We are pleased to invite you to an exciting session hosted by the Gurmani Centre for Languages and Literature, titled 100 Years of Lahore Cinema.

This session will feature Iftikhar Dadi, a renowned artist and scholar specialized in modern and contemporary art. His recent work, Lahore Cinema: Between Realism and Fable, explores the cinema produced in mid-twentieth century Lahore. Dadi argues that, contrary to the notion of popular cinema as apolitical, it has served as a powerful vector for social and aesthetic modernization in South Asia. These films drew from a rich tapestry of influences, including Bengali performance traditions, Hindu mythology, Parsi theater, Sufi concepts of self, Urdu lyric poetry, and Hollywood musicals, creating a dialogue between melodrama and neorealism.

Join us for this enlightening literary session on Wednesday, November 6, 2024 from 4 to 6 PM in A-13 Academic Block.

Featured Speaker: Iftikhar Dadi

Iftikhar Dadi teaches and researches modern and contemporary art from a global and transnational perspective, with a focus on methodology and intellectual history. His research examines film, media, and popular cultures in South Asia, particularly how emerging publics create new avenues for civic participation. His recent publications include: Lahore Cinema: Between Realism and Fable (University of Washington Press, 2022), a pioneering examination of mid-century cinema from Lahore, and Modernism and the Art of Muslim South Asia (2010). Dadi has also edited volumes such as The Lahore Biennale Reader 01 (2022), Anwar Jalal Shemza (2015), and co-edited works like Art and Architecture of Migration and Discrimination: Pakistan, Turkey and their European Diasporas (2023). He serves on the editorial and advisory boards of several journals, including ARTMargins, South Asian Studies, Archives of Asian Art, and Bio-Scope: South Asian Screen Studies. As an artist, Iftikhar Dadi collaborates with Elizabeth Dadi, exploring themes of memory and borders in contemporary globalization. Their work, which has been exhibited internationally, critically engages with site-specificity and draws on archaeology, cinema, and art historical references.