Krishnan Padinjassery

Krishnan is a third-year PhD candidate in the Department of Communications, Drama and Film at the University of Exeter, supported by the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences Faculty Studentship. His research investigates counter-hegemony in Indian cinema, with a particular emphasis on Kerala’s 'New-Generation Malayalam cinema' of the 2010s. Drawing on frameworks of plurality, Third Cinema, and Deleuze’s concept of minor cinema, his project examines how cinematic practices—on screen and within production cultures—articulate collective dissent and alternative modes of political expression. His work is grounded in close readings of films, analysis of film periodicals, and ethnographic engagement with film festivals, exploring cinema as a site of political and aesthetic resistance.

Prior to Exeter, Krishnan completed his MA in Film and Literature at the University of York, where he explored the interplay between cinematic and literary forms in shaping cultural narratives. H hold a BA in English from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, University of Delhi, which laid the foundation for my ongoing interest in visual storytelling, media politics, and the aesthetics of resistance.