Proud to head FTII during Payal Kapadia's time: Chauhan

May 28, 2024 20:30

Payal Kapadia with her Grand Prix award, May 25, 2024/Sarah Meyssonnier/Reuters

Actor-politician Gajendra Chauhan on Tuesday extended congratulations to Cannes winner Payal Kapadia, saying he is proud of the filmmaker who studied at the institute when he served as its chairman.

Last week, Kapadia became the first Indian filmmaker to win the Grand Prix award, the second highest honour at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, for her Malayalam-Hindi feature film "All We Imagine As Light".

Back in 2015, Kapadia was one of the protesting students who went on strike to oppose Chauhan's appointment as the chairperson of the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India.

"Congratulations to her and I feel proud that I was the chairman at the time when she was doing the course there," Chauhan said.

Asked what would he like to say about Kapadia who protested against his appointment, the Mahabharat actor said, "She has never said anything about me. What can I say then?"

According to protesting students, Chauhan did not match the vision and stature of past chairmen of the FTII governing council, and his appointment appeared "politically coloured".

During the 139-day strike, the students had also allegedly gheraoed and confined the then FTII director Prashant Pathrabe in his office over some academic issues.

This had led to the police entering the campus and arresting some of the protesters. -- PTI

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