Anurag Thakur Appoints R Madhavan as FTII President

R Madhavan becomes the new president of FTII, Anurag Thakur congratulates him

Actor-filmmaker R Madhavan, who recently won the National Award for his debut directorial Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, has been selected as the new president of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and the chairman of its governing council. The declaration was made by Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting, and Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Friday.

Thakur wrote, "Heartiest congratulations to @ActorMadhavan ji on being nominated as President of @FTIIOfficial and Chairman of the governing committee. I'm sure that your vast experience and strong ethics will enrich this institute, bring positive changes, and take it to a higher level. My best wishes to you."

Madhavan, who has been a part of several acclaimed films in Hindi, Tamil and other dialects, said thanks to Thakur for his nomination and expressed his gratitude to the previous president Shekhar Kapur. He tweeted, "Many thanks sir for this honor. I will give my all to satisfy your hopes and confidence in me. I additionally make a move to thank the previous president Mr Shekhar Kapur for his vision and direction in taking FTII to greater heights."

FTII is a premier institute for film schooling in India, laid out in 1960. It offers courses in direction, cinematography, editing, sound design, acting, art direction, animation and more. Some of the remarkable alumni of FTII incorporate Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Om Puri, Jaya Bachchan, Rajkumar Hirani, Vidhu Vinod Chopra and numerous others.

Madhavan's appointment comes when FTII is celebrating its 60th anniversary and preparing for its first convocation ceremony starting around 2014. The institute had confronted several controversies and protests in the past over issues, for example, fee hike, curriculum change and appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as its president in 2015. Chauhan was replaced by Shekhar Kapur in 2017, however he was unable to assume responsibility because of his bustling timetable.

Madhavan's nomination has been welcomed by many film personalities and fans who have praised his versatility and talent as an actor and a filmmaker. His film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, in light of the existence of former ISRO researcher Nambi Narayanan, has received rave reviews from critics and crowds the same. The film likewise won the Best Feature Film award at the 69th National Film Awards.