Chandigarh, August 7
An enthusiastic audience gathered at Tagore Theatre, Chandigarh, for the screening of two short films by Australia based architect, academic, and PhD scholar Asees Prab. The event brought together experts and citizens for an evening of films and discussion exploring Chandigarh through its architecture, urban spaces, and the lived experiences of its people.
Through conversations, observations, and creative storytelling, the two films Act! Citizen and otherness, explored themes of citizenship, identity, public spaces, and belonging. Act! Citizen invites residents to rediscover many of Chandigarh’s significant public spaces—including the Capitol Complex—and brings these places into the active consciousness of the people who use the city every day.
The second film, otherness, explores the architectural concept of modularity, introduced by Le Corbusier, and examines how this foundational planning principle is understood, interpreted, and negotiated in Chandigarh today, beyond its original application during the city’s creation.
The films were developed as part of Asees’ doctoral research at RMIT University and brought back to Chandigarh with the intention of sharing the research with the community that inspired it. By presenting architectural ideas through film, the project sought to make the city’s design, history, and planning more accessible to a wider audience and encourage citizens to engage more deeply with their urban environment.
The screening was followed by a panel discussion featuring architects Surinder Bahga and Shilpa Das, advocate Manmohan Sarin, and journalist Aarish Chhabra, who shared their expert perspectives on Chandigarh.
The event highlighted the value of bringing together citizens and professionals to exchange ideas about the city. It demonstrated how films can make research accessible to a wider public while encouraging greater awareness and appreciation of Chandigarh’s unique architectural and urban heritage.
