Chairman of FTII

Actor Anupam Kher has been appointed the new chairman of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), located in Pune. He succeeds former television actor Gajendra Chauhan.

The two-year stint of Chauhan, which ended in March 2017,  marked by a 139-day strike by students, who protested against what they felt a “politically-motivated appointment”.

Kher has appeared in over 500 films and has been part of the theatre circles. He has also part of acclaimed international films such as the 2002 Golden Globe nominated Bend It Like Beckham, Ang Lee’s Lust, Caution, and the 2013 Oscar-winning Silver Linings Playbook.

Chairman of the CBFC

He has previously held the post of chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification and the National School of Drama.

Kher is a recepient of the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016.

FTII, an autonomous body, in the past headed by legendary film personalities including Shyam Benegal, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Saeed Mirza, Mahesh Bhatt, Mrinal Sen, Vinod Khanna and Girish Karnad.

Many popular film personalities have come out of FTII, including Naseeruddin Shah, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Shatrughan Sinha, Raza Murad, Resul Pookutty and the late Smita Patil and Om Puri.