Dr. Meenakshi Bharat is Professor of English at Sri Venkateswara College (University of Delhi). She is a scholar of Postcolonial Literature and Theory, Film and Filmic Adaptations, and Children’s Literature.
Her most recent book is Hindi Cinema and Pakistan: Screening the Idea and the Reality (2024). She is also the author of Troubled Testimonies: Terrorism and the English Novel in India (Routledge, 2016) and Shooting Terror: Terrorism in Hindi Films (Routledge, 2020).
Dr. Bharat has written extensively on Indian filmic cinema and Indian filmic adaptations, including her influential treatments of Austen filmic adaptations: “Going Global: Filmic Appropriation of Jane Austen in India” (2020) and “Did We Need Another Emma?: The Anxiety of Influence in the Bollywood Adaptation of Emma.”
Dr. Bharat is also an accomplished critical editor and short story writer.
In the videos below, Dr. Bharat discusses Austen’s enduing allure within Indian societies, the perceived safety of Austen, and Austen’s ability to capture the messiness of human life and experiences.
You can also directly access Dr. Bharat’s complete YouTube playlist.
Dr. Meenakshi Bharat Recalls Her First Impressions of Jane Austen as a Twelve-Year-Old Girl
Dr. Meenakshi Bharat on the Humanities and the Importance of Jane Austen
Dr. Meenakshi Bharat Discusses Jane Austen’s Cultural Status and Influence in India
Dr. Meenakshi Bharat on the Enduring Role (and Safety) of Austen Within the Indian Education System
Dr. Meenakshi Bharat on Indian Film Adaptations
Dr. Meenakshi Bharat On Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000, Dir. Rajiv Menon).
Dr. Meenakshi Bharat On Jane Austen and the Messiness of Human Life