Gajendra Chauhan will take over as the chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) on January 7, seven months after his appointment, in Pune.
The students of FTII have been protesting against the appointment of the BJP member as the head of the premium institute.
On Thursday, Chauhan will chair his first FTII Society meeting.
Gajendra Chauhan, Chairman, FTIIWe will be finalising the governing council and then other agenda will be discussed...I have been ordered by the government, and I will do my job. Let me go there and see. I can’t comment on what they will do, but I am ready to do my job.
His appointment on June 9, 2015, was followed by a series of protests by students and celebrated alumni of the Pune-based premier film institute.
Students had even gone on an indefinite strike on June 12 as they questioned his professional credibility to lead the institute due to lack of “stature” and “vision”.
The students withdrew the strike in October after 139 days.
Harishankar Nachimuthu, President, FTII Students’ AssociationHe (Chauhan) is coming... that is confirmed, but we have not got any official intimation. There will be some protest at the campus tomorrow (Thursday).
Chauhan – best known for essaying the role of ‘Yudhishthir’ in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat and doing small roles in various films like Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge and Baghban – was appointed as FTII chairman on June 9, 2015.
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