Anupam Kher resigns as FTII chairperson

New Delhi: Just a year into the job, veteran actor Anupam Kher has resigned from the post of chairperson of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, citing commitments to an international television show for which he has to be stationed in America for long periods of time over the next three years.

In his resignation letter to information and broadcasting minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, he said 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” due to his commitment to the NBC series “New Amsterdam”.

His resignation letter, dated October 30, has been accepted by the ministry, which acknowledges his preoccupations. Mr Rathore thanked Mr Kher for “steering FTII with such acumen and empathy”, an official statement said on Wednesday.

Mr Kher's stature, erudition and goodwill among the film fraternity contributed to the standing of the institute, it said. The actor, one of Bollywood's most enduring character actors said, he has recommended two-three people to the ministry who can take over as chief of the Pune-based institute but refused to reveal the names.

“Given this assignment (the show), 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 letter.

Mr Kher, 63, urged Mr Rathore to accept his resignation and scout for someone suitable to take over from him in the notice period. He had replaced Gajendra Chauhan, who had a controversial tenure, as the head of the prestigious institute in October last year.