Film institute or dharamshala?

FTII sources say some entrance exam results have been delayed as ex-students haven't vacated hostel, leaving no space for new ones

Film institute or dharamshala?

FTII sources say some entrance exam results have been delayed as ex-students haven't vacated hostel, leaving no space for new ones

The 400-odd students who have applied to the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) have been kept waiting for their entrance exam results because of their seniors. Senior students, who have completed their courses, are refusing to vacate their rooms at the institute's hostel, said FTII sources.

Though the results ofu00a0 entrance exam for acting and screenplay courses have been declared, this has affected the the results for the remaining courses, which have already been delayed by three months. They will be further delayed since the institute has no rooms to offer fresh students, added the sources.

No vacancy
"Insiders at FTII told me that one reason behind delaying results is lack of space in hostels. Certain students end up overstaying by almost a year, which means less space for fresh candidates," said a student anxiously waiting for his results, requesting anonymity. MiD DAY verified this information with FTII sources and visits to the campus.

Suresh Chabbria, who is staying at the campus even though he has finished his acting course, shrugged off the issue, saying, "After the course ended, I had gone to Mumbai, but didn't get work there. Later, I received a call for a shoot here and came back to stay at the institute's campus." He added that students 'routinely' overstayed either because they had not completed projects, or because the institute was unable to finish the course on time.

H1N1 effect
While Pankaj Rag, director, FTII, remained unavailable for comment, FTII spokesperson Chandrashekhar Joshi blamed the delay on swine flu. "The exams were delayed by month and a half as the institute was closed for almost two weeks because of swine flu," said Joshi adding, "The results should be out by December."