Brief Profile

Dr. Mehul Agarwal is currently working as an Assistant Professor at the Birla School of Communication, Birla Global University, Bhubaneswar. He has completed his PhD from the Central University of Rajasthan in the broader area of masculinities and the media. His specific areas of research include Film, Television and Representation in Media. He holds the UGC NET-JRF certificate in Mass Communication and Journalism.

• Academic Qualifications
  
  • PhD in Culture and Media Studies, Central University of Rajasthan (Thesis Title: Mediated Masculinities: Production and Representation in Hindi Television Soap Operas)
  • UGC NET (JRF) – Mass Communication & Journalism
  • M.A. in Mass Communication, St. Xavier’s University, Kolkata
  • Bachelors in Media Science (H), MAKAUT, West Bengal
• Teaching Interests
  
  • Film Appreciation
  • Television Studies
  • Qualitative Research Methodology
  • Cultural Studies

  Research Interest

  • Gender, Representation and Identity
  • Film and Television
  • Digital Media & Format Studies
  • Political Communications
• Work Experience
  
  • Senior Research Fellow at Central University of Rajasthan from 01.01.2023 to 13.02.2024
  • Junior Research Fellow at Central University of Rajasthan from 01.01.2021 to 31.12.2022
• Journal Articles
  
  • Embodying Indian Epic Masculinities: Interpretations of Masculine Images in Hatim – Published in the Journal of Kolkata Society for Asian Studies (UGC-CARE Listed), Vol. 10 (2), pp. 41-54. (ISSN 2454-5694) (First Author)
  • Beyond the Box: The Intersection of TV and SVOD in the Indian Media Landscape – Published in Communication Today (peer-reviewed), Vol. 28 (4), pp. 125-133. (ISSN 0975-217X)
  • (Re)Visiting Masculinities in Indian Television Soap Operas – Published in the Quarterly Review of Film and Video (SCOPUS-indexed), Advance online publication. (Online ISSN: 1543-5326) https://doi.org/10.1080/10509208.2023.2259264
  • Envisioning Change: Revival of Northeast Identity in New Bollywood Narratives – Published in Pragyaan: Journal of Mass Communication (peer-reviewed), Vol. 21 (1), pp. 9-16 (Print ISSN: 0974-5521)
  • Screening Bodies: The Indian Male in Hindi Soap Operas – Published in Mass Communicator: International Journal of Communication Studies (peer-reviewed), Vol. 17 (1), pp. 29-33 (Print ISSN: 0973-9688)
  • Men Will Be Men! Normalising Misandry in OTT Non-Fiction Comedy Programmes – Published in Journal of Media & Communication (UGC-CARE Listed), Vol. 6 (2), pp. 48-66 (e-ISSN: 2581-513X)

  Review Articles

  • Book Review: Runa Chakraborty Paunksnis&ŠarūnasPaunksnis (ed.), Gender, Cinema, Streaming Platforms: Shifting Frames in Neoliberal India – Published in the Journal of Visual Culture (SCOPUS, WoS-indexed), Vol. 23 (1) (e-ISSN: 1741-2994) https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/14704129241249377
  • Book Review: Shannon Philip, Becoming Young Men in a New India: Masculinities, Gender Relations and Violence in the Postcolony – Published in Society and Culture in South Asia (SCOPUS-indexed), Vol. 9 (2), pp. 302-304 (e-ISSN: 2394-9872) https://doi.org/10.1177/23938617231176785
• Chapter in books (With ISSN/ISBN Number):
  
