Anushka Shah on Media + Civic Change | The Past, Present, and Future of Civic Entertainment in India

MIT Media Lab researcher and founder of Civic Studios, Anushka Shah launched the framework of Civic Entertainment at our event, 'The Past, Present, and Future of Civic Entertainment in India' on 11 August 2018, in collaboration with MIT Media Lab and Lyca Productions.

Anushka spoke about the possibilities of intersecting civics with entertainment media to create a changemaking agent which can inspire citizen engagement with public institutions. Giving the examples of media texts like Sholay, Rang De Basanti and Soul City, she spoke about the power of media to inform, influence, reach and mobilise citizens in times of less transparency and lack of trust in the system.

The Past, Present, and Future of Civic Entertainment in India brought together media makers, civic activists, and edutainment theorists to explore different models of civic engagement in India, the best techniques that have been used to create thought and behavior-change through entertainment, and past and current trends of civic and political representation in Indian entertainment.