Chaplin: Laughter and the Body
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Date: 20 January 2026
Time: 5:30 PM – 7:00 PM
Venue: KCC Library
OPEN TO ALL
Chaplin: Laughter and the Body is a special talk by Prof Moinak Biswas at the KCC Library, that invites audiences to rediscover the magic of Charlie Chaplin’s cinema. The session explores how Chaplin’s physical comedy and expressive movement create laughter while also engaging with emotion, social realities, and the rhythms of modern life. Using film clips and open discussion, the talk highlights how the human body becomes central to Chaplin’s cinematic language and storytelling. Prof Biswas brings deep academic insight and an engaging, accessible approach that truly enriches the session, and offers a rare opportunity to experience Chaplin’s timeless artistry through fresh perspectives and thoughtful analysis.
About the Speaker
Moinak Biswas is Professor of Film Studies and the initiator of The Media Lab at Jadavpur University, Kolkata. A noted scholar of Indian cinema and culture, his publications include Apu and After: Revisiting Ray’s Cinema (2005), Chaplin (1997, 2000), and the forthcoming Drishyantar parba (January 2026). He is the editor of the Journal of the Moving Image and the Bengali little magazine Kolkata 21. He has also worked extensively as a filmmaker. He co-directed the award-winning Bengali feature film Sthaniya Sambaad (2010), created the video installation Across the Burning Track for the 11th Shanghai Biennale (2016), and recently directed the documentary PC: Calcutta New York Kolkata (2025).
