[ecrea] CFP: The Films of Zoya Akhtar

Call for papers: ReFocus: The Films of Zoya Akhtar

Edinburgh University Press

Contact Email: (thefilmsofzoyaakhtar /at/ gmail.com) 
<mailto:(thefilmsofzoyaakhtar /at/ gmail.com)>

Deadline: February 10, 2019


Zoya Akhtar is one of the very few female writer-directors working in 
the Hindi film industry. Along with her contemporary Farah Khan, she is 
the only woman who works within the big budget Bollywood film format. 
While the reception of her two latest films has made her a commercially 
successful director, her films stand out for their complex 
representation of relationships, a non-judgemental, progressive 
worldview, and her reinterpretation of many of the tropes of the typical 
Bollywood film.


While some critics contend that Akhtar’s big budget films reflect the 
many limitations of the Bollywood film format, her work refuses to be 
defined by one particular style.  From her award winning directorial 
debut Luck by Chance(2009) about two young actors navigating the 
Bollywood industry, to the boys’ road trip blockbuster Zindagi Na Milegi 
Dobara(2011) and the family drama Dil Dhadakne Do(2015), Akhtar’s varied 
work across the industry indicates a much more important range.  
Further, the success of the latter two films has challenged the popular 
view that films made by female directors don’t make money at the Indian 
box office.  Her mark on the Hindi film industry extends beyond the 
feature; her short films appear amongst those of other celebrated 
directors in the omnibus productions Bombay Talkies (2013) and Lust 
Stories(2018) and she has worked as a script writer and lyricist on 
films like Talaash(2012) and Bride and Prejudice (2004) respectively.


Akhtar’s career represents a fascinating case study of the gender 
dynamics in the Hindi film industry, the possibilities and limitations 
of the changing form of popular Hindi cinema, as well as the pressures 
of the box office on film-makers. Her film family background adds 
another layer, making her career reflective of many of the 
contradictions and peculiarities of the Hindi film industry. Keeping 
this context in mind, we are seeking chapters for an anthology on the 
films of Zoya Akhtar. Exploring her contributions across multiple facets 
of Hindi cinema, we invite submissions on any aspect of Akhtar’s films, 
her industrial context and position in the field. We are especially 
interested in chapters on the following:


  *

    Formal analysis of short films vis-à-vis Bollywood films;

  *

    Akhtar’s work as an assistant director, script writer, lyricist;

  *

    Possible influence of the box office on her film themes and styles;

  *

    Formal analysis of any of her films;

  *

    A woman directing a boys’ road movie in Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara;

  *

    Analysis of popular film criticism of her films;

  *

    Song sequences;

  *

    Film family context;

  *

    Collaborations with Farhan Akhtar, Javed Akhtar, and/or Reema Kagti;

  *

    Comparison with her mother Honey Irani’s work as script writer and
    director;

  *

    Representation of women in her films;

  *

    Representation of men in her films;

  *

    Your suggested topic


We are proposing The Films of Zoya Akhtarto be one of the first 
scholarly editions on an Indian woman in the Hindi film industry, to be 
published by the University of Edinburgh Press in the ReFocus series on 
international directors. Series editors are Robert Singer, Gary D. 
Rhodes and Stefanie Van de Peer.We have already had a positive response 
on the project from the editors.


Please send your 500-750 word proposal and CV to the editors of the 
volume, Aakshi Magazine and Amber Shields, latest by February 10, 2019. 
We welcome initial email enquiries to discuss possible proposals, 
especially those not listed above.


Final submissions will be between 6,000 and 8,000 words, in English, and 
referenced in Chicago endnote style.  We are anticipating an Autumn 2019 
submission date.


Any questions and proposals can be sent to:


Aakshi Magazine and Amber Shields

Email address: (thefilmsofzoyaakhtar /at/ gmail.com) 
<mailto:(thefilmsofzoyaakhtar /at/ gmail.com)>


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