Discussion on the short films The Hug of Emptiness (2026) and The Great Indian Illusion (2026)

Talking Films Online presents a discussion of the The Hug of Emptiness (2026) directed by Dr. Pradeep Kenchanuru and The Great Indian Illusion (2026) directed by Varrun Sukhraj that took place on Saturday, August 22, 2026, at 9 PM IST via Zoom. We were joined by the director, Dr. Pradeep Kenchanuru for a discussion of the film, initiated by Dr. Ashir Mehta that day. Dr. Pradeep Kenchanuru secured his master’s degree in History from Mangalore University, he pursued his Ph.D. from Kannada University Hampi on the topic of, ‘Ideology and the Cultural Questions of the Kannada Film’ in 2020. He pursued his film education through FTII Pune in 2015. He is the Screenwriter of the National award winning Kannada film Reservation in the year 2016. He has also won the National Award/Swarna Kamal for Best Book on Indian Cinema in 72nd National Awards. Prof. Ashir Shardool Mehta is a Professor of Economics with over 35 years of experience. His areas of interest include Environmental Economics, International Development Economics, and the Economics of Human Resources. He is currently serving as the Head of the Department at The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. He has several publications to his credit and has been a member of the Board of Studies at SP University, V V Nagar, Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, and AURO University, Surat. He is also an ex-member of the Senate of MSU. Prof. Mehta has guided various Ph.D. students and is currently involved in ongoing research and academic activities.