Gajendra Chauhan, Yudhishthir and BJP member, has been appointed as the President Chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) by the Information and Broadcast Ministry, and it is a decision that hasn’t gone down well with folks inside and outside the reputed institute.
Some suspect that this is the Ministry of Magic, sorry, the ruling government’s attempt to put a leash on the creatively liberal educational institution. Which makes Gajendra Chauhan a little like Dolores Jane Umbridge, the tyrannical ‘High Inquisitor’, and later the headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
In case you don’t get that reference, it is from the Harry Potter series, where a government employee with zero teaching experience and no idea about education, was installed as a government spy in the magic school, so as to keep the institution and its students and faculty on a tight leash.
Whether or not Mr Chauhan plans to bring about an unwelcome educational revolution in FTII is something that only time will tell; the more important question however is; is Gajendra Chauhan even relevant enough to have been appointed as President Chairman?
Let us assume he is, and examine how. For starters, the man was Yudhishthir in BR Chopra’s epic TV show ‘Mahabharat’. And Yudhishthir being the eldest Panvad is likely to be on top of the food chain.
But this is just the tip of the iceberg of what is a stellar contribution, on his part, to the field of Television and Cinema.
He has been a part of several big budget projects like:
Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge
Barsaat: A Sublime Love Story
Baghban
Remember that car salesman who hits and insults Amitabh Bachchan for not being rich enough to afford a car? Yep.
Andaaz
But no role is small for this illustrious actor. He has made it a point to lend his good name and creative abilities to movies like
Hogi Pyaar Ki Jeet
Aaj Ka Ravan
Billa No. 786
and
Arjun Devaa
It seems of little consequence to wonder anymore why he was obviously chosen over the likes of Gulzar, Shyam Benegal and Adoor Gopalakrishnan for this appointment. We wish Mr Chauhan the very best for his tenure!