FTII chairman Gajendra Chauhan set to retire on March 3
After a tumultuous 1.7 years, including a 139-day students' strike, FTII chairman Gajendra Chauhan will retire on March 3, unless his tenure is extended by the government. During his chairmanship, the institute got six PG diploma courses converted into masters' degrees, a new syllabus, and started fresh enrolments after a two-year gap. However, the institute was accused of 'high-handedness' under his leadership.
Gajendra Chauhan is a veteran actor who rose to fame with his role as "Yudhishtra" in B.R. Chopra's Mahabharat. Chauhan has appeared in more than 600 TV serials and about 150 films; and has spent 34 years in the industry. The actor has been associated with BJP for over 20 years but joined the party officially in 2014.
The Centre had appointed Gajendra Chauhan as FTII's new president. The institute was without a chief for over a year and was previously headed by filmmaker Saeed Mirza. The decision to appoint Chauhan invited shock and criticism as many people believed it to be BJP's attempt to meddle with the affairs of the prestigious institute.
With the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the President and Chairman of the governing council, the FTII Society had been reconstituted after three years. Eminent personalities such as Mahesh Bhatt and Girish Karnad had served as its President in the past. The society has Vidya Balan, Raju Hirani, Pallavi Joshi, documentary filmmaker Anagha Ghasias and Assamese filmmaker Jahnu Barua among others, as its members.
Famous FTII alumni includes big names from the industry such as Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Amrish Puri, David Dhawan, Girish Karnad, Rajkumar Hirani, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Mahesh Bhatt, to name a few.
Students of FTII went on an indefinite strike against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chief of the prestigious institute. They were questioning Chauhan's credentials to lead the institute which was already dealing with plenty of problems. The council demanded an immediate replacement of Chauhan by someone who is qualified enough to do justice to the position.
Actor-turned-politician Gajendra Chauhan reacted strongly against the growing criticism and protests over his appointment as the new FTII chief. He had denied any BJP influence over his appointment. Chauhan said, "I appeal to all those who doubt my credibility to give me at least a year to perform my duties and I will change their opinion."
