No play acting this: What the FTII 'Mahabharat' is all about

With the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) strike dragging on for two months now, with no solution in hand to break the deadlock between the agitating students and the Centre, the curtain fails to fall on the divisive row. Read: FTII asks 30 students to vacate hostel rooms for overstaying

While BJP leader and actor Shatrughan Sinha on Thursday said that the FTII controversy should not be politicised as it is a prestige issue for the government, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi led a students' delegation to meet President Pranab Mukherjee. Gandhi targeted the NDA government saying those singing praises for Prime Minister Narendra Modi are being made heads of premier institutes in the country.

FTII row in a nutshell

The whole FTII 'Mahabharat' boils down to 'Yudhisthir'. More specifically, to Gajendra Chauhan, who played the role of the eldest of the five Pandavas in the B.R. Chopra-produced hit TV series based on the Hindu epic in the late 80s, and his surprise appointment as the chairman of FTII by the Information & Broadcast Ministry on June 10. Read: Chauhan selected FTII chief on the basis of one-para CV?

Friction ensued when FTII students vehemently voiced their disapproval of Chauhan as the chief of the most prestigious filmmaking institute in the country for his "lack of credentials", which was earlier steered by renowned names of international repute like Girish Karnad, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, UR Ananthamurthy and Shyam Benegal. Students questioned Chauhan's worthiness to hold the post, saying the television actor-turned-politician has no solid milestone to stake his claim rightfully, except for playing Yudhisthir in the Mahabharata TV series, and a few low-budget serials and B-grade Bollywood movies.

"Centre of excellence through 'Yudhisthir' as Chairman?" a poster screamed as students hit the agitation path on June 12 demanding Chauhan's removal as the Pune-based institute's chief. Many see Chauhan's appointment as FTII chief as an instance of political largesse, a reward for his two decades of association with the BJP, which he officially joined in 2004 and campaigned for in Haryana during the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

Students vs the Government

As protests continued at FTII over Chauhan's selection, students' association president Harishankar Nachiputhu said, "There are so many eminent personalities who could have been chosen for the post. While we have nothing against any party, we cannot accept this appointment on creative grounds."

Even as his appointment sent ripples across the film fraternity, Gajendra Chauhan defended his appointment, saying his "capabilities cannot be judged by the work that he has done and he should be given at least one year's time to prove himself." Meanwhile, the skirmish between the Centre and the FTII students raged on as talks between both sides failed to cut ice. The government backed Gajendra Chauhan's candidature to be suitable as it ruled out demands for his resignation.

The Centre added fuel to the controversy with the choice of four of the eight members nominated under 'Persons of Eminence' category to the FTII society, who have BJP and RSS connections. These include Anagha Ghaisas, who has a strong RSS background and has made documentary films supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi; Narendra Pathak, a former president of the Maharashtra ABVP; Pranjal Saikia is an office-bearer of the RSS-linked Sanskar Bharati, and Rahul Solapurkar, who is intimately associated with the BJP.

As expected, meetings and talks between the I&B Ministry and FTII students' body failed to resolve the deadlock. The students, left with no options, troop down to Delhi for a protest march to Parliament House from Jantar Mantar on August 3. The 80 odd FTII students were joined by students and faculties of Delhi University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, filmmakers and theatre artistes.

Who are backing the students?

From politicians to filmmakers, actors to students' organisations, the FTII battle brought personalities from different fields to come out strongly in support of the striking students. Cinematographer Santhosh Sivan, actress Pallavi Joshi and National Award-winning filmmaker Jahnu Barua resigned as members of the FTII Society in support of the striking students. Students' organisations like the All India Students' Association, Kolkata-based Satyajit Ray Film Institute, Jawaharlal Nehru University and Delhi University students all batted for the students.

Besides, politician Yogendra Yadav, the visit of Rahul Gandhi to the FTII campus in Pune and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's assurance to support the cause of the students, gave the ongoing strike, a political spin. Gandhi also attacked the RSS for promoting "mediocrity" in national institutions.

Several Bollywood celebrities expressed their solidarity with the students and have asked the government to reconsider Chauhan's appointment. Superstar Salman Khan, actors Rishi Kapoor, son Ranbir Kapoor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Anupam Kher, filmmakers Kundan Shah, Anand Patwardhan, Aziz Mirza, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Kiran Rao, Rajkummar Rao, Sudhir Mishra, Sayeed Mirza, Resul Pookutty and Piyush Mishra have voiced their reservation.