FTII needs man of stature, says Anupam Kher

On a day that the FTII students agitating for the removal of Chairman Gajendra Chauhan received support from more film personalities like Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Anupam Kher, the body leading the strike on Thursday hinted at moving court to secure their objective.

As the strike at the premier institute in Pune entered its 28th day, the FTII Students’ Association (FSA) said they are keeping the option open of moving court to secure the removal of TV actor Chauhan as the chairman of its Governing Council since the Centre has 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.” 

Talking to reporters, the FSA representative, however, said they prefer a solution through dialogue and were seeking a second round of talks with the I&B Ministry after failing to resolve the issue of Chauhan’s appointment during the July 3 parleys in New Delhi.

Referring to the Centre’s “rigid” stand on the Chairman’s appointment, Shukla said while it was the government’s prerogative to select a person for the job, the students, too, had the right to protest if they felt the choice was not right.

FSA has alleged that Chauhan, best known for playing Yudhisthir in mega TV epic ‘Mahabharata’, lacks “vision and stature” to head the renowned film institute.