‘WHAT’S THE CONFLICT HERE?'

Anupam Kher says his new role as FTII chairman does not clash with running an acting school

On October 11, actor Anupam Kher was appointed the chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. While many applauded, critics called his appointment a “joke”, as Kher already runs a private acting school.

Reacting to this, Kher says, “If I was in the cement business, why would they appoint me as the FTII chairman? I’m an active actor, not someone who’s retired and has nothing to do. So, I’ve been made chairman.”

To students who’ve expressed their displeasure that there’d be a conflict of interest, Kher responds, “What’s the conflict here? That I’d tell people who come to FTII, ‘Please go and join my acting school’? My school is doing very well. I’ve put in 14 years of hard work and discipline to build it. In fact, it’s an asset for FTII — all the experience that I’ve gathered from there, is going to come in handy [here].”

Kher, was a student at FTII 39 years ago. Asked if he has any new strategies planned for FTII, he says, “I’m not going there with pre-conceived notions. I need to understand the present scenario. I have my experience, but I don’t want to take it for granted. I want to walk with today’s generation rather than tell them how to walk.”

The two-time National Award winner has acted in more than 500 films, and he says that there’s a lot to talk about with the students. “I am a doer. And I’m an educationist. I’m much better as a teacher than as an actor,” he says.

Kher adds, “It’s not only my achievements that I’ll share with them, but also what I went through for those three years when I didn’t have work. What was my attitude, my mindset? It’s not that I didn’t feel the blow or didn’t get completely depressed. I’ve honed my skills of teaching in the past so many years, and that’s going to help me.”