PUBLISHED ARTICLES
Writing & Criticism My writing spans film criticism, cultural analysis, and long-form essays that engage with the intersections of cinema, media, conflict, and visual culture. Through my articles, I bring together close reading, historical context, and critical insight, with a particular focus on South Asia and its cinematic and cultural imaginaries.
I have a sustained engagement with questions of representation, marginality, and the ethics of storytelling. My work examines how narratives are shaped, circulated, and contested, addressing both specialist academic audiences and the wider public. Beyond my essays, I have conducted extensive interviews with noted filmmakers, authors, and translators, exploring the creative processes and political contexts behind their work.
My work has been featured in leading Indian and international platforms. Notably, I am the first Kashmiri woman to be published by Granta magazine. My other publications include: India Today, The Hindu, Scroll.in, and Asymptote.
Across these outlets, I have written on cinema, music, politics, and cultural memory. I am also available for commissioned pieces, including long-form features, essays, and specialized cultural commentary.
Get in Touch I am always open to new collaborations and writing commissions. If you would like to discuss a project or book a session, please drop me a line at info@niyatibhat.com with your project details, including the timeline and scope.
Recent and Forthcoming Work
‘Santhals Celebrate Menstruation As Hormobaha Or Flower Of The Body': An Interview with author Farah Ahamed, September 2022
An interview with translator turned critically-acclaimed author, Aruna Chakravarti, August, 2022
Onir: “It is easier for them to tell our stories, as opposed to us”: An Interview with Indian Indie filmmaker, Onir, July 2022
Kashmir's stories are best told by Kashmiris themselves, shows this anthology of short fiction, April 2022
Love Korean Dramas? These Korean books in translation should be your next stop, March 2022
Kashmiri Pandits and the exodus: Eight books that go to the heart of the pain and trauma, March 2022
6 definitive novels to read on Kashmir by Kashmiris, January 2022
Co-director Sushmit Ghosh talks about Writing With Fire being shortlisted for the 94th Academy Awards, January 2022
Cinema
Half Widow does not fall into the Bollywood trap of the formula Kashmiri film.
Danish Renzu, January 2020 Read More
Unstoppable Women, Nightmarish Cities: Asian Horror Cinema, August 2016
Joshua Oppenheimer: Memories of Screams and Silence, May 2016
Interviews
Shikara is a movement: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, February 2020
‘You have to be very humble': How Neerja Mattoo translates from Kashmiri to English
Interview with Filmmaker Danish Renzu on his film ‘Half Widow'
Essays
Manto on Ismat, who, like independent India and Pakistan, was born on August 15, August 2016
Google was right to remember Premchand (with a doodle) and so should we, August 2016
Where is your woman poet, Kashmir? A search and six discoveries, June 2016
Book Reviews
Book Review: A Map of Longings: The Life and Works of Agha Shahid Ali by Manan Kapoor, June 2021
The Orders Were to Rape You by Meena Kandasamy, April 2021
‘Terrarium: Poetry Collection by Urvashi Bahuguna, April 2019
How Many Countries Does the Indus Cross? by Akhil Katyal, April 2019
Pilgrimage by Ira Singh, October 2018
The Saga of Satisar by Chandrakanta, April 2018
Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks, November 2017
Turtles All the Way Down by John Green, October 2017
My Absolute Darling by Gabriel Tallent, October 2017
Translations
Translated Naseem Shafaie's poem ‘Tale of a City' from Kashmiri to English for Indian Poetry Special Feature, reprinted in The Wire (Republic of Verse).