Lalit Rao

Mr. Lalit Rao is a bilingual Indian film critic, UGC-NET qualified, experienced French teacher, translator, interpreter and festival programmer based in Jaipur, India. He is widely recognized for his contributions to the promotion of world cinema in India and Indian cinema abroad. Writing articles, film reviews and film festival reports in English, French, and Hindi, he has published in prestigious publications such as Deep Focus, Sancho Does Asia, Objectif-Cinéma and Séquences. He also serves as the associate editor of Cinematography Art magazine, a quarterly magazine dedicated to Cinematographers in India.

As an active member of FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics), Mr. Lalit Rao has served on juries at numerous international film festivals. In India, he has been a jury member at the International Film Festival of Kerala (2014) and the Bengaluru International Film Festival (2017). Internationally, his jury experience includes participation at festivals in Siena (Italy), as well as other global events, underlining his reputation as a critic with a deep knowledge of international cinema.

Lalit Rao’s recent engagements demonstrate his continuing relevance in the world of film festivals. In 2024, he has been a preview committee member of Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF 2024), contributing to the selection of Indian documentary films. In 2025, he served as a jury member at the 7th Bioscope Global Film Festival 2025, organized in collaboration with the National Law University of Odisha (NLUO).

Beyond jury work, Mr. Lalit Rao is also a passionate film historian. He has built a film database titled KINEMA, covering more than 25,000 films for world cinema enthusiasts, and has reviewed over 1,000 films on IMDb. His YouTube channels Cinema-poet and Indian Talkies 1913 further reflect his dedication to disseminating cinema culture.

With his unique ability to bridge Indian and global cinéphile communities, Lalit Rao continues to be one of India’s most internationally engaged film critics.

Chronological highlights of Film critic Mr.Lalit Rao's career as a film critic

Early 2000s

2004 (Feb 27–29): Presented a paper “A brief overview of Francophone cinema in Québec” at the 20th International Conference on Canadian Studies, University of Rajasthan, Jaipur.

2005–06: Paris correspondent for Deep Focus and Bangalore Film Society; studied Master 2 Cinema Studies at Université de Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle with ''Distribution of Indian cinema in France'' as research topic.

Late 2000s

2008- 2012 : Attended International Film Festival of Kerala as a film critic and documented the festival consistently through blog posts, film reviews and video interviews.

2010s

2014: FIPRESCI jury member at the 19th IFFK (Malayalam cinema category).

2008-2015 : Launched YouTube channels Cinema-poet (2008) and Indian Talkies 1913 (2013).

2016: Completed 1,000 IMDb reviews on world cinema films.

2017: Served as jury member (Kannada Cinema) at the 9th Bengaluru International Film Festival 2017 (BIFFES).

2020s

2021- 2022 : Advisory board member (World Cinema) at the Rajasthan International Film Festival (RIFF).

2022 : Jury member of 5th Bulli ed Eroi International Children's Film Festival, Siena, Italy

2024: Preview Committee Member at the 18th Mumbai International Film Festival 2024 (MIFF 2024). Published report on MIFF 2024 in Filmfestivals.com.

2025: Served as Jury Member at the 7th Bioscope Global Film Festival 2025, organized in collaboration with the National Law University of Odisha (NLUO). He has published reviews, interviews, and festival reports on Filmfestivals.com.

(fipresci.cinemapoet@gmail.com)

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Lalit Rao's Blogs

A report about the 18th Mumbai International Film festival 2024 by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI)

Nov 08, 2024 at 10:02 PM

18th MIFF 2024 showcased an impressive global diversity with 314 films from 59 countries, representing 61 languages. This broad cultural representation not only emphasized MIFF’s role as a hub...

Film historian Lalit Mohan Joshi’s poignant film ‘‘Angwal’’explores the vibrant yet often overlooked culture of Kumaoni poetry.

Nov 08, 2024 at 10:02 PM

Film historian Lalit Mohan Joshi’s poignant film ‘‘Angwal’’explores the vibrant yet often overlooked culture of Kumaoni poetry © film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) dated 05/11/2024 “Angwal,”...

Animation films by Georges Schwizgebel offer an interesting amalgam of fluid, imaginative style with classical music !!!!

Oct 24, 2024 at 09:51 AM

Animation films by Swiss animation director Georges Schwizgebel : A world of animation where fluid and imaginative style creates captivating scene transitions through the use of classical music. An...

Interview with Indian director Haobam Paban Kumar by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) dated 02.03.2024

Nov 14, 2024 at 11:27 AM

Photo Division Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Government of India On 2nd March 2024, after having watched Indian maestro Mrinal Sen’s critically acclaimed film ‘‘Kharij’’...

Interview with NYFA graduate Indian director Leslie Carvalho by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) dated 01.03.2024

Mar 13, 2024 at 12:22 PM

Interview with Indian director Leslie Carvalho by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) dated 01.03.2024 Leslie Carvalho is a multifaceted personality of Indian independent cinema. Apart from being a...

10 Quality Indian films based on works of literature © Mr. Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) dated 29.02.2024

Nov 14, 2024 at 11:31 AM

1) Abhaas (1997) directed by Bijaya Jena. This is an interesting ‘‘auteur’’ film by Ms. Bijaya Jena who has won India’s national award twice. It is based on a 3 pages long short story by famous Odia...

‘‘Killers of the Flower Moon’’ is certainly not the best film of Martin Scorcese's career nor his best film in last 10 years !!!

Nov 01, 2023 at 03:56 PM

Review of American film ‘‘Killers of the Flower Moon’’ (2023) directed by Martin Scorcese by film critic © Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) 01/11/2023 ‘‘Killers of the Flower Moon’’ (2023) is...

Review of Vijay Anand film ‘Guide’ by film critic Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) dated 30/10/2023

Oct 30, 2023 at 06:23 PM

Vijay Anand's film ‘‘Guide’’ (1965) remains one of the most admirable classics of Hindi cinema that promoted secular values, emancipation of women and a philosophical approach to...

Aug 09, 2023 at 07:27 PM

‘‘Barbie’’ directed by Greta Gerwig film review © Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI) 10.08.2023 Audiences and critics will remember ‘‘Barbie’’ for a long time as a light-hearted film that came at a time when...

Jul 27, 2023 at 01:52 PM

It was with an Austrian film ‘‘Alma and Oskar’’ directed by Dieter Berner that 53rd International Film Festival of India 2022 got off to a good start. It is a film about one of the greatest...