I graduated from Delhi University, Jesus and Mary college with BA (hons) in English Literature. Since I wanted to study some more, I decided to join the CNM programme at NUS which I thought was quite wide in its scope and could help me streamline my future options. Although I didnt have any full time work experience before I joined the programme, I did a few internships with a few local newspapers and journals so as to pursue my interest in journalistic writing.

Dr Ingrid Hoofd

Representation of Lesbianism in Indian Cinema

Motion picture technology was developed in the late 19th Century, just when the concepts of homosexuality and heterosexuality were beginning to take hold in western science. Thus, film can and does provide a colossal record of how human sexuality has been understood and represented. Most of the works done up until now that discuss the issue of homosexuality as dealt with in cinema, situate it in an American context and limit it to Hollywood cinema. The Indian authors on the other hand have examined homosexuality chiefly as a social issue. Also, apart from certifying normative heterosexuality, films also seem to be a completely male oriented domain. A lesbian is not only a female in a sexist society; she is also a sexual minority and thus a deviant in a heterosexist society. Most of the research work done till now focuses on male homosexuals and there has been little textual investigation on lesbian characterisation in Indian cinema. My proposed research thus aims at combining these two areas by studying the representation of lesbianism in Indian Cinema.

• Representation in motion pictures
• Media studies