Shekhar Kapur is president of Pune’s FTII, will head governing council too – india news

Celebrated filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, 74, has been appointed president of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Society which runs the prestigious film school in Pune, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.

Kapur, who is known for movies from the Indian superhero film ‘Mr India’ to ‘Bandit Queen’ based on the incidents in the life of Phoolan Devi and an acclaimed biopic on Queen Elizabeth, will hold the post till March 3, 2023.

According to a person aware of the developments, the ministry of information and broadcasting has also appointed Kapur as the chairperson of the FTII governing council.

The tenure of the earlier members of the society had ended in March 2020. The other members of the governing council will be appointed soon, the person cited above said.

Kapur will head the premier film school at a time when, like many other colleges and universities, it is also grappling with the challenges posed by Covid-19.

The FTII had earlier declared the results of the entrance test and is planning the future course. Online classes and training courses have been continuing.

“Wherever it is difficult for students to attend classes, the institute has been putting up the material on the website,” said the person cited above.

The previous FTII chief was BP Singh known for his role as the lead actor in tele-serial CID. Singh was recently appointed by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) to its general assembly.

The Film and Television Institute of India was set up by the Centre in 1960 in the premises of the erstwhile Prabhat Studios in Pune. It conducts various film related courses including on acting, direction, sound recording, editing and cinematography.