FTII Protest Gets Hefty Leg-up from Anupam Kher and Rishi Kapoor

Anupam Kher, Rishi Kapoor and Nawazuddin Siddiqui ask for new FTII chairman Gajendra Chauhan’s removal.

TV actor Gajendra Chauhan speaking with ANI after his appointment as FTII Chairman. (Photo Courtesy: ANI Screengrab)

Staunch Support from Bollywood

Veteran Bollywood actor Rishi Kapoor today tweeted out “advice” to FTII chairman Gajendra Chauhan, suggesting that the latter should step down voluntarily, following massive protests against his appointment.

Celebrated filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan and veteran actor Anupam Kher too lent vehement voices to the ongoing agitation, backing the students completely.

I personally feel that FTII represents a certain art form... it does need a person who has a great body of work. Certainly FTII needs somebody who is much more qualified than whatever Ganjendra ji’s qualifications are coming across.
– Anupam Kher

Gopalakrishnan, a former FTII Chairman, meanwhile declared that he would personally request Chauhan to step down from the position as he feels his appointment will only harm them and everyone concerned.

Throwing his hat too in the fray of Bollywood veterans supporting FTII students, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui called the interference of running an institute like FTII “frustrating”. Ideally a pass out of the institute should be appointed as the chairman, Siddiqui claimed, because such a person would be aware of the curriculum and problems.

People who are pass outs of the institute know the ground reality and they should be at the helm of things as they know the place, the problems, the curriculum, the running of the institute.
– Nawazuddin Siddiqui

A video was posted by the FTII students’ body on YouTube with the actor waxing eloquent about the institute and the ongoing crisis.

Option to Move Court Kept Open: Students

The FTII Students’ Association (FSA) said that they are keeping the option open of moving court to secure the removal of TV actor Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the Governing Council.

The students declared that they’d come to this conclusion since the Centre had failed to “respond positively” to their demand.

Calling upon the Information and Broadcasting Ministry to initiate a second round of talks to discuss their demands, FSA representative Rakesh Shukla said, “We are also exploring the option of approaching a court of law on the issue as judiciary is another platform available to us.”

FTTI students have been on an indefinite strike since June 12 and have refused to budge from their demand. They have been boycotting classes and abandoning academic work in protest against the appointment of Chauhan, who they allege lacks “stature and vision” to head the institution.

Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor and acclaimed director Adoor Gopalakrishnan too had come in support of the students earlier this week.

(With PTI inputs)