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The FTII controversy is getting heated up as more and more Bollywood celebrities are coming forward and debating on the issue, whether <keyword id="258297" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Gajendra-Chauhan">Gajendra Chauhan</keyword> possesses the skill to lead the prestigious institute. Apart from film-makers Kundan Shah, Aziz Mirza and Vivek Agnihotri, here are six other Bollywood celebrities who have voiced their strong reservations against Chauhan’s appointment as the <keyword id="2949645" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="80" keywordseo="FTII-chief">FTII chief</keyword>. Take a look! 
	 

	 
	 
	<keyword id="6357861" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="ranbir-kapoor">Ranbir Kapoor</keyword>: The actor backed <keyword id="129188" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Film-and-Television-Institute-of-India">Film and Television Institute of India</keyword> (FTII) students, who are protesting against Chauhan’s appointment. In a video posted on <keyword id="10879" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="YouTube">YouTube</keyword> by the FTII student body, Ranbir said that "students want to look up to someone with a body of work they can aspire to". The Bombay Velvet actor said that "the appointment of the new chairman has gone against their wishes". "Don't think what the students are asking is illogical, don't think they are asking for the moon. They are just asking for correct faculty, correct syllabus," said the 32-year-old actor. He won two consecutive Filmfare Best Actor awards for Rockstar in 2011 and Barfi in 2012. 
	 
	 
	 
	Rajkummar Rao: The National Award-winning actor has also criticised Chauhan’s appointment as the chairman, saying the premier institute needs to be in “safe hands”. The 30-year-old actor has said students need a better chief than Chauhan. The FTII alumnus said on <keyword id="6354616" type="CITY" weightage="80" keywordseo="Twitter">Twitter</keyword>: “#FTII needs to be in safe hands. Students need somebody who they can trust and look up to. It is their future which is at stake here.” Rao was awarded the National Film Award for Best Actor and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for the 2013 biographical film Shahid. 
	 
	

	 
	<keyword id="6357910" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Rishi-Kapoor">Rishi Kapoor</keyword>: The Bollywood actor has advised Chauhan to resign. He selected microblogging site Twitter to be his mouthpiece after his son, actor Ranbir Kapooor extended support to FTII students who are protesting against Chauhan’s appointment. Rishi Kapoor, who got the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008, said: “Advice. After all the protests and controversy, Gajendra Chauhan, the FTII chairman should voluntarily retire. Will do good to the students.” He added: “If they (students) don’t want you, they don’t want you. By pushing for the chairmanship is getting you nowhere. Let self pride play a role and retire!” 
	 
	 
	 
	<keyword id="6533" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Anupam-Kher">Anupam Kher</keyword>: The veteran actor has said that FTII needs a “much qualified” person than Chauhan as its chief. The former chairman of <keyword id="388113" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="Central-Board-of-Film-Certification">Central Board of Film Certification</keyword> (CBFC) and <keyword id="146563" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="80" keywordseo="National-School-of-Drama">National School of Drama</keyword> (NSD) also supported the idea of converting the government institute into an autonomous body. Known for his versatility, Kher said that FTII represents a certain art form and requires a person who is supposed to know all forms of cinema. He said that Chauhan is neither qualified as producer or director nor actor to lead FTII. Kher was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2004 for his contribution to Indian cinema. 
	 
	 
	 
	<keyword id="6359106" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nawazuddin-Siddiqui">Nawazuddin Siddiqui</keyword>: He extended support to FTII students, saying the post of chairman demands a creative person. Siddiqui told India Today: "This post demands creativity. There are people who are far more efficient. There are many options and people with such background must come forward…I am not saying that the person appointed on post has a bad background." He strongly objected the idea of privatising FTII as everyone cannot afford the fee charged by a private insitute. He received the Special Jury Award at the 60th National Film Awards 2012, for his work in films, Kahaani, Gangs of Wasseypur, Dekh Indian Circus and Talaash. 
	 
	 
	 
	<keyword id="66055" type="PERSON" weightage="80" keywordseo="Raj-Babbar">Raj Babbar</keyword>: The veteran actor also raised his voice against Chauhan’s appointment as FTII head. He told NDTV that one cannot appoint a chaprasi (office attendant) as school principal just because he can devote a lot of time for the institute. However, the actor clarified that it was not a comment on Chauhan's abilities. The <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword> spokesperson, targeting the Information and Broadcasting (I&amp;B) Ministry, said it is actually wrong to target Chauhan due to fault of the people who have appointed him as the chairman. 
	 
	(Image: ​Vipin Vaghmare and Indiatimes)

6 celebrities who joined the chorus against FTII Chairman Gajendra Chauhan’s removal

<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=rajyavardhan+rathore">Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore</a>, on Monday hit out at Congress party vice-president <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=rahul+gandhi">Rahul Gandhi</a> for giving political colour to <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=FTII">FTII</a> strike. 
 
Scion of Nehru-Gandhi dynasty, Gandhi, had visited the FTII campus in Pune last week to express solidarity with students, who are agitating against appointment of <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=gajendra+chauhan">Gajendra Chauhan</a> as FTII chief. 
 
