Director-producer Brijendra Pal Singh of CID fame has been appointed as the new president of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and chairman of its Governing Council, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced on Thursday.

Singh succeeded former FTII chairman Anupam Kher who stepped down from the position in October citing "international commitments" (Kher is busy shooting for the NBC show New Amsterdam where he essays the role of an Indian-origin doctor).

Singh, a 1970-73 alumnus of FTII who specialised in cinematography, was earlier elected the vice-chairman of the Governing Council at the first meeting of the new FTII Society on October 30. His tenure as chairman will be till March, 2020.

Welcoming his appointment, director of FTII Pune, Bhupendra Kainthola, said in a statement, “FTII welcomes the appointment of BP Singh as new Chairman. As former Chairperson of FTII Academic Council (2014-2017) and current Vice Chairman of FTII Governing Council, Singh is fully conversant with all issues of the Institute. It is his vision that launched FTII’s countrywide film education outreach initiative SKIFT (Skilling India in Film and Television) in May 2017 which saw nearly 120 short courses conducted in over 24 cities and towns across India touching nearly 5000 learners so far. FTII looks forward to his guidance and support in the times to come.”

BP Singh's popular investigative drama CID holds the distinction for running for 21 unbroken years on Indian television. In 2004, he won a mention in the Limca Book of Records for taking a single continuous shot of 111 minutes to commemorate six years of CID.