Rocketry star R Madhavan on being appointed as FTII President: 'I am still gathering my thoughts'

Actor R Madhavan has been appointed as the President of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and Chairman of the governing council by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on Friday. It comes just after the actor’s directorial debut Rocketry: The Nambi Effect' bagged the National Award for Best Feature Film at the 69th National Film Awards. For the unversed, the tenure of the former president director Shekhar Kapur ended on 3 March this year.

Union Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur announced the news on platform X (formerly known as Twitter). Thakur wrote, “Heartiest congratulations to @ActorMadhavan ji on being nominated as President of @FTIIOfficial and Chairman of the governing council. I'm sure that your vast experience & strong ethics will enrich this institute, bring positive changes, & take it to a higher level. My best wishes to you (sic).” Madhavan also replied to the best wishes from Thakur on the same social media platform saying, "Thank you so very much for the honor and kind wishes @ianuragthakur Ji. I will do my very best to live up to all the expectations (sic)."

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Madhavan also reacted after a prestigious appointment as FTII President in an interview with Zoom. He said, “It still to sink in. I am gathering my thoughts and trying to understand the importance of it. There have been many highly distinguished Presidents of the FTII, and far more qualified than me, like the legendary Mr Roshan Taneja, Mr Shyam Benegal, Mr Mrinal Sen, Mr Adool Gopalakrishnan and Mr Shekhar Kapur. I will try my best to live up to their legacy.” Meanwhile, Madhavan will be next seen in the movie 'Test,' which will be directed by Sashikanth. The upcoming movie revolves around the world of cricket and Madhavan plays the lead role in it.