  • टी.वी. के हिंदी धारावाहिकों की कुछ प्रवृत्तियाँ Published in Srivastava, S. (ed.) अमृतकाल में भारत और मीडिया, forthcoming, Paarth Publishers (ISBN: 978-81965898-0-6) (Accepted).
  • Beyond the Broken Frames: The Landscape of Ritwik Ghatak’s Films| 2025| Accepted for Publication in Chakravorty, N., Kayal S. and Pal S. (ed.), Cinema Aesthetic: Retrospective of Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak and Mrinal Sen, forthcoming, Adamas University Press. (ISBN: 978- 81-971801-1-8)
  • Navigating Masculinities: Production Insights from Hindi TV Soap Operas| 2024| Published in Basu, A., Majumdar S. and Sur S. (ed.), Media, Culture and Society: Inter-Relation and Evolution, pp. 45-54, Penprints. (ISBN: 978-81-975894-8-5)
  • Gender Differences in Digital Financial Inclusion: A Study on UPI Apps’ TVCs| 2024| Published in Sahoo, M. and Gupta, S. (ed.), The Journey of Development in India: Reflections on Economic and Communication Scenario, Vol. 2, pp. 206-225, Gyaan Geeta Prakashan. (ISBN: 978-81- 962131-3- 8) (First Author)
• Papers Presented
  
  • Presented a paper titled Finding the Men of Laapataa Ladies: A Gendered Exploration at the Two-day International Conference on “Diversity & Representation in Media & Society” organized by Reva University, Bangalore.
  • Presented a paper titled Media Education: Educators’ Perspective on Learning Simpler at the Three Day National Seminar on Transforming India: The Significance of Digital Education in Accomplishing “Viksit Bharat @ 2047” organized by Birla Global University in collaboration with Consortium for Educational Communication (CEC), New Delhi (March 2024).
  • Presented a paper titled Tracing the ‘Daily Drop’ Disruption: Navigating the Evolution of Media Technology in India at the National Conference on Media, Democracy and Social Change: Navigating Opportunities & Challenges organized by the School of Media and Communication Design, IMS Unison University (November 2023).
  • Presented a paper titled Navigating Masculinities: Production Insights from Hindi TV Soap Operas at the II National Conclave on Media Culture and Society: Inter-relation and Evolution organized by the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, Sister Nivedita University (September 2023).
  • Presented a paper titled Neglect and Renewal: Decoding Cultural Inclusivity in recent Northeast Representation in Hindi Cinema at the Two Days National Seminar on ‘National Integration through Cultural Exchange’ organized by the Department of Mass Communication, Mizoram University and S.E.I.L (May 2023).
  • Presented a paper titled Gender Differences in Digital Financial Inclusion: A study on UPI Apps’ TVCs at the International Conference on The Journey of Development in India organized by the Dept. of Economics and the Dept. of Journalism & Mass Communication, Central University of Odisha (March 2023).
  • Presented a paper titled The Men in our Soaps: Deconstructing Masculinities in Indian Soap Operas at the International Virtual Conference Media and Gender-Inclusive Narratives and Contemporary Debates 2023, organized by the Central University of Karnataka, Institute for International Journalism, SVKM’s U. P. G. College & Women’s ICCI (January 2023).
  • Presented a paper titled The Ajeeb Dastaan of GeeliPucchi: Dalit, Masculine, Queer Intersectionality at Play at the International Conference on Dalit Studies organized by the Department of Comparative Literature, Jadavpur University (November 2022).
• Faculty Development Programmes
  
  • Participated in a One-week FDP on Media Literacy: Empowering Educators and Societyorganized by the Department of Journalism and Mass Communication, School of Media and Communication, Manipal University, Jaipur
  • Participated in a 5-day FDP on A.I. Tools and Platforms for Teaching and Research organized by Birla Global University, Bhubaneswar (2024)
  • Participated in a 7-day FDP on Empowering Educators to Cultivate Happiness, Resilience and Wellbeing organized by JAIN (deemed-to-be-university), Kochi campus (2024)
  • Participated in a One-week FDP organized by IILM Law School, Gurugram on Higher Education: A Paradigm Shift in Teaching and Learning (2023)
  • Participated in a One-week FDP organized by Mata Gujri College, Fatehgarh Sahib on Advance Tools in Research (2021)
• Orientation Programmes
  
  • Completed a Five-week Online Orientation Programme organised by MMTTC, Iswar Saran PG College, University of Allahabad (August-September 2024)