While addressing protesting students at the prestigious institute, Gandhi assured them of help and also attacked the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=RSS">RSS</a> ideology. He alleged that RSS was systematically promoting "mediocrity" in various institutions. 
 
On Monday, Rathore said that despite meetings and discussions, few students just wanted to go on with the strike. 
 
"And with Rahul Gandhi's Pune visit it has become clear that the strike has taken a political colour or it is a political strike from the beginning," he said. 
 
The students, who held a protest at Jantar Mantar, have been agitating against Chauhan's appointment since June 12. 
 
Many <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/searchresult.cms?query=bollywood">Bollywood</a> veterans and actors have come out in support of students. Students say that Gajendra lacks "vision and artistic credentials" to merit the post. 
 
"Students come after the institution, first we will strengthen FTII. The government is open to discussion and students could come for meetings. It is not wise to give a political institution a political angle. And if the institution holds a strike in Delhi and Congress workers participate in it, this too is not wise," Rathore said. 
 
The MoS added that the government had adopted a liberal outlook towards the students and no strong action was taken against students yet considering they are “students”. 
 
Earlier this month, the students body had written to leaders from various political parties requesting them to intervene in the matter. 
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

Will FTII strike soon turn into a political blame game?

<ul><li>The stand-in finance minister <keyword id="6355222" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="piyush-goyal">Piyush Goyal</keyword> took time in the middle of his speech to praise a recent blockbuster, <keyword id="71431" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uri">Uri</keyword>. </li><li> “Single window clearance for ease of shooting films, available only to foreigners, is now going to be made available to Indian filmmakers as well,” Goyal said. </li><li>Modi government’s affair with Bollywood is a recent phenomenon. </li></ul>Budget 2019 had, possibly, the maximum reference to Indian showbiz of all the finance bills presented in the country’s history. To start with, the stand-in finance minister Piyush Goyal took time in the middle of his speech to praise a recent blockbuster, Uri, which glorified the Narendra Modi government’s decision to conduct ‘surgical strikes’ into Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. He then went on to solicit Bollywood’s love with a change in rule, which should not have been there in the first place. “Single window clearance for ease of shooting films, available only to foreigners, is now going to be made available to Indian filmmakers as well,” Goyal said. And that was not all. He also said that “regulatory provisions will rely more 14 on self-declaration. We will also introduce anti-camcording provisions in the Cinematograph Act to control the menace of piracy.” Goyal also highlighted how the government pushed for a lower tax on cinema tickets through the GST (goods and services tax) Council. Let’s look at how the relationship has evolved in the last four and a half years. It’s showtime Modi government’s affair with Bollywood is a recent phenomenon. In fact, in the first three years of the regime, the government’s relationship with the film industry was rather tenuous. One of the government’s appointees, the former chairman of the film certification board, the CBFC, Pahlaj Nihalani was a big thorn in the flesh for the country’s film industry. He infamously took the moral high ground and censored multiple films, most famously Anurag Kashyap’s Udta Punjab. Even after the Bombay High Court <a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/bollywood/story/udta-punjab-latest-dveelopment-cbfc-bombay-high-court-verdict-censor-board-13840-2016-06-13">struck down</a> the CBFC demand for cuts in the film, Nihalani <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.in/2016/06/14/pahlaj-nihalani_n_10451088.html">said</a> , “the door for films with obscene and vulgar content.” Despite the fans’ anger and the industry’s anguish, he remained the chief of the ‘censor board’, as CBFC is colloquially known in India, for 2 years, while <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP-l_JY2Vng">he intermittently flattered the </a>government and the prime minister. Not just the working professionals in Bollywood, the government faced a severe backlash from the students of cinema too. In 2017, Gajendra Chauhan’s appointment as the chairman of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), triggered <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/the-problem-with-gajendra-chauhan/">a huge uproar</a>. Students <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/ftii-students-call-off-hunger-strike-to-attend-classes-wont-engage-with-govt/">went on a protest</a>, that even turned violent for a bit, saying Chauhan was qualified to lead a reputed institution like the FTII. The students, who alleged that Chauhan’s appointment was a political move and not based on merit, found vindication when Chauhan <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/im-a-bjp-soldier-will-do-whatever-is-assigned-gajendra-chauhan-4553227/">said</a>, “I am a BJP soldier and I will do whatever is assigned any duty assigned to me.” However, things turned for the better in 2018. Firstly, the new CBFC chief, the accomplished writer and lyricist Prasoon Joshi, has cannily handled the two divergent groups-- the government and the film industry. Secondly, some members of the film industry also served the government well. Two films released towards the end of 2018 were just what prime minister wanted, months before seeking re-election. The first film, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/accidental-prime-minister-is-at-the-epicenter-of-a-massive-political-controversy-in-india-just-with-its-trailer-launch/articleshow/67286606.cms">The Accidental Prime Minister</a>, was based on a revelatory book about all the corruption scandals of the previous government led by the Congress. It was the country’s first biopic made on a living prime minister, and showed the Manmohan Singh administration in poor light, and deservedly so, as many would argue. However, that government was voted out in 2014. The other movie of 2018, which helped the cause of the Narendra Modi government, was the slick story of border conflict, Uri. <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/budget-2019-piyush-goyal-all-praise-for-uri-in-parliament-says-the-josh-was-unmatched/articleshow/67789368.cms">The movie was a hit</a>,and it allowed the government to revive nationalistic sentiments that are directly proportional to the amount of hate for Pakistan. A little gratitude for pliable filmmakers was probably in order. Who knows, others may fall in line too. See also : <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/budget/news/budget-2019-live-updates/liveblog/67784324.cms">Budget 2019 Highlights and News Live: Proposal: no tax on income up to ₹5 lakhs</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/explainer-the-modi-governments-pension-scheme-for-informal-workers/articleshow/67790926.cms">Explained: The Modi government’s pension scheme for informal workers</a>

Modi government’s new found love for Indian Cinema

<keyword id="6356850" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Udta-Punjab">Udta Punjab</keyword>, an upcoming Bollywood movie on drug issue in the northern state of India, has become a debatable topic whether artists and movie directors have right to freedom of expression or not. 
 The Indian <keyword id="62146" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Censor-Board">censor board</keyword>, Central Board of Film Certification, has demanded 89 cuts in the movie and has asked the movie to be released with an ‘A’ certification. 
 
Censor Board chief Pahlaj Nihalani has come under the limelight, who even asked the filmmakers to drop the word ‘Punjab’ from the movie’s title. 
 However, director of the movie <keyword id="7929" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Anurag-Kashyap">Anurag Kashyap</keyword> has refused to make the cuts, saying when the movie is already getting an ‘A’ certificate, why there is a need to make cuts and drop the state’s name. 
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		It's my fight Vs a dictatorial man sitting there operating like an oligarch in his constituency of censor board, that's my North Korea
	— Anurag Kashyap (@anuragkashyap72) <a href="https://twitter.com/anuragkashyap72/status/740069384325058560">June 7, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
Now, the producers of the movie, which is slated to release on June 17, have moved the Bombay High Court and a decision is pending on the same. The Bollywood fraternity has also come in support of the movie, demanding Nihalani’s resignation, who even alleged that Kashyap had taken money from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for showing Punjab in bad light. 
 
Amidst the tussle between Udta Punjab makers and the censor board, the moviegoers say the issue is serious and people should decide what to watch and what not to. 
 
The entire episode of censorship has become a joke as twitterati are mocking Nihalai and supporting the film fraternity. 
 
Here’s what they have to say: 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Deep insight: If CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani were to judge some of FTII head Gajendra Chauhan's movies, he would order dozens of cuts
	— Madhavan Narayanan (@madversity) <a href="https://twitter.com/madversity/status/740497121430933505">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Pahlaj Nihalani deserves a statue at Tussaud's. Only that the wax should be poured on him.
	— The Cult of Bajirao (@bizzarebhide) <a href="https://twitter.com/bizzarebhide/status/740490978377797633">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Pahlaj Nihalani had a problem with kissing scenes in Spectre. It's a wonder the man has children.
	— lindsay pereira (@lindsaypereira) <a href="https://twitter.com/lindsaypereira/status/740487954498347008">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		The only thing that needs to be banned is Pahlaj Nihalani from CBFC. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UdtaPunjab?src=hash">#UdtaPunjab</a>
	— Ragnar (@PshycoPaaji) <a href="https://twitter.com/PshycoPaaji/status/736447958116245506">May 28, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Sad to see director like anurag kashyap getting in tussle with censorship and Punjab government.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UdtaKejriFundsUdtaPunjab?src=hash">#UdtaKejriFundsUdtaPunjab</a>
	— Dippak ✍ (@DippakMehrotra) <a href="https://twitter.com/DippakMehrotra/status/740509281401765888">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Pahlaj Nihalani is Kejriwal 2.0!
	— @BH! (@gunjanabhishek_) <a href="https://twitter.com/gunjanabhishek_/status/740514982501093376">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		A question that will haunt 31% of Indian electorates for a few days at least - “Who appointed this gem Pahlaj Nihalani as CBFC Chairman？”
	— Nitin Chavan (@a20nitin) <a href="https://twitter.com/a20nitin/status/740513570710945793">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Kashyap like a child being denied a toy: Nihalani 
		And Pahlaj Nihalani is acting as if he's the Father of <a href="https://twitter.com/anuragkashyap72">@anuragkashyap72</a>
	— Munim Aslam (@iammunimaslam) <a href="https://twitter.com/iammunimaslam/status/740513280121180160">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
 
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
	
		Just when we thought Pahlaj Nihalani can't get any Lower, he proved us wrong. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PaidTrendAgainstUdtaPunjab?src=hash">#PaidTrendAgainstUdtaPunjab</a> <a href="https://t.co/v7ABEdx1Y9">pic.twitter.com/v7ABEdx1Y9</a>
	— Sandip Pawar (@SachinistSandy) <a href="https://twitter.com/SachinistSandy/status/740512520201342977">June 8, 2016</a></blockquote>
 
(Image: Indiatimes)

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6 celebrities who joined the chorus against FTII Chairman Gajendra Chauhan’s removal

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