FTII midnight arrests: Shocked, students are not criminals, says Shyam Benegal

Benegal also said that if given the opportunity, he would consider heading the institute for a third time.

Excerpts from the interview:

What is your reaction to the Pune Police swooping down on protesting students in the middle of the night?

SB: This is the worst thing that could have happened. The worst thing. This is something we have been preventing for a long time, even when I was chairman. I served as the chairman twice. There were strikes but we never ever even once invited the police into the campus. And I believe that whatever problems the institution might have between the powers that be and the students, I don’t think a third-party (police) is necessary there at all.

According to me, that vitiates the atmosphere forever. In an educational institution, there’s a Laxman Rekha there. You don’t allow a third-party (police) to come in. You should be able to solve the problems between the institute and those who are fighting against it. This is ridiculous. It has never happened before and I am absolutely shocked at the fact that the police were invited into the institution to take students into custody.

Is it now taking a political turn? Rahul Gandhi has met with the students, Arvind Kejriwal has offered students a temporary location in Delhi…

SB: Whatever that might be, the fact is that first of all, I think it was a mistake for students to go inviting people from various political parties.

It’s a very ordinary problem. The problem is that they have disagreed with the person (Gajendra Chauhan) who has been chosen as chairman as they feel the person does not have credentials for the job. That’s fine. Now the fact is credentials ultimately mean you’ve got a doctorate or you don’t have a doctorate. Ultimately, that is not of real consequence. Capability is something that is of consequence.

If you’re not sure of a person’s credentials, at least be sure of his capabilities. And in order to do that, the students simply have to invite him, grill him, and satisfy themselves as to whether the man is capable or not. Then go on a strike if you want to and believe he’s not. But all this has not been done. They went on strike straight on. That is the last option. In any student’s armory your final card is a strike. You shouldn’t use the word strike like it’s an ordinary thing. Only after you’ve exhausted all your other options (you should go on a strike). Because, it will end in a way that it has now ended, which is unfortunate… for the institution. Because a third party has walked into it and it has become a law and order problem. There was no need for any of this. Students are not criminals. I still can’t understand why it had to go this extent.

What do you see is the way out for the students and administration to end the logjam?

SB: Well the option before them is for the administration and the students to sit and talk to each other. Invite the chairman-designate. That is the best way to deal with it. You have to worry about capability, not credentials. There are people who are very capable but who may not necessarily have the kind of credentials on paper. Also, he’s not somebody who’s going to be teaching you. He’s a chairman who’s there on the level of policy. As a chairman of the society, he has to see that it works well because the society is autonomous and although it depends on the government for money, the government does not interfere with its working.

But what about his close links with the BJP?

SB: I can have close links with anybody. Why should that be a negative factor against me? I have every right to have a political view point as long as it’s not a view point that goes against the Constitution of the country. That’s the final boundary. You don’t cross that. People stand for elections, I can adhere to any political party. Nobody can stop me from doing that. Why should that come in the way? If you’re going to say ‘he’s going to push that ideology down my throat’, you are there, no? Why are you there? He has not done that yet. He hasn’t even taken up charge yet. There’s enough time for you to check out if he will move in that direction. In any case, as I said, as students, you have an interface with the director. You are there everyday.

But the faculty has backed the students in their protest

SB: The fact is the faculty will support the students because they have to deal with them everyday of their lives. So the faculty will have a sympathy with the students. I can understand that. But the faculty also has a place in the governing council, where they can put forward these views. They just pushed themselves into opposite corners to which now there is no middle ground left. And if there’s no middle ground left, then this is what will happen. The police will walk in.

I personally feel this is very unfortunate as I don’t think the acting-director should have invited the police.

But the students gheraoed the director…

SB: I was gheraoed too. When I was the chairman for the first time, I was gheraoed not just for two-three hours. I was gheraoed for the entire night. I called for a meeting the next day and said I want to meet the entire student body and not just the union. And when that happened, we solved the problem. It just meant that I lost my night’s sleep! See, ultimately, it’s an educational institution… student’s have come there to study. They are not enemies. The administration should not take them to be enemies. The students too should not take the administration as enemies. They are supposed to be working together.

What about students who are yet to complete their projects, pending since 2008? The administration has sent them notices asking that they vacate the premises.

SB: To vacate the premises will happen only when they go on strike like this for two months. But this is something that I have never understood. Why are projects that students took up in 2008 not yet completed? Somebody has got to examine that. I wouldn’t know why. I blame both, the students for not completing their projects and the institution for not seeing to it that they do. I don’t know if there were shortcomings on the part of the institution. I haven’t been part of it for a long time. But that is one of the most unfortunate things that can happen. It’s 2015 and we’re talking about students who have incomplete work since 2008. Nothing can be more shocking than that.

You were among those that the government was considering to head the institution. Were you informed about it?

SB: I haven’t been informed about it. But let me put it to you in another way. I have headed the institution twice already. And now it’s been about 25 years since I finished my second stint. The fact is I’m 80 years old. It’s not normal for someone who is 80 to be made chairman of an institution that’s funded by the government. Nobody has approached me, but it’s possible that I may accept it. The only thing people can do at my age is to join politics!

Are you open to joining politics?

SB: (Laughs) I am only joking. I’m just saying that there’s no age limit for one to turn into a politician.

But if asked to head the institution, perhaps in a larger, advisory-level role, would you accept?

SB: Yes, of course! Why not? I am a professional film maker. All my working life I have been a filmmaker. Now if I don’t take interest in film education, who else would? It’s a commitment I’ve made for life. Of course if anyone wants an opinion from me or wants views that they consider worthwhile, then certainly I am available. I’ve never said no to anyone. But my only concern is that the institution, both, the administration and the students, have been extremely pig headed and they’ve pushed themselves into a situation where they’ve left no middle ground… where they can come and talk to one another as they should. If exercises that should have been done in 2008 have remained incomplete then there’s something seriously wrong. Don’t you agree? This is absurd.

Would you be open to being a mediator and help resolve the crisis?

SB: What I would like to do is find out more about the problem and see if there’s any solution that is acceptable to both sides. The ministry itself is sitting in Delhi. They’re not sitting in Poona. The kind of information they may get is also probably not absolutely accurate. I don’t know, sitting in Bombay, what’s happening in Poona.

What in your opinion can the students and administration do to end the crisis?

SB: The police coming in was very bad. I don’t think students should be put in lock-ups. They should be sent back promptly. They are not criminals, they are students. That is not the way to handle the issue. Unless, of course, the students threatened someone or have beaten up someone belonging to the administration.

I would like the administration to extend a hand to the students. You can’t sit on a high horse. Unless if you want to close down the institution which they have every power to do, and which would be a great loss although we have many film institutions in the country today. I think FTII has a special place because it is a tried and tested system in cinema and television.