This Article is From May 05, 2013

Film and Television Institute of India be renamed as 'Prabhat-FTII', demands Shiv Sena

Mumbai: Shiv Sena has demanded that Pune-based Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) be renamed as 'Prabhat-FTII'.

FTII is located where Prabhat Studios once stood.

Actor Adesh Bandekar, who heads Shiv Sena-promoted film workers union 'Chitrapat Sena', said in a statement in Mumbai that Prabhat Studios, which was witness to the golden era of Marathi cinema, completes 84 years on June 1.

"Renaming FTII as Prabhat-FTII would be a fitting tribute to the history of the studio," Mr Bandekar said.

He said he would meet the FTII director soon and present a memorandum.

Prabhat Film Company, popularly known as Prabhat Films, was formed in Kolhapur in 1929. Its founders were noted film director V Shantaram, V G Damle, K R Dhaiber, S Fatelal and S B Kulkarni.

It moved to Pune in 1933, where it established its own studio and produced a total of 45 films in Marathi and Hindi over 27 years, including Kunku (Duniya Na Mane in Hindi), Sant Tukaram, Shejari, Manoos (Aadmi in Hindi).

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