Veteran actor Anupam Kher was appointed the new chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) on Wednesday, 11 October.
The National School of Drama alumnus will replace Gajendra Chauhan.
Speaking to The Quint about the appointment, Anupam Kher’s wife, actor and BJP MP Kirron Kher said:
“I was sitting in the office in Chandigarh with a lot of people and I suddenly got a call from the media and I picked up the phone and they started saying this and I was like ‘Oh! My God’ and I told the office yaar TV lagao. I saw it on that and I haven’t had time to speak to Anupam. I am in Chandigarh now and he lives is in Mumbai.”
“You must realise it’s a huge responsibility and it means so much extra work for him you know because he is a very busy actor, he is a motivational speaker, he is a teacher. He does so many things so it’s going to be a lot of work but I am sure he is going to do a great job. He is very good at it. And also he is probably the only person now who has headed all three institutions, the Censor Board, the National School of Drama and now the Film and Television Institute of India. I would like to say a huge thank you to the government of India and Modi ji and Smriti Irani ji, both of them.”Kirron Kher
Former chairman Gajendra Chauhan has wished Kher on his appointment.
Born in 1955, Anupam Kher has acted in over 500 films and made an impact with the 1984 film Saaransh directed by Mahesh Bhatt. Since then, Kher has been a part of several Bollywood and international films. The actor carried off roles as a villain in several mainstream films including Subhash Ghai’s Karma. Other successful films featuring Anupam Kher include Dil, Daddy and A Wednesday.
Some of Kher’s international films include the Golden Globe nominated Bend It Like Beckham, Ang Lee’s 2007 Golden Lion-winning Lust, Caution, and David O. Russell’s 2013 Oscar-winning Silver Linings Playbook. The actor was recently seen in the Hollywood film The Big Sick with Kumail Nanjiani.
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