Actor Anupam Kher has resigned as the chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) citing commitments to an international TV show for which he has to be stationed in the US.
Tweeting about it, he wrote that it was "an honour, a privilege & a great learning experience to be the Chairman of the prestigious @FTIIOfficial. But because of my international assignments I won’t have much time to devote at the institute. Hence decided to send my resignation. Thank you."
In his resignation letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, he said that due to his commitment to the show he will be stationed in the US for "nearly nine months between 2018 and 2019 and then for a similar period for a minimum of three years more".
Advertisement
"Given this assignment, it would not be fair to me, the students and management team, for me to hold a position of such responsibility and accountability, without being actively involved in the operations," he said in his resignation letter.
His resignation letter has been accepted by Rathore, who thanked Kher for his services to the premier institute, sources said.
On 11 October 2017, Kher had replaced Gajendra Chauhan, who had a controversial tenure, as the head of the Pune-based institute.
Born on March 7, 1955, in Shimla, Kher completed his education from the D A V School in the city.
Advertisement
He has previously held the post of chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification and director of the NSD.
Considered one of the Hindi film industry's most prolific and versatile actors, Kher made his acting debut in 1982 with "Aagman", but the 1984 Mahesh Bhatt film "Saaransh" was his breakout role.
Then just 28, Kher played the role of a retired middle class man grappling with his son's death.
After "Saaransh", he went on to star opposite many big Bollywood celebrities, including Anil Kapoor, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, sometimes as the villain, the comic relief or the friendly father.
In 2002, he attempted to become director with "Om Jai Jagadish" but the film was not a success.
Kher is one of the few Indian actors to have crossed over to international cinema with films such as the 2002 Golden Globe nominated "Bend It Like Beckham", Ang Lee's 2007 Golden Lion-winning "Lust, Caution," and "David O Russell's" 2013 Oscar-winning "Silver Linings Playbook".
Kher has also written and starred in a play about his own life called "Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai", which was directed by Feroz Abbas Khan.
PTI
