The Film And Television Institute Of India And The Historical Origins Of Film Pedagogy

Abstract

By the late 1960s, India’s economic aspirations appeared to crumble, indicating the decline of the Nehruvian utopia. This period marked a pivotal moment, influencing the emergence of a new social realist genre. In 1960, Shri Keskar, the information and broadcasting minister, purchased Prabhat Studio and established the Indian Film Institute. Secular and liberal viewpoints helped make the Film Institute of India an esteemed institute of film pedagogy. From the beginning, the film institute was led by a group of experts. Eminent Indian New Wave filmmakers and alumni of the Film Institute, such as Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mani Kaul, Kumar Shahani, John Abraham, and others, acknowledged Ritwik Ghatak, Akira Kurosawa, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, George Sadoul, Werner Herzog, and Alexander Kluge as their inspirations in their student years. Based on memoirs, interviews,
archival documents, and government reports, this article examines how the pedagogy of the Film Institute of India encouraged a group of young Indian New Wave filmmakers in the 1970s. In what ways did the curriculum and mentorship at FTII facilitate experimentation with film theory and praxis, which gave birth to a new genre of filmmaking? The article will also explain to what extent FTII’s approach to teaching filmmaking promoted a liberal modern art form focused on social concerns.