Did You Know Payal Kapadia, Award-Winning Director of ‘All We Imagine as Light,’ Got Her FTII Scholarship Revoked For Boycotting Lectures?
Cannes 2024: Film director Payal Kapadia received widespread acclaim and admiration for her groundbreaking achievement at Cannes 2024 with her debut fiction film, ‘All We Imagine As Light.’ However, her journey has not been without challenges, as she once faced disciplinary action and an FIR (First Information Report) at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). Scroll down to find more details.
In 2015, while studying at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune, Kapadia found herself at the center of a disciplinary matter. She spearheaded a four-month-long protest against the appointment of television actor-turned-politician Gajendra Chauhan as the institute’s chairman.
The university had seen its fair share of student protests, but this one was record-breaking. It lasted an incredible 139 days, making it the longest demonstration in the institution’s history. The protesters, including Kapadia, were voicing their concerns over the leadership’s lack of qualifications. Kapadia’s act of boycotting her classes as a form of protest led to the revocation of her scholarship by the institute.
On August 5, 2015, during the 68th day of the ongoing protest, while students were absent from classes and voicing their concerns through impassioned speeches, Prashant Pathrabe, the then-director of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), issued a notice to the 2008 batch students, demanding that they vacate the hostel due to overstaying. Furthermore, an order was issued to assess their film projects, the majority of which were incomplete.
Take a look here:
PAYAL KAPADIA, lauréate du Grand Prix pour ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT.
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PAYAL KAPADIA, award winner of the Grand Prix for ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT.#Cannes2024 #Palmares #Awards #GrandPrix pic.twitter.com/nE16YOvLeC— Festival de Cannes (@Festival_Cannes) May 25, 2024
The students, deeming Pathrabe’s action “irrational and unjustified,” confronted him in his office, seeking clarification. They surrounded his office, forming a human chain, and held him captive. In response, the police conducted a midnight crackdown, resulting in the arrest of five students. Approximately 35 students, including Kapadia, were later named in the charge sheet. Consequently, Kapadia faced disciplinary action, lost her scholarship, and was deprived of the opportunity to participate in the foreign exchange program, along with seven other students.
Kapadia’s own background includes attending a boarding school in Andhra Pradesh, and she is the daughter of veteran artist Nalini Malani. Kapadia’s latest film, ‘All We Imagine As Light’, features a cast that includes Divya Prabha, Kani Kusruti, Azees Haneefa, Hridhu Haroon, Lovleen Misra, and Chhaya Kadam.