“We introduced four courses during these years. The acting course was started in the institute almost after 30 years. A two-year diploma in art direction and one-year course in script writing was also introduced,” he says. FTII also started an all-new animation course during his tenure as the director. “Information and broadcast ministry is actually mulling over the idea of starting an institute exclusively for animation, which is right now in its preliminary stage,” he adds.

Sharan has traveled extensively to more than 40 countries around the world in his official as well as private tours. In fact some of these tours involved attending leading film festivals such as Montreal, Cannes, Cairo, Palm Springs and San Jose. “I always loved Pune as a visitorlove Pune, as a visitor. But now after having spent four years here, I have fallen in love with the city as a its resident because it so youngS. Pune combines the elements of a metropolis and a small town, so one can enjoy the best of both the worlds,” he says.

Also a prolific writer of cinema, Sharan plans to take up academic work related to cinema, after this. “How many institutes can offer this kind of huge campus and legacy that FTII has. We don’t have any competition as long as quality of film syllabus and exposure is concerned,” he says. However Sharan also feels that the greatest challenege for the present director would be to raise a compitent staff.