Gajendra Chauhan to take charge as FTII Chief today

As Gajendra Chauhan gets ready to take charge of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) on Thursday, the students are planning to stage a massive protest at the campus in Pune. The actor and BJP member, whose appointment as the chairman of the top film institute witnessed strong protests from students, said he only wanted to focus on doing his "job".

"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," Chauhan said.

The 59-year-old, who will be joining office seven months after his appointment, will chair his first FTII Society meeting on Thursday. "We will be finalising the governing council and then other agenda



will be discussed," Mr Chauhan told IANS.

"He (Chauhan) is coming... that is confirmed, but we have not got any official intimation. There will be protests obviously, but we have not decided other things. There will be some protest at the campus tomorrow (Thursday)," Harishankar Nachimuthu, President of FTII Students' Association, told the media.

Chauhan's appointment was followed by a series of protests by students and celebrated alumni of the premier film institute. Students had even gone on an indefinite strike in June last year as they questioned his professional credibility to lead the institute due to lack of "stature" and "vision".

The students finally withdrew the strike in October after 139 days.