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Jharkhand to replace Kher as state film’s panel chief
The Jharkhand government has decided to replace Bollywood actor Anupam Kher as head of the state’s film technical advisory committee with a “suitable person who can devote more time” to the panel.
The Jharkhand government has decided to replace Bollywood actor Anupam Kher as head of the state’s film technical advisory committee with a “suitable person who can devote more time” to the panel.
State’s information and public relations department (IPRD) secretary Sunil Kumar Barnwal said, “We have decided to reconstitute the JFTAC in view of Kher’s unavailability owing to his pressing engagements. We are looking for suitable person, who would be able to devote more time to the JFTAC, to succeed Kher.”
Kher was appointed chairman of the Jharkhand Film Technical Advisory Committee (JFTAC) in 2016 to review proposals for film-making and promote film industry in the state.
Kher had recently stepped down as the chairman of Pune’s Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) due to international professional commitments.
Having starred in Oscar-winning Hollywood flick ‘Silver Lining Playbook’, Kher is currently associated with the American medical drama TV series ‘New Amsterdam’.
JFTAC was constituted in May 2016 to promote Jharkhand’s film industry and extend suggestions on films being made in the state. The committee is also responsible for scrutinising film applications and suggesting incentives under the Jharkhand Film Policy.
Besides the chairman, there are 11 members in the committee.
IPRD director Ram Lakhan Prasad Gupta said more than 80 film applications were pending with the committee as no meeting of JFTAC had been held in the last 11 months owing to Kher’s unavailability.
Jharkhand selected as ‘Focus State’ in 49th IFFI
Barnwal said Jharkhand had been selected as the ‘Focus State’ at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), to be held in Goa. “The IFFI will celebrate November 24 as Jharkhand Day,” he said.
“We will leave no stone unturned to cash in on the opportunity for promotion of the state’s tourism and film policy at the festival. A Jharkhand pavilion has been set up there for the purpose,” Barnwal said.
He said that 212 films from different languages of more than 68 countries would be screened at the film festival. Seven films shot in Jharkhand — MS Dhoni The Untold Story, Death in the Ganj, Ranchi Diary, Begum Jaan, Mor Gaon Mor Desh, Panchlait and Ajab Singh ki Gajab Kahani — would also be screened along with other films from November 21 to 28, he added.
“It is a big opportunity of us to showcase Jharkhand’s potential at an international event. Jharkhand has great combination of water bodies, forests, wildlife and hills, which can attract film makers. Besides, the state’s film policy is also progressive,” he said.
