January 22, 2025

Gajendra Chouhan is a very small fry in the film industry. That in itself is a big disqualification when it comes to appointing him as chairperson of the Film & Television Technical Institute, the premier training institute for anything connected with making films in India. When the Indian film industry is experiencing its most exciting time â€" with loads of new talent veering away from tried and tested formula and idioms of commercial films and ushering in an era of offbeat, yet meaningful and enjoyable, celluloid experience for the viewers and more importantly, finding backers for their dream â€" it is required that a knowledgeable person is appointed to the top post. But the government has indulged in favouritism by appointing a BJP backer who cannot (he simply does not have the expertise required) and will not contribute to the development of such a prestigious institute. While Raj Babbar went over the top by comparing Chouhan’s appointment to that of a chaprasi being appointed to head a school, this is one appointment that the government must rescind. Mr Chouhan himself, instead of fighting it out with agitating students, should resign gracefully and earn a lot of goodwill.

Before this, the government had appointed Pahlaj Nihalani, another party sympathizer, as the Censor Board chief. Why this tendency to appoint people closely identified with the party to important posts? One can understand that a right wing party, waiting for over 65 years before getting a good enough majority, is in a tearing hurry to end the left ideological dominance in all spheres of Indian society. But the society does not deserve to have less than competent people at the top of such institutions that impact, or are likely to impact in the years to come, the way we see films or the way they will be made. In fact, undeserving people should not be appointed to any posts, let alone the top post, of any institution in the country. There are thousands of technically sound and respected filmmakers who are not leftist and who are also not closely identified with the BJP/RSS. The government should zero-in on one such person to head FTTI. Party favours should be bestowed by giving party posts. They should not be given as license to people to wreck institutes of excellence.