The book unveils the untold story of Jagat Murari, the man who ‘made’ Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, Subhash Ghai, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Mani Kaul and numerous other filmmakers at FTII.
PUNE, India, Oct. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Adoor Gopalakrishnan, the legendary film director and FTII alum, officially launched The Maker of Filmmakers, the book on his guru Jagat Murari, the man who built FTII from the ground up. Published by Penguin India, the book is written by author Radha Chadha, who, as Mr. Murari’s daughter, grew up on the FTII campus.
“If the Film Institute has come to earn fame and name, it was all due to my venerated Principal sir, Jagat Murari sir,” said Adoor Gopalakrishnan, who was the Chief Guest of the evening. Talking about the book, he said, “The whole story, you know, it’s told like it’s in a novel…. it is so beautifully written.” He called Jagat Murari his “mentor” and “father figure”, a sentiment echoed by many other alumni who were present. Adoor added, “Our principal, Murari saheb, richly deserved a book. It couldn’t have been written by anybody else…It is a daughter’s loving tribute to her great father.”
Members of India’s film and academic communities converged at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) for the official launch of The Maker of Filmmakers. The much-awaited book, written by author Radha Chadha, shines light on Jagat Murari, the man who shaped a generation of iconic filmmakers at FTII. Amidst a hall filled with students, faculty, and renowned alumni, the event became both a tribute and a reunion.
“Such well-researched books sometimes become very boring, but this read like a thriller,” said Dhiraj Singh, Vice Chancellor of FTII, during his speech. “The good thing about this book is that it is one of the most thoroughly researched books – and I’m not saying this lightly. I have been trained in research in some of the best institute’s in the world, and the kind of research that has gone into this book is truly world class.”
Talking about her journey of writing The Maker of Filmmakers, Radha Chadha said, “Initially, I set out to write his biography as a straightforward story of his life. But pretty soon I realized that I could not tell his story without telling that of FTII. Like twin strands of DNA, they twisted around each other. He made the Institute, the Institute made him.” Through her father’s journals, Radha discovered a treasure trove of archival materials he had left behind. She added, “He only saw limitless opportunity, or as he put it, ‘The Film Institute is an effort to dream up the future of Indian cinema, and to make it a practical reality.'”
“It’s very easy to make films. It’s very difficult to make a good film,” Adoor noted during the panel discussion with Dhiraj Singh and Radha Chadha, words that capture the standard of excellence Jagat Murari sought to instil at FTII.
Adding to these voices were distinguished FTII alumni from the 1960s–70s, including actor Paintal, sound designer Narinder Singh, filmmaker Arunaraje Patil, cinematographer R.M. Rao, the late and legendary K.K. Mahajan’s wife Praba Mahajan, and directors Parvati Menon, Chandrashekher Nair, and Sudhir Tandon.
Ambassador Talmiz Ahmed tied the evening together with a vivacious address, recalling the energy of FTII’s golden years shaped by Jagat Murari. “What an extraordinary exposure that we had. Every part of this Institute that we had was shaped by my father’s closest friend, Mr. Jagat Murari…It is very rare for us to get a book that tells you how an institution grew and became what it is. We are looking at the story of about sixty years – sixty years in the making,” he said.
In chronicling Jagat Murari’s life and influence, Radha Chadha’s The Maker of Filmmakers does more than tell a singular story. It celebrates the spirit of Indian cinema itself.
About the Book
When Jagat Murari, a young film student in post-war America, found himself at the feet of one of cinema’s true giants—Orson Welles—during the making of Macbeth in 1947, the lessons he absorbed on that set shaped not only his future but the future of Indian cinema. Returning to a newly independent India, Jagat went on to build the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) from the ground up.
In The Maker of Filmmakers, Radha Chadha offers an intimate and meticulously researched portrait of her father—a celebrated documentary filmmaker—and the iconic film school he built. With uncanny consistency, FTII turned out top talent—Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi, Adoor Gopalakrishnan and Subhash Ghai, Shatrughan Sinha and Mani Kaul, and other cinema legends. His alumni became the leading names of Bollywood and beyond. They spearheaded the Indian New Wave, kick-started regional language cinema and helped usher television into the country.
How did Jagat go about ‘making’ such extraordinary filmmakers? What was his secret formula? A gripping story of ambition, adversity and artistic brilliance—richly illustrated with rare photographs—The Maker of Filmmakerspaints a vivid picture of how one man’s vision and determination helped turn Indian cinema into the