FTII to name TV wing after PL Deshpande at event graced by Sai Paranjpye, Jabbar Patel

The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in Pune is set to name its television building after celebrated humorist, litterateur and artiste Purushottam Laxman aka PL Deshpande on the completion of 50 years of the TV wing of the institute.

Making the announcement, the institute wrote on Twitter, 'The recipient of Padma Shri (1966), Padma Bhushan (1990), PL Deshpande was a celebrated writer, humorist, actor, singer, composer and orator. As a dedication to his work, FTII is naming its Television Building as PL Deshpande Television Building.'

It added, 'He released a commemorative postal stamp on Charlie Chaplin at FTII (1978) and was the chief guest at the 16th FTII convocation on 2 November 1979. He was awarded DLitt by Ravindra Vidyapeeth, Kolkata (1975), Pune University (1980) and Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, Pune (1993).'

The FTII has planned an event today at its campus for the naming ceremony. It will also be naming its high-definition studio after P Kumar Vasudev, director of the first prime-time serial on Doordarshan, Hum Log (1984-85), while the TV studio will be named after documentary filmmaker and film historian Vijaya Mulay.

The event will be graced by filmmakers Sai Paranjpye and Dr Jabbar Patel with army chief General Manoj M Naravane, who hails from Pune.