Gajendra Chauhan: News

Born on October 10, 1956, Indian actor Gajendra Chauhan is best known for his role as Yudhishtir in the Television series ‘Mahabharat’ (1988-1990). He is mentored by Roshan Taneja. In a career spanning 35 years, Chauhan has worked in at least 600 TV shows and 150 movies. He made his acting debut with the 1983 TV series ‘Paying Guest.’ In 2004, he entered politics by joining Bharatiya Janata Party and worked as the national conveyor for culture. In 2014, he was appointed as the Chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). His appointment was backed by a sleuth of actor-turned-politician BJP leaders such as Hema Malini, Paresh Rawal, Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, Mukesh Khanna, and then BJP member Shatrughan Sinha. However, the students at FTII launched a protest alleging the move to be a blatant attempt to “saffronize the institute.” Those who protested included the All India Students Association (AISA), and the student wing of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation. Several film personalities supported the protest including Ranbir Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Anupam Kher, Piyush Mishra, Anand Patwardhan, Salman Khan, and Rishi Kapoor. He resigned from his position as the chairman of FTII in October 2017.