A sign outside the FTTI campus, in Pune. (Source: Express Photo by Arul Horizon) A sign outside the FTTI campus, in Pune. (Source: Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) administration has cracked the whip against the protesting students, setting a six-day deadline for 50 students belonging to 2008 diploma batch to finish their pending films and submit their projects for final assessment.

These films have been pending due various reasons, including “infrastructural issues”.

FTII director Prashant Pathrabe said the students who fail to finish their films would be adjudged on the basis of their incomplete work and handed over diploma certificates and asked to leave the campus.

The students, on the other hand, said these diploma films may need 6 to 8 months of work to complete, depending on the availability of equipment and other facilities.

They alleged that the move was “nothing but a witch-hunt” by the Information and Broadcasting Ministry in response to the strike called by the students to press their demand for removal of “unfit” candidates as president and members of the FTII society.

Making the announcement, Pathrabe said, “We found that the students of 2008 batch have still not completed their diploma film projects. There are 50 such students who are working in groups on about 13 such films. These projects are at various levels of completion. I have discussed this with the Dean (Films) and others and we have decided that we will do an ‘as is where is’ assessment of these projects and try to complete the academic requirement because of which these students are overstaying.”

Asked about reasons for the delay in completion of the projects, Pathrabe said there were various reasons, which included “lack of infrastructure” at the institute. “There are various reasons, some pertaining to the institute and some pertaining to the students. There were also some issues about the lack of infrastructure. But if you go into the analysis behind the delays, it can go on and on. We thought the time had come to put a stop to this practice and take some action. It can’t be a matter of pride for any institute that students who entered in 2008 continue to stay in 2016,” Pathrabe said.

Students of the 2008 batch, however, cited the lack of infrastructure, unavailability of equipment and absence of faculty for the delay in their projects.

Ashwani Sharma, an audiography student, said, “We are not happy to stay here for so long. When I joined in 2008, my department did not have a head. Our classes and workshops were stalled for months. Work on our diploma film has been slow because we failed to get timely locations, studio shifts and technical assistants. My film will require a collaborative work of two months to finish. They never gave us any ultimatum to finish our projects. The administration should show one proof that they issued any ultimatum to us and we did not keep it.”

Ravikant Vishwanathan, a film editing student, wondered how unfinished diploma films could be adjudged. He said the career of the students who would be sent out by the institute with incomplete diploma films would suffer greatly.

“Film production is a collaborative art. Once editing is done, the sound designer has to check it and the editor has to recheck it. The cinematographer has to review it coloration. So, when a project is incomplete, the work on different aspects can’t be judged. Besides this, asking students who have spent six years of their lives at this institute to leave without a diploma film is like asking students of IIT to leave the campus after four years to leave without a degree certificate. The students get their future assignments based on their diploma films. This move will harm their career greatly,” said Vishwanathan.

He said that increasing the intake capacity of various courses without improving the infrastructure led to the delays in completion of project.

Students call it a witch-hunt

FTII students’ body has called the notice issued by the administration about assessment of 2008 batch on “as is where is” basis a witch-hunt and vindictive action against students protesting “unjust” appointments.

“This is most definitely a witch-hunt. The ministry has made this an ego battle between the students and the administration. The issue of delays in completion of project is a chronic problem and the students have urged the administration many a time to resolve it so that the 2008 batch student can finish their films and start their careers. Instead of taking steps to resolve this, they are targeting us and trying to throw them out in an illegal way,” said Vikas Urs, a final-year cinematography student and spokesman for the students’ body.

Contract staff face the axe

The FTII administration has asked 82 employees working with the institute on contract basis to stop reporting to work from September 1 as there is no work for them due to the ongoing students’ strike.

“There’s no work at the institute for these employees who are basically are studio assistants, light men and technical personnel. These people are employed by us through a third party agency. This way, we will save about Rs 45 lakh each month until the strike is over,” Pathrabe said.

Interestingly, only lower-rung staffers will get the axe. The institute has many faculty members and even Dean (Films) on contract basis, but they are not being asked to stay home.

“They are not sitting idle. The issue is about lower-level employees who don’t have any work,” Pathrabe said.

30 students asked to vacate hostel

(Express Photo by Arul Horizon) (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)

The FTII administration has given eviction notices to 30 students staying the institute’s hostel who it claimed were overstaying.

“As per status report received from your HOD (Head of Department) regarding completion of your academic activities, you are hereby directed to vacate the hostels with immediate effect, failing which Rs 500 per day will be charged for overstay. For completion of your session/thesis or dessertation hostel accommodation will not be provided,” said a notice issued by hostel warden Harish KM.

Earlier, the administration had issued notices to 13 students.

FTII Director Prashant Pathrabe said that after issuing notices of 13 students, the administration realised that there were actually 30 students who were “overstaying”.

The students, however, have rubbished this claim. “The fact is that most of their diplomas are at different stages of making and they have been asked to leave since their roles are considered to be over for the particular project. We are trying to understand the logic behind this notice since the stages of film making cannot be isolated from each other. There are editors and camera students who got notices even though their sound and grading are yet to do,” said Ranjeet Nair, a

student.

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