FTII deserves a chairman with "better credentials", director Sudhir Mishra told NDTV.
The ongoing strike by students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as chairman got the backing of another eminent film industry voice on Satuday. Speaking to NDTV, acclaimed director Sudhir Mishra called the appointment "ill-advised".
"The Chairman has to have an academic background. It's not an administrative job. He is not in charge of the canteen," said Mr Mishra.
"Does the chairman know that there is a kind of cinema that exists in Nigeria? What do they make in Burkina Faso? What do they do in France? Where is cinema going? He has to guide the faculty and students towards a new direction in this rapidly changing technological world," he added.
Known for directing films like the widely acclaimed
Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi,
Chameli and
Dharavi, the filmmaker underscored the importance of appointing someone with "better credentials".
"The institute has given a lot to the industry. Besides directors, every head of every sound studio in Mumbai is run by an FTII graduate. Oscar winner Resul Pookutty is an FTII graduate. Some of the best cameramen are from there," he said.
He also raised concerns over the possibility of the institute being privatised. "FTII is an institute where a lower middle class boy can hope to become an affluent filmmaker like Satyajit Ray," Mr Mishra said.