New Delhi, Sep 13 (Agencies): In his new role, noted actor-director Kamal Hassan is playing an activist, who will bring work to a halt in the Indian film industry for three days. The only difference is that he will be playing this role in real life, not reel life. But, one need not panic! All is well and for the better.
Barring a one-day strike or voluntary shutdown of film industry to support a cause in the past, this will be the first of its kind shutdown, when the entire industry will stop work for three-days. And that too, voluntarily!
In November, the ‘Nayakan’ will bring about a virtual ‘shutdown’ of the film industry for three days, when about 10,000 workforce in the film industry will attend a three-day workshop to enhance their technical skills and earn certification.
Hassan, who admits he is a school dropout, excelled by enhancing his skills to become one of the finest actors of our times, and won four national film awards. He has now taken the initiative to provide skill training to the workforce in the Indian film industry. That’s a step towards skilling Indian workforce and achieve the goal of providing skills to 400 million people by 2022, as envisaged by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Having worked both as a tech crew and as an actor-producer-director, Hassan has managed to bring together 35 film unions under one roof by getting to the side of the technical members and convincing the All India Film Employees’ Confederation for the voluntary shutdown.
“It’ll be a three-day work holiday for the skilling of workforce in our film industry. Training will be provided by national and international film dignitaries, technicians and specialists to about 10,000 members currently working in the film industry. This unique initiative has been named as ‘Recognition of Prior Learning’ because there are hundreds like me who haven’t got prior training but have excelled in their individual fields.
"We are moving fast due to new technology. Today, Indian cinema means digital cinema. Similarly, news media is also moving at a faster pace. A time will come when you say we don’t deliver newspaper, but it’s on your cellphone. And, here acquiring skills is paramount,” Hassan, who is also the chairman of FICCI’s Media & Entertainment, Sector Skill Council told Firstpost during an exclusive interaction in New Delhi.
Hassan said that the country needed a media training centre, where actual training on skill development would be imparted, like in a medical college which is attached to a hospital and students get hands-on training and see things actually happening. And, Hassan’s ultimate ambition is to have his own media training centre of international standard.
“At present, media institutes are all isolated from the actual art of film-making. The need is to involve production houses with academic institutions like in America. And, that’s why Hollywood has become so big. They actually invested in high quality training for their own growth.
"Backed by my knowledge and experience that I’ve gathered in 57 years in cinema (I got into film at the age of three), my sole dream is to come up with a media training centre that can provide quality training to students and help them in acquiring world-class skills on film making. Like, a warrior gets trained in all techniques, but for him the real learning ground is the battleground that makes him a true warrior,” said the 60-year old actor.
Hassan feels that the ongoing crisis at the nation’s premier Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) should get resolved at the earliest for the benefit of the students.
“Basically, I’m from the industry and the FTII issue is purely academic – between the students, institute and the government. It’ll be better if the deadlock gets resolved at the earliest. I get a trained technician, when a student passes out from FTII, which is important for me. The sooner the better for the benefit of the students,” he said.