Acche Din! C-grade movie actor selected FTII prez on the basis of 1 para CV!

Agencies
August 2, 2015

New Delhi, Aug 2: In response to an RTI query, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry has said that Gajendra Chauhan - who was appointed by the government as the chief of the Film and Television Institute of India, was selected on the basis of a one-para CV.

It also suggests that the only notable achievement Mr Chauhan mentioned on the document was that of playing the role of Yudhisthir in the TV serial Mahabharat. It is believed that Chauhan, who is actually known for his roles in C-grade movies, did not mention about his prolonged adult-film career in his CV.

chauhan

"Gajendra Chauhan is an actor who is best known for his portrayal of the eldest Pandava 'Yudhishthir' in the Mahabharat (TV series). He has worked in around 150 movies and over 600 TV serials," the RTI noting said.

The RTI applicant had sought information regarding the educational and professional qualifications of Gajendra Chauhan, and the basis on which he was considered for his selection as President, Film and Television Institute of India, among other queries.

Mr Chauhan has been appointed President of FTII Society and Chairman of its Governing Council by the NDA government.

The 281-page record provided by the Ministry includes details of resumes of others who were proposed for the post of FTII President. The only reference to Mr Chauhan's qualification is a one paragraph summary.

The file notings related to the appointment of Mr Chauhan suggests that many stalwarts of Indian cinema including Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Jahnu Baruah, Raju Hirani, Jaya Bachchan, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Ramesh Sippy, Govind Nihalani and Aamir Khan were considered for the post earlier.

These names were proposed by the FTII for the post of President in 2014, the notings received under the Right to Information Act show.

Apart from the single paragraph file noting, which spoke of Mr Chauhan's portrayal of Yudhishthir and the number of films and serials he has acted in, the Ministry did not provide any details of his body of work or his CV that were considered ahead of his appointment as FTII chief.

Though the applicant had also sought copies of all the reasons recorded for Mr Chauhan's selection, the information provided by the Ministry does not show any reasons in defence of his controversial appointment as the FTII President. The Ministry was also silent on why he was preferred above the doyens of Indian cinema whose names were once proposed by FTII for appointment as its chief.

Several eminent actors including Anupam Kher, Rishi Kapoor, Ranbir Kapoor, Salman Khan among others have come out in support of the agitating students of FTII and openly opposed Mr Chauhan's appointment.

The students, who have paralysed the functioning of the prestigious institute for over 40 days now, have also received support from Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav who have visited the campus.

However, the NDA government has stuck to its guns and refused to remove Mr Chauhan.

FTII students' association (FSA) has declared that the strike will continue till their main demand for removal of Mr Chauhan, who they allege lacks vision and stature to head the institution, and reconstitution of FTII Society is accepted.

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Shehbaz ali
 - 
Wednesday, 25 Aug 2021

Am interested in thats

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News Network
March 14,2024

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Udupi: In a freak mishap, a 65-year-old man lost his life after being hit by his own bus which was being repaired at a garage at Athrady in Udupi district on Wednesday, March 13.

The deceased has been identified as Dayanand Shetty, the owner of a private bus.

It is learnt that the bus had been kept for repairs at the garage and Dayanand had gone there to inspect the repair works.

At this time, the mechanic started the engine and the bus moved ahead. Dayanand, who was standing in front of the bus, came under its wheels.

He was immediately rushed to a hospital where he died without responding to the treatment. A case is registered at jurisdictional Manipal police station.

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News Network
March 28,2024

An Indian expatriate, hailing from Dakshina Kannada district in Karnataka, who was detained in Jeddah jail in an alleged cyber case, was set free recently. He is allowed to continue his work in the same company. 

The 49-year-old Mangalurean, has been working for a Maintenance company in Jeddah for more than 13 years. He is known for his efficiency and sincerity in the company with good experience in his field of work. 

His company usually assigned him on duty in Jeddah sea port to take the delivery of the goods consigned to his company. As a part of his duty, he normally takes pictures of the goods before the transportation. He did the same in February 2023 too. 

The security personnel informed the police about his act that amounts to be a violation of the port security rule. He was unaware of the rule as he was doing it normally in the port during the release of the goods. Since then, he was detained by the police on the charge of photographing inside the port premises. After more than 6 months detention, he was released and allowed to work in the same company. 

The detainee’s brother based in Jeddah was constantly pursuing the case.

P A Hameed Padubidri, a pro-bono NRI lawyer and social worker based in Riyadh, extended his socio-humanitarian help in this case upon the request of his family and relatives. 

He actively involved trying to set him free from the jail on humanitarian grounds with the coordination and help of the Consulate General of India (CGI) Jeddah. The CGI keenly followed up the case with the concerned Saudi authorities. He was released from the jail recently and shared his happiness with his family and thanked good samaritans. 

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News Network
March 19,2024

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Bengaluru, Mar 19: Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Monday said that the Congress will split in three months after the upcoming Lok Sabha polls and its impact will be visible on the Siddaramaiah-led state government.

"Due to internal squabbles, the state government will not last long," the BJP leader said.

Talking to reporters on Monday, he said the sitting MP from the Gadag-Haveri constituency, Shivakumar Udasi, has done a lot of development work and implemented the Central government's schemes effectively.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi will surely become the PM for the third time. The overall response has been good in the Gadag-Haveri Lok Sabha constituency," the former Karnataka chief minister said.

Asked if he was contesting the election in a half-hearted manner in the Gadag-Haveri seat, Bommai said "such a question does not arise when the party's high command gives instructions".

He said he would respect his opponent and not take anyone lightly. 

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