Film and Television Institute of India

History

The institute was established as the Film Institute of India in Pune in 1960 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on the recommendation of the Film Enquiry Committee. The committee, headed by SK Patil, a cabinet minister in the central government, and comprising prominent film industry figures like BN Sircar and V. Shantaram, recommended the creation of a film school. Courses began in 1961 on the premises of the erstwhile Prabhat Film Company in Pune.Film director, screenwriter, and actor Gajanan Jagirdar served as the first director (then principal) of the institute from 1961 to 1962. In 1967, the institute launched its first film appreciation course, a one-month residential program with Satish Bahadur as course director and Marie Seton as the main instructor. In 1971, the institute was renamed the 'Film and Television Institute of India' (FTII) with the addition of in-service training programs for Doordarshan, India's public service broadcaster. The Television Training wing, which was earlier functioning in New Delhi, shifted to Pune in 1974. Thereafter, the institute became fully aided by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. In July 2011, Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni said that a bill in Parliament to develop the FTII into a 'Centre of Excellence' would be introduced. This would enable the institute to enjoy the academic status and privileges of a university.

In February 2015, Gajendra Chauhan was appointed as the chairman of the institute, which sparked protests by students at the institute.

On 18 August 2015, police — in a night-time crackdown — arrested striking students who confined FTII director Prashant Pathrabe and other staffers in his office for eight hours. The director claimed that students harassed and mentally tortured him. The students were released on bail. A video showing students surrounding the director and shouting was released by the management. In response, the students released an undated video of cops manhandling students and breaking glass in the director's office. The striking students vehemently condemned the act by the Pune police to come and arrest students past midnight.

In 2017, FTII set up its Center for Open Learning (CFOL) with the objective of making quality cinema education accessible to a broader range of people.{{Cite news|title= Center For Open Learning|url=https://ftii.ac.in/p/about-cfol-1

Management

The FTII is registered under Societies' Registration Act of 1860. The Society is headed by a president, who also functions as the chairman of the Governing Council, the Academic Council and the Standing Finance Committee. The Governing Council is constituted by election from among the members of the Society. The Governing Council is the apex body of the FTII and is responsible for making all major policy decisions of the institute. The council, in turn, appoints the Academic Council and the Standing Finance Committee, members of both of which are responsible for advising the FTII in policy matters related to academic affairs and financial matters.

A director serves as the institute's executive head and implements its policies and programmes. Prashant Pathrabe, a 1992 batch officer of Indian Information Service (IIS), has been given temporary charge as director following end of the term of DJ Narain. Gajendra Chauhan, the designated chairman of the governing council, is yet to join, owing to protest overs his appointment.

List of presidents of FTII society

Notable faculty

• David Lean
• Gajanan Jagirdar
• Istvan Gaal
• Mani Kaul
• Ritwik Ghatak
• Roshan Taneja
• Satyajit Ray
• Satish Bahadur
• Tom Alter
• K Ramachandra Rao {{Cite web|title = Satyajit Ray was initially sceptical of film schools
• Michel Wyn
• Asrani

Notable alumni

• Adoor Gopalakrishnan
• Daman Sood
• Jaya Bachchan
• Shatrughan Sinha
• Raza Murad
• Asrani
• Kanwarjit Paintal
• Danny Dengzongpa
• Kumar Shahani
• Mani Kaul
• Rakesh Bedi
• Rakesh Pandey
• Rakesh Ranjan
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali
• Satish Kaushik
• Tom Alter
• K.G.George
• John Abraham
• Vimukthi Jayasundara
• Anupama Srinivasan
• Mithun Chakraborty
• Talluri Rameshwari
• Zarina Wahab
• Navroze Contractor
• Girish Kasaravalli
• Naseeruddin Shah
• Mukesh Khanna
• Nimisha Pandey
• P. Kumar Vasudev
• Rajkumar Rao
• Parvati Menon
• Gaurav Dwivedi
• Aruna Raje
• Om Puri
• K. U. Mohanan
• Prakash Kutty
• Anurag Sinha
• Gaurav Chakrabarty
• Vijay Verma
• Nipon Goswami
• Jaideep Ahlawat
• Jahnu Barua
• Shabana Azmi
• Sunny Hinduja
• Umesh Kulkarni
• Anupam Kher
• Balu Mahendra
• Ranjan Palit
• Anuya Y Bhagwat
• Rasika Dugal
• Rajat Kapoor
• Sriram Raghavan
• Rajkumar Hirani
• Payal Kapadia, director
• Shakti Kapoor
• Gyan Sahay
• Resul Pookutty
• Jameela Malik
• Shabnam Sukhdev
• Anil Dhawan

Wisdom Tree

Wisdom Tree in FTII is like an informal Master Class where students discuss topics with Filmmakers.Poet, lyricist and writer G.D. Madgulkar is believed to have given this natural structure the name "Wisdom Tree."

References

References

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2. [http://mib.nic.in/informationb/autonomus/ftii.htm FTII] {{Webarchive. link. (1 April 2016 [[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)). Ministry of Information and Broadcasting]], [[Govt. of India]] Official website.
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10. (13 July 2015). "On Gajendra Chauhan's plate, admin and academics". The Indian Express.
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17. Milind Damle. (March 2022). "Rolling since 1960".
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19. (21 September 2025). "One Day (1964) - All India Certificate of Merit for the Best Documentary Film -Jagat Murari, SNS Sastry". Pune Mirror.
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21. (2008-10-06). "FTII studio reopens after 31 years". [[The Times of India]].
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23. Shiladitya Pandit. (26 November 2017). "From Sholay to Ray classics, Mangesh Desai was an indispensable sound re-recordist".
24. (1970-01-01). "FTII at Indiatimes Movies". Movies.indiatimes.com.
25. "The Sunday Standard", Bombay, 10 June 1973. "Screen", New Delhi edition, 19 March 1971. Udaya Tara Nayar, "Screen", Bombay, 11 October 1975.
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28. admin. (2018-03-05). "Gaurav Dwivedi : In A Chat With An Actor".
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30. "Who Is Payal Kapadia? The Director Wins Best Documentary Award In Cannes".
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34. (5 October 2018). "FTII students turn to Wisdom Tree in absence of classes- Pune Mirror".