Teaching
Courses
Education
- MA Film and Media Studies, School of the Arts, Columbia University
- BA (Hons.) English, Hansraj College, University of Delhi
Profile
Soumya has an academic background in Literature and in Film and Media Studies. Her research interests include the Hindi film industry, censorship, South Asian diaspora cinema, and OTT streaming platforms.
She has worked with nonprofit cultural organisations in Delhi and New York, which shaped her interest in public communication, particularly the role of social media in shaping public opinion and influencing access to cultural spaces. Her experience in content testing in Mumbai further deepened her engagement with the fast-evolving OTT landscape and changing patterns of audience behaviour.
Soumya also works as a Writing Tutor at the Centre for Writing and Communication at Ashoka University, where she mentors students in all aspects of critical thinking, reading, and writing. Recently, she conducted a summer school on sociopolitical readings of horror cinema and workshops on the business of film.
Research Interests
- Popular Culture
- OTT Streaming
- Gender in Media
- Horror Cinema
Publications
- Book: Vats, Soumya. “’You too will marry…’: Inclusion and Exclusion at the Uneasy Wedding in A Suitable Boy.” Stretching the Archives Toward a Global Women’s Film Heritage, edited by Lizelle Bisschoff, Ana Grgić, and Stefanie Van de Peer, Archive Books, 2025, pp. 387–413.