Professor
Room No: HSB 342
Tel: +91 44 2257 4521
E-Mail: draysha@iitm.ac.in

Academic Background:

• MA (Lit), MPhil (Lit) and PhD (Lit) from Vikram University, Madhya Pradesh
• MPhil (ELT) and PGDTE from CIEFL, Hyderabad

Areas of Research Interest:

• Film Studies
• Drama
• American Literature
• Popular Culture
• Fashion Studies

Courses Introduced and Taught:

Introduction to Western Classics, Introduction to Film Studies, Principles of English for Specific Purpose, Principles and Practice of English Language Teaching, Contemporary Indian Novel & Drama in English, Film Theory & Practice, Introduction to Popular Culture, Great Film Directors , Advanced Concepts in Film Studies, Narrative in Literature & Cinema, Asian-American Writings in English, Screenwriting, City Culture in Films & Literature, Fashion in Literature and Cinema, Films as an Industrial Practice (with Dr S Subash) and Contemporary Media Studies (with Dr Mathangi K), Advanced Studies in Indian Cinema.

Research Guidance:

Ph.D.:

1. Vimal Mohan John, Film / Gender Studies: Masculinity in Contemporary Hollywood Films 2010-2014 (degree awarded)
2. Gopika Sankar, American Literature: Representation of American Urban Spaces and City in South Asian-American Novels 2010-2014 (degree awarded)

Post Doctoral Guidance:

• From May-Oct 2014 Vimal Mohan John was on IITM’s extended fellowship that functioned like a PDF.

M.Phil. Supervision:

• 2 (degrees awarded in 2004)

M.A. Projects Supervision:

• 21 completed

Publication details:

Books:

1. Behind the Scenes : Contemporary Bollywood Directors(eds). Sage, 2017. “Introduction” by Aysha Iqbal Viswamohan.​​ (co-edited with Vimal John).​
2. Post-liberalization Indian Novels in English: Global Reception & Politics of Award. London: ANTHEM, 2013.
3. English for the Hotel Industry. New Delhi: Pearson, 2013.
4. English for Nurses. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, 2010.
5. English for Technical Communication. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill, 2007 rpt 2008.
6. Arthur Miller: The Dramatist and His Universe. Chennai: T.R. Publishers, 2006.
7. It Happens like This: a Novella. Kolkata: Writers Workshop, 2004.

Select Papers:

1. ‘Narcissism, Masochism and the Reconstituted Male—Masculine Performances in Fight Club and The Wrestler​’. Journal of Creative Communications. November 2015; Vol. 10, No. 3, 276-287. (Co-author Vimal John)
2. “Haute couture and the discourse of stardom in globalized times: Sonam Kapoor as Hindi cinema’s representative fashion icon”. South Asian Popular Culture, Vol 12, Issue 2, 2014, pp 73-88. Routledge. Taylor & Francis , UK
3. “Arthur Miller and New York State of Being”. Studies in Theatre and Performance . Vol 34, No. 1, 2014 , pp. 62-74. Routledge. Taylor & Francis , UK
4. “Masculine Practices and Reception of Chinese Cinema in India.” Literary Insight. Vol 3, Jan 2012, pp. 34-40.
5. “English in Film Songs from India”. English Today , Vol 27, no 4 , Sept 2011, pp 21-24. Cambridge, UK.
6. “Home, Immigration, and Fractured Identities in Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss.” Journal of South Asian Review. Vol 32, No 2, 2011, pp259-274. Univ of Pittsburgh, USA.
7. “The Rhetoric of Spam mail.” ELTJ, 64/1, 2010, pp 85-94. Oxford, UK.
8. “Greed, Cynicism & Betrayal. Images of City in Postliberalization Indian Cinema” The Journal of Contemporary Literature, vol 2, no.2, July 2010, 149-171.
9. “Interrogating Liberal Ideals: Arthur Miller’s Clara and Vijay Tendulkar’s Kanyadaan.” Journal of Arts: Gendang Alam, Issue 2, 2011, pp 23-38. Universiti Malaysia Sabah.
10. “Radicalism& Rebellion: Relevance of Brecht in Present Times”. Atlantic Literary Review. 9, pp. 47-57, 2008.
11. “Tagore’s Chokher Bali: Aesthetic and Ethical Considerations”. JSL Journal of Art, literature and Culture. Spring 2006, pp 112-121.
12. “Ten Steps to Teaching English for Academic Purposes.” Modern English Teacher. vol.14, no.3, July 2005, pp 19-21. Modern English Publishing, UK.
13. “Code-Switching in Popular Journalism”. English Today. vol. 20, No.3, July 2004 , pp.34-36. Cambridge Univ. Press, UK.
14. “Hybridizing and Glocalizing English: the Language Revolution with Hinglish” Indian Linguistics. Vol 65, no1-4, 2004, pp. 197-214. Linguistic Society of India, Deccan College, Pune.
15. “Urmila: Feminist Concerns and Existential Dilemma. Indian Literature” Sahitya Akademy publication, December 2001, No. 206, pp. 184-189. Sahitya Akademi

Book Chapters:

1. Mansoor Khan: Narrative and Aesthetic Impulses of a Director in ‘Self’ Exile​. In Contemporary Hindi Film Directors, Sage, 2017.
2. Farhan Akhtar: Stardom of the Poster Boy of ‘New’ Hindi Cinema. In Contemporary Hindi Film Directors, Sage, 2017.
3. “Marketing Ladlit, Creating Bestsellers: The Importance of Being Chetan Bhagat.” In Postliberalization Indian Novels in English: Global Reception & Politics of Awards. London: Anthem, 2013, pp.19-30.
4. “Kiran Nagarkar and the Discontents of Masculinity”. Masculinity in Postcolonial Indian Writing in English. Letizia Alterno & Rajeshwar Mitapalli (eds). New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers, 2009, pp. 83-99.
5. “Teaching EAP/ESP in India”. EAP and ESP in Developing Countries: Current State of Play vs Actual Needs and Wants. Mark Kznawroski (ed). London: Garnet Education & British Council, 2009, pp. 137-144.

Projects and Major Workshops Organized at IITM:

1. Chennai International Screenwriting Workshop. Sponsored by Dr Kamal Haasan’s Raj Kamal Films International, May 2009.
2. Partnership Development seed Grant, Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, Calgary, 2010.
3. Imaging Cinema Filmmaking Workshop 5-10 May 2010
4. Imaging Cinema Screenwriting/documentary Workshop 18-20 January 2011
5. Imaging Cinema Filmmaking Workshop 1-10 June 2012
6. Imaging cinema Screenwriting Workshop 7-14 June 2014
7. IITM-Behindwoods Festival of Tamil Cinema June-July 2014

International/ National Awards & Recognition:

• In conversation with   Mr Ziya Us Salam (Frontline magazine)  at ‘Author’s Corner’,  World Book Fair, New Delhi on 6 January 2018.
• Invited by BBC-Culture (UK) ​for participating in their poll on 100 greatest comedies of all time. The list was published on the BBC-Culture website in August 2017.​​
  http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20170821-the-100-greatest-comedies-of-all-time-who-voted​
• Invited by BBC-Culture (UK) ​for participating in their poll on 21st century’s greatest films. The list was published on the BBC-Culture website on 23 Aug 2016.​
• Best Paper Award. “Masculine Practices and Reception of Chinese Cinema in India” by Higher Education Society, New Mumbai, 2013.
• Invited for a lecture series “Trends in Contemporary Hindi Cinema”. Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Feb 2012.
• Consultant for South Asian Film Festival 2012. Vancouver, Canada.
• Associate Fellowship , IIAS, Shimla, 2012.
• Canadian Faculty Enrichment Fellowship, Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute, 2009.
• Finalist for Young Faculty Recognition Award, IIT Madras, 2008 & 2009.
• Ray Tongue Scholarship, British Council-IATEFL, UK 2005.
• UGC-JRF/NET (1993)

Conferences/Workshops:

Papers presented at Conferences/Workshops (International):

• ‘Desiring Bodies and Smoldering Hearts: Performing Femininity through Voice’ (co-authors Namita and Nakul Krishnamurthy​). When the Music Takes Over: Musical Numbers in Film and Television, Department of Music, University of Salzburg, Austria​, 9 March 2018. 
• “Contemporary Hindi Film Directors: From Behind the Scenes to Being Scene Stealers” . Invited talk at SOAS, London, 27 April 2016.
• “When Shakespeare Meets Bollywood: But Where Are the Comedies?” . Paper presented at “Indian Shakespeares on Screen” Asia House, London, 29 April 2016.
• Presented a paper ‘Haute couture and Star Iconography in Postliberalized Hindi Films.’ Fashion 7 Interdisciplinary conference. 26th Sept 2015 at Mansfield College, Oxford University, UK.
• Chaired a session on ‘Textile Production and Sustainable Fashion.’ Fashion 7 Interdisciplinary conference. 25th Sept 2015 at Mansfield College, Oxford University, UK.
• Vimal Mohan John & Aysha Iqbal Viswamohan. “Sam Mendes’s suburban America and performances of anxious masculinity.” New directions in the humanities. San Pablo University: Madrid. 12-15 June 2014.
• “Background Music in Contemporary Hindi Cinema.” CINESONIKA Conference. School of Interactive Arts and Technology. Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Canada. February 2012.
• “Masculinity in the films of Paul Thomas Anderson.” (with Vimal John). Paris International Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences Research, 24-28 July 2012.
• “Masculinities in Chinese Cinema & Reception in India”. China in the World. Open University Hong Kong, 5-8th January 2011.
• City Culture in Indian Cinema. MICOLLAC 2009, University of Putrajeya, 29 April 2009.
• Streets in Indian Cinema. 5th Great Asian Streets Symposium, Dept of Architecture. National University of Singapore, 6 December 2008.
• Notion of America in Popular Hindi Films. 53rd Annual Conference of British Association of American studies, University of Edinburgh, UK, 28 March 2008.
• A headway in the IT world (Global-Sig) at 39th IATEFL conference, Cardiff, UK, 6th April 2005.
• Using Media in ESP/EAP contexts: A Workshop (ESP-Sig). 40th IATEFL conference, Harrogate, UK. 10 April 2006.
• Teaching ESP/EAP in India . 40th IATEFL conference, Harrogate, UK. 8 April 2006.

Other Academic Activities:

1. Attended Film Appreciation Course at FTII, Pune. May16-June 11, 2011.
2. Attended Screenwriting Workshop at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. 21-25 June 2010.
3. Developed course modules for Distance Teaching. English & Foreign Languages University, (formerly CIEFL), Hyderabad, India. Part of Postcolonial literature for Distance Mode MA programme
4. Developed Online Courses
   1. Contemporary Literature, Video module, 2012
   2. Contemporary Literature, Web module, 2012
   3. Introduction to Film Studies, Video module, 2013
   4. ‘Literary Theory & Literary Criticism’ Jan-Feb 2015
   5. ‘Film Appreciation’, May-June 2015
   6. Technical English for Engineers’ Jan-April 2016
   7. American Literature & Culture. July-Oct 2016.
   8. English Language for Competitive Exams. Jan-April 2017.