Renowned Bollywood filmmakers Farhan Akhtar and Subhash Ghai have supported the students of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), saying their issues must be addressed.

"It's important to arrive at conclusion because FTII is a reputed institute since years. We want students to study happily which is very important. It's important that their concerns be addressed," Farhan said.

He visited Ghai's film institute on Friday to deliver a lecture.

Subhash Ghai, an FTII alumni, said: "FTII is my mother institute and I've seen it growing. It has given the best talent and you feel pained when you see such failures in an institute like this."


"... it's important for the students to be happy, particularly since they're a creative community. They're thinkers and ideators. It's very important for us to look at them with a different perspective than any ordinary college or institution," he added.

The students are protesting the appointment of BJP member and actor Gajendra Chauhan as the chairman of the FTII.

The students went on hunger strike on Thursday, appealing the government to come up with a solution of the deadlock.

They claim that Chauhan lacked credentials for the post of the chairman and that his appointment was politically-motivated. The strike entered its 93rd day on Saturday.