FTII students won't slur India's image at IFFI: I&B official

Reaching out emotionally to Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) students who have threatened to protest at the IFFI venue in Goa, union Secretary for Information and Broadcasting Sunil Arora on Monday called them "patriotic" and said they would not damage the country's reputation at the international film event.

Arora was addressing a press conference in Panaji after taking stock of the preparations being undertaken for the 46th International Film Festival of India, which begins here from November 20.

"The students of FTII are equally patriotic. They will not besmirch India's reputation. This is an event of international scale. Beyond that I cannot really comment," Arora told reporters after he was asked if he was worried about the call given by FTII students to protest at the IFFI venue against the appointment of actor Gajendra Chauhan as the institute's director.

FTII students had staged a 139-day strike from June 12 to protest Chauhan's appointment, claiming he was unfit for the position.

After the appointing authority, the information and broadcasting ministry, stuck to its guns and did not cancel Chauhan's appointment, the students called off their strike on October 29, but also insisted that their protests would continue.

They also said that the IFFI, the country's largest international film festival and one which is organised by the central government, would be a venue for their future protests.

The 11-day festival begins on November 20, and will screen 187 films in various sections from 89 countries. Spain is the country of focus this year. The festival's opening film is "The Man Who Knew Infinity", directed by Mathew Brown.