Last night, actor Anupam Kher took on Gajendra Chauhan on Arnab Goswami's News Hour on Times Now, questioning his appointment as the chairman of Film and Television Institute of India.
Chauhan, when asked on the show, about what set a film apart, answered saying that it was the type of message that a film sent out to the audience. He was then questioned about his role in Khuli Khidki, a salacious film made in 1989, and the sort of message that film sought to send. Chauhan defended the movie, by refusing to reply to this question, and called the film a "beautiful" and "entertaining" watch.
Kher was then invited to speak by Goswami. He calmly proceeded to tell Chauhan why he was an undeserving candidate for the job.
Chauhan was left defenceless as Kher calmly made his points about why he (Chauhan) was ill-suited for the position of the FTII Chairman, saying that he was offering him this advice as a friend and a brother.
Chauhan eventually managed to get one sentence in. Kher argued that if Steel Authority of India were to appoint him (Kher) as chairman, he would decline the post as he knew nothing about steel. Chauhan protested that that was unfair, and he was indeed involved with cinema, which is what is taught at the institute.
To which Kher replied: "Of course you are connected to cinema, but cinema has plenty of people that are connected to it. However, there is a huge difference in being connected to cinema and being appointed the chairman for FTII."
Kher then drove his point home by saying that Chauhan might look good next to a veteran like Adoor Gopalakrishnan in a suit, but his ability to debate and discuss world, Hindi and regional cinema with the filmmaker was dubious, so he should simply keep quiet. "Aap iske baare mein chup ho jaiye," the actor said, in no uncertain terms.
Watch the debate here:
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