Renowned actor R. Madhavan has been appointed as the new President of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). The tenure of former president director Shekhar Kapur ended on 3 March, 2023. “Mr R Madhvan has been appointed the President of FTII Society and Chairman of the Governing Council. The decision has been formally conveyed to us by the Ministry,” said FTII registrar Sayyid Rabeehashmi.
As per reports in Indian Express, The FTII Society, headed by the FTII chairperson, has 12 nominees, of whom eight are nominated under the ‘Persons of Eminence’ category while four are FTII alumnus. The Ministry usually nominates the members while appointing the institute chairperson, but it had deviated from this tradition when actor Anupam Kher was appointed in October 2017.
The Ministry seems to have done the same with Madhvan’s appointment as other nominations have not been made. Once the quorum of 24 members, including 12 ex-officio members, is complete, a Governing Council, an Academic Council and a Standing Finance committee is formed from among the members, which then takes key decisions about the institute’s administrative, academic and financial matters.
Madhavan, often lovingly referred to as “Maddy” by his fans, has carved a niche for himself in the Indian film industry through his remarkable versatility as an actor. Madhavan’s success transcended language barriers as he ventured into Bollywood, earning acclaim for his roles in movies like “Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein,” “Rang De Basanti,” and “3 Idiots.”