Amrutha Kunapulli

Amrutha Kunapulli is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts at The Ohio State University. Her work focuses on cinemas of India, particularly Tamil cinema's globalist tendencies and its positioning within world cinema frameworks. She holds a PhD from Michigan State University and an MA from IIT-Madras. Her research engages with stardom, digital media, and postcolonial theory, emphasizing the intersection of popular cinema and global cultural dynamics. Her monograph Worlding Tamil Cinema (2025) redefines world cinema theory through the lens of Tamil cinema's transnational engagements and historical trajectories. Her articles explore topics like Tamil cultural representation in Hindi cinema, female stardom dynamics, and political cinema in Kashmir. Her scholarly contributions bridge regional film studies with global media discourse.

• Education: PhD (Michigan State University), MA (IIT-Madras)
• Key Research Areas: South Asian cinema, global south media, digital media studies

Her recent work analyzes Tamil cinema's adaptations of Shakespeare (Haider), the socio-cultural networks in Jeet Thayil's Narcopolis, and the evolving role of Tamil cinema in global cinematic landscapes.