Television actor and BJP member Gajendra Chauhan's controversial tenure at FTII ends on Friday.
After a tenure marked with dramatic scenes and vociferous demonstrations by students at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Chairman Gajendra Chauhan is set to leave on Friday.
With his tenure drawing to a close, Chauhan has advised students to stay away from politics and keep up the hard work.
"I have always supported the students, even if they opposed me. It wasn’t their fault. My only brotherly advice to students is to be disciplined, keep up the hard work and stay away from politics," he said in an interview to Hindustan Times.
The television actor and BJP member was named for the post of Chairman in June 2015. However, his appointment had sparked a controversy and the students of FTII had gone on a strike for more than four months. The actor finally took charge as Chairman of the premiere institute in Pune on January 7, 2016, while the police detained protesters calling him a 'political appointee'.
However, Chauhan brushed aside calling his Chairmanship a short stint, saying his tenure had technically lasted one year and seven months since it was considered from March 4, 2014. Stating that he was happy with what he had achieved, Chauhan listed several achievements. These included reintroducing campus discipline, getting approval for converting the post-graduate diploma into a master’s degree, passing the budget to improve the institute’s infrastructure, among other things.
Chauhan said he would not seek an extension to his tenure and that he wanted to move on. "Even the government is happy with my work," he said.
Recently, Chauhan had again stoked controversy for saying that directors wanting to hire Pakistan artistes should go there.
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