Swapnil Rai

Swapnil Rai is an Associate Professor in the Department of Film, Television, and Media at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and has affiliations with the Center for South Asian Studies, Lieberthal-Rogel Center for Chinese Studies, Institute for Research on Women and Gender, and Center for World Performance Studies. Her research bridges media studies, gender studies, and industry analysis, focusing on global south networks, transnational stardom, and political celebrity culture.

Education: Ph.D. in Radio, TV, and Film from University of Texas at Austin; Postdoctoral fellowships at Brown University and teaching roles at Wesleyan University.

Research Interests: Global film/TV industries, women and gender studies, transnational media flows, celebrity culture, political communication, and streaming platforms. Her book Networked Bollywood (2024) examines how stars globalized Hindi cinema through production culture and diplomacy.

Key Contributions: Explores India-China media soft power dynamics, Modi’s celebrity politics, and global streaming strategies in India. Her work appears in Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, Feminist Media Studies, and Communication, Culture & Critique.

Awards: 2022-23 Richard and Lillian Ives Humanities Faculty Fellow.

Teaching: Courses include Seminar in Mass Media and Communication, National Screens, and Topics in Romance Languages.