Veteran actor Anupam Kher appointed as Chief of FTII

Anupam Kher on 11 October 2017 took charge as the Chief of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune.

Kher succeeds Gajendra Chauhan, whose appointment as FTII Chairman triggered massive student protests. Chauhan's term ended in March 2017. He was appointed as FTII chairman on 9 June 2015. Many FTII students had protested against his appointment claiming that Chauhan was unfit for the job.

About Anupam Kher
• Hailing from Shimla, Anupam Kher has done theatre and learned acting in the National School of Drama.
• Kher debuted as an actor with Agaman (1982).
• He received recognition with Mahesh Bhatt’s directorial Saransh (1984).
• Kher has featured in more than 500 Hindi films essaying diverse characters.
• He is known internationally with films like Bend It Like Beckham, Golden Lion-winning Lust  and Oscar-winning Silver Linings Playbook.
• He has been a proud recipient of the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his contribution in Cinema.
• He chairs acting school ‘Actor Prepares’.

Established in 1960, FTII is considered as a premier institute for training in Cinema and Television. It boasts of notable alumni such as Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Om Puri, Jaya Bachchan, among others.