The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (I&B) terminated the services of National Film Development Corporation’s (NFDC) managing director, Nina Lath Gupta, on grounds of alleged irregularities. Instead of allowing her to serve a three months’ notice period, she was asked to leave with three months’ salary, The Indian Express reported.
The Indian Express quoted an official of the Department of Personnel & Training of the I&B ministry as saying:
The President has approved the termination of her services as managing director of NFDC. The President’s approval has been communicated to the administrative ministry.
According to the Hindustan Times, an official said that Gupta was found not to be adhering to “prescribed procedures” which includes the release of advertisement spots to select private channels beyond of the five percent limit prescribed in the electronic media policy, and a non-refund of 15 percent commission to the client ministry.
Sources told The Indian Express that what went against Gupta was the NFDC charging the ministries Rs 4.5 crore in excess of actual expenditure for the recently concluded Khelo India. The daily’s sources also claimed that the NFDC tried to charge a commission of Rs 3.5 crore for the National Youth Festival that was to be held in Jaipur. The sources claimed that the venue was later shifted and the contract was not awarded to them.
The I&B ministry has also cited non-adherence to standard procedures for co-production of regional films and failure to utilise funds for restoration of films, The Indian Express reported.
Gupta, who took over as MD in April 2006, launched the Film Bazaar initiative in 2007 and the distribution brand Cinemas of India to release old NFDC movies after restoration.
'Institutions are Getting Slowly Dismantled’: Colleagues Upset at I&B Ministry
Expressing shock, a woman (who didn’t wish to be named) who worked with Gupta at Film Bazaar described her as “upfront” person, who was respected in the world of film which may have irked bureaucrats — especially when she commanded more respect than them around international film figures.
Another person who also didn’t want to be named told The Quint that Nina Lath Gupta has a “mind of her own and never plays to the whims and fancies of people”. She said Gupta was a “tough leader and everyone hated her guts to take on and deliver on bold assignments that no other government organisation would be able to do.”
Suspecting foul play in the way she was fired, the person told The Quint:
It seems like a strategic move to take control over a critical ministry that handles all the communication for the government. The NFDC, a PSU under the Ministry of I&B, creates and releases communication campaigns for ministries but it’s primary mandate is to produce arthouse films and promote regional talent. One can only imagine what kind of content/film scripts would be accepted to take this government’s agenda forward if a pawn is placed to run this organisation in place of her.
Screenwriter and director Kanu Behl whose film Titli premiered at Cannes in 2014, expressed remorse over her firing.
In a post on Facebook he wrote, “Nina Lath Gupta is the single most dedicated, courageous, visionary person to have headed the NFDC in the last two decades…'Titli' would not have been the film that it is without being at the Screenwriter's Lab - CoProduction market - Edit Lab work-wheel, all of which bore fruit under her leadership. It is just sad that all our institutions are slowly and carefully getting dismantled and that we are choosing to be disinterested bystanders. Welcome to the new dystopia.”
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