Actor Ranbir Kapoor has added his voice to those clamouring against the appointment of Gajendra Chauhan as the chief of the Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India or FTII. In a video posted on YouTube by the FTII student body, Ranbir says that "students want to look up to someone with a body of work they can aspire to.""Don't judge me by my body of work," is what Gajendra Chauhan said last week. The appointment of Gajendra Chauhan - best known for playing Yudhishtira in TV serial Mahabharata and for starring in some allegedly 'soft-porn' films - has led to weeks of protests from FTII alumnus and current students, who have held protest marches through the streets of Pune chanting slogans like "Yudhishtira, don't teach us dharma." The charge against Mr Chauhan is that he is not qualified to head the country's premier film school, and that his status as a BJP member secured him the appointment.In the conversation posted on YouTube, Ranbir says that "the appointment of the new chairman has gone against the students' wishes" and that "it is only fair" that they be led by someone who can inspire them to become better filmmakers. "Don't think what the students are asking for is illogical, don't think they are asking for the moon. They are just asking for a fair chance, a fair opportunity, correct faculty, correct syllabus," says the 32-year-oldstar.Ranbir, a scion of Bollywood's leading dynasty, underlines the importance of FTII's contribution to Indian cinema. "FTII has been a premier institute in this country, it has given birth to so many actors, directors, cinematographers, editors and award-winning personalities. I think it gives an opportunity to people without any film connection, people look at graduates of FTII with so much respect," he says.He notes that, "Institutional autonomy is also very important. There are certain guidelines students have to follow in an institution but when it's an institution of art, there needs to be a certain freedom of speech, there needs to be a dialogue between a governing council and the students." Last week, FTII alumnus and Oscar-winning sound engineer Resul Pookutty said that students had been lobbying for FTII to be moved out of the purview of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry and into that of academics. "Four years ago, I had handed over a note to then IB minister Ambika Soni about making an FTII act through which FTII become an autonomous body and a university of its own and that has not been considered," Mr Pookutty told NDTV.Over the weekend, film personalities like Kiran Rao, Sayeed Mirza and Piyush Mishra joined agitating students at a protest rally in Mumbai. A day earlier, a deleagtion from FTII including Mr Pookutty had met I&B Minister Arun Jaitley but no resolution was worked out. Yesterday, TV actress Pallavi Joshi declined to take up position after being nominated to FTII, in view of the protests.Watch: