SRFTI Kolkata will offer India’s first UG, PhD degrees in filmmaking

In April, Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI) became a deemed-to-be-university. Sukanta Majumdar, SRFTI’s dean-incharge and head of sound recording and design, spoke with Careers360 about the changes the new status will bring – degree courses will replace diplomas and intake and faculty sizes will increase. He also spoke of the new placement cell, opening of its branch campus, FTI Arunachal Pradesh, and more. Edited excerpts:

Q. How long did it take to receive the deemed-to-be-university status?

The application process began about two years ago, when we applied to the University Grants Commission (UGC). Then, the UGC got back to us saying they would visit the campus to assess our infrastructure and gain a better understanding of our plan.

They checked the courses we offered and how we will adopt the National Education Policy. They formed a committee with the vice-chancellors from universities who visited our campus eventually.

Q. What changes now?

The deemed-to-be-university status will change a lot. This will lead to undergraduate and PhD degrees in filmmaking – the first in India.

Earlier, we could not offer undergraduate or any degree, just postgraduate diploma courses. Now we will be providing degree courses. For undergraduate courses, students can apply after Class 12. A PhD in filmmaking will be a very new concept in India, particularly, practice-based PhDs. Earlier, people had to go outside.

Film studies is a unique way of learning because it's production-based learning. No other stream of education has this kind of system. In filmmaking, it is essential to do collaborative learning; students make films together.

The challenge is to adapt this structure into a credit-based system.

We have submitted a structure to the UGC and they have agreed. However, the implication and adoption of this structure will have to be seen because the credit-based system has a lot of flexibility. Students will be mainly credit collectors – they will collect credits from different disciplines or even another university. Further, there will be an early-exit and entry facility as well.

The integration of the credit system into the collaborative structure together will change a lot. I hope that we will be successful in this, as this will be very unique for film schools.

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Q. Is SRFTI Kolkata planning new courses? What about faculty recruitment?

We will have to introduce new courses and hire more faculties because student strength will also increase. Till now, we only had 12 students in each discipline every year. This is going to change now.

For faculty recruitment, there will be a new set of qualifications [in the eligibility criteria]. Also, there will be more flexibility because in India it’s difficult to find faculties with a PhD in filmmaking.

Also, ours is a practical institute which offers practical training in filmmaking where we never taught academics in [the conventional] sense. We produced filmmakers who went across and worked as filmmakers in the industry. And that connection should not be destroyed.

Currently, in India, we get faculty who have a film academic background which lacks practical training. However, through our new programmes, I hope, a new bunch of academics will be created with good practice in filmmaking, along with a solid theoretical basis of knowledge.

Q. What happens to the existing diploma courses?

Whoever is enrolled in our diploma course will exit with their diploma. But whosoever joins this year or next year will receive a degree. The diploma courses will be converted into master’s degrees.

We are also looking at solid exchange programmes with other universities.

Q. Do you get enough funds? Are you expecting more now, as a deemed-to-be university?

We get funds directly from the ministry of information and broadcasting. Further, we also take fees which are not a huge share of funds. We have to make it accessible as a public institute. Funding should not be an issue.

Q. Any change in governance?

Under the new status, new academic and governing councils will be formulated. Previously, the head of the institute was the director. Now there will be a vice chancellor and a chancellor. These posts will not be permanent.

Eventually, we will also go for the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) and National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) accreditation.

How are the placements?

It's a long traditional process where students work with filmmakers while studying in the institutes. Also, professionals from the industry visit our campus for different classes.

So, traditionally, when students graduate or are in their final semester, they already know a lot of people and eventually assist people from the industry and get absorbed.

However, last year we opened a placement cell.

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Q. Will the admission process change?

On the admission front, we have a joint admission exam for both FTII Pune and SRFTI Kolkata, which is very unique to the courses offered. It is very difficult to admit students with other university courses. However, the admissions may change, after two or three batches.

Q. Film and Television Institute (FTI), Arunachal Pradesh started its first batch in March 2025. How has been the response?

The building and structure were already established. While the institute wanted to start early, it took some time as the infrastructure was not complete. Also, the location is quite remote. Earlier it was in Itanagar, the national capital but recently, in March, it moved to its main campus in Jote. At Itanagar, we were running short courses.

When the infrastructure was built, we started the full credit course this year. In March 2025, the batch was launched and classes commenced. The whole exam process took some time to finish. We have started the batch with 45 students with three courses – acting, documentary filmmaking and screenwriting. We had planned to get 50 students but we received 45.

Q. What are the plans for its expansion? Are you facing any challenges?

At FTI AP, we started with courses which are not taught in SRFTI.

As we have already become a university, all we have to do is implement and start the new masters courses. We are looking at FTI-AP as our undergrad campus as most of our first undergraduate courses will be started there. SRFTI will have mostly postgraduate courses.

We will start with undergrad degree courses like cinematography, sound engineering, etc., which are already offered in Kolkata, with a little bit of restructuring. The fee structure is the same.

For now, at FTI-AP, we plan to give two scholarships in each course to two students in each semester, based on their exam results.

However, the infrastructure is still due which is challenging. Because it's a new campus, it takes time. For a campus built in a city, there are certain things that are always in progress and you will always find things to be done. Students have already started to live on the campus.

After this conversation, protests erupted at the FTI AP campus with the first batch of students complaining about the lack of basic amenities. SRFTI was sent another question on that but till publication, officials had not responded. If they do, the online version of this interview will be updated.