Veteran actor Anupam Kher was appointed chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) on Wednesday. The 62-year old actor will be succeeding Gajendra Chauhan who had a controversial tenure as head of the Pune-based institute.
Kher said that it is an important day for him as seldom does a person get the opportunity to be the chairman of the institute he once studied in.
Kher, a graduate from Delhi's National School of Drama (NSD) who has appeared in over 500 films and many plays, was conferred the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his contribution in the field of cinema and arts.
His predecessor Chauhan's tenure, which ended in March 2017, was marked by a 139-day strike by students protesting what they perceived was a politically-motivated appointment. Chauhan wished Kher well on his appointment.
The film fraternity congratulated Anupam Kher on being appointed as the chairman with his wife, Kirron Kher, among the first to do so.
CBFC member Ashoke Pandit also congratulated Anupam Kher.
Video Editor: Sandeep Suman
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