Students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) went on an indefinite strike on Friday morning to protest against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the new chairperson. Students and several Bollywood personalities have raised questions over Chauhan’s credibility.
Students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) went on an indefinite strike today to protest against the appointment of Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) member and television actor Gajendra Chauhan as the chairperson of the institute. The protest follows objections raised by several Bollywood veterans who questioned the decision by the Information and Broadcast Ministry.
Students say that they will not attend any classes for as long as the strike is on. This also includes workshops, guest lectures and the shootings that were scheduled earlier. Ajayan Adat, former president of Student Body Association and final year student of Sound Designing and Sound Recording confirmed the strike to iamin and said, "The students do not want a BJP karya karta (member) as a chairperson. The chairperson and director are people who should have a vision for the institute. After eminent personalities as chairpersons like Gopal Krishna, Shyam Benegal and Mukesh Khanna, we feel that there are better people in the film fraternity who can take up the position."
Students say that there are better options than Gajendra Chauhan, who has been part of the television industry and is well known for his role as Yudishthir in the popular serial Mahabharata. "He has been part of a few television serials and B grade films. A chairperson should be like a role model for the students. Now he has reportedly told a website that we, the students, are not qualified to judge him. We are going to continue the strike" added Adat.
Posters against selection of Chauhan as well as the Prime Minister Narendra Modi have been put up all over the institute by the students. "We need transparency in the selection of the chairperson. We also demand that the alumni of FTII be included in the council constituted. The ministry should not appoint any candidate. There are people who are better suited for the position if we keep the politics apart. This is the biggest film institute in the country and it should be treated as one," added Adat.
In a meeting with the director Dharmendra Jai Narain, the students laid down their demands and were assured of an action. While reportedly, cinematographer and director Santosh Sivan and filmmaker Jahnu Barua have refused to join the council, talks of Rajkumar Hirani resigning were also making the rounds among the students and faculty members of the institute.
None of the faculty member of the institute were available for a comment.
Students have refused to even enter their hostel rooms and say that they will sleep on the road instead.
This story was first published on iamin.in. For more stories from across India, visit their website.
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