trajectories"
CASI / South Asia Center / Political Science Dept Seminar with CASI Fall 2024 Visiting Scholar Hilal Ahmed (CSDS)
South Asia Center Lecture in partnership with CASI, Political Science Dept, and South Asia Studies Dept
November 12, 2024, 4:30pm at PCPSE (Room 203)
"Sri Lanka Presidential Elections 2024: Minority Choices and Future Directions"
Dr. A.R.M. Imtiyaz (Affiliated Faculty Member, South Asia Center)
CASI Student Programs
Thursday, November 21, 2024, 3-5:00pm at CASI
Student Programs Open House! Come learn all about the Summer Internship Program, Sobti Family Doctoral Fellowship, and Summer Research Funds! Light refreshments will be served.
Read all about Summer Interns and Summer Research Grant recipients' experiences on the CASI Student Programs Blog!
Questions about CASI Student Programs?
Please contact Juni Bahuguna (Assistant Director, Student & Visitor Programs) at junib@sas.upenn.edu
Our Campus & Regional Partners
Monday, November 4, 2024, 12:00pm (Museum 345) Lunch served
Featuring Krupa Rajangam (Visiting Scholar, Stuart Weitzman School of Design)
MPA in International Impact Evaluation
PDRI-DevLab is collaborating with Penn Fels Institute of Government on a one-year MPA in International Impact Evaluation program. Read more
Campus Location
CASI's office is located close to the heart of Penn's campus at the Ronald O. Perelman Center for Political Science & Economics at 133 South 36th Street (Suite 230) Philadelphia, PA 19104-6215.
