/>

FTII chief should be Centre’s choice: Swamy

Updated - April 01, 2016 01:02 pm IST - PUNE:

Even as support keep pouring in from the film industry and others for Film and Television Institute of India students in their protest against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan, actor and BJP leader, as chairman of the governing council of the premier institution, party leader Subramaniam Swamy said on Saturday that the government had the right to appoint a person of its choice.

“Who are the students to oppose? There is no election in this case. Most of them [the students] are Naxalites,” he reportedly told a news agency in New Delhi.

Earlier in the day, actor Amol Palekar, director Sudhir Mishra and national award-winning actor Rajkummar Rao, an FTII alumnus, joined the swelling number of celebrities, including Rishi Kapoor and his son, Ranbir, and Anupam Kher, in backing the students. As the strike entered the 29th day, Mr. Rao said the students deserved a chairman who they could trust as their future was at stake.

Mr. Palekar urged Mr. Chauhan to step down as his body of creative work was not inspiring for the students.

Criticising Mr. Chauhan for his limited knowledge of cinema, Mr. Mishra said: “This is a fantastic place which has given so much to the Indian film industry. It deserves someone far better than Chauhan.”

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.