Anupam Kher is the new FTII chairman, replaces Gajendra Chauhan

Film actor Anupam Kher was on Wednesday appointed the new chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, replacing Gajendra Chauhan whose tenure ended in March.

The 62-year-old actor, who has worked in more than 500 films and over 100 plays in the last three decades, was conferred the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016.

Some of Kher’s prominent films include Saaransh, Daddy, Lamhe, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Maine Gandhi Ko Nahi Maara, Khosla Ka Ghosla and A Wednesday. He has also been a part of international projects such as 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. His wife Kirron Kher is an actor and a BJP MP.

In 2015, FTII saw unprecedented protests and a 139-day strike by students opposed to Chauhan’s appointment, saying it was “arbitrary” and “political” as he was a BJP member. On Wednesday, students responded to Kher’s appointment as “another joke” after Chauhan’s stint.

Kher is currently gearing up for the release of his upcoming film, Ranchi Diaries. Author of best-selling book The Best Thing About You Is You, Kher is a teacher, philanthropist and motivational speaker. He also runs an acting school Actor Prepares in Mumbai. Kher has worked in other Indian languages like Tamil, Marathi and Malayalam.

Talking about his vast filmography, Anupam Kher had told HT, “In a span of 35 years, I have done 500 films. When I met Woody Allen, he asked me, ‘I’ve heard you have done a lot of films. What is the number?’ I had done 417 films then. He asked me, ‘In how many lives?’”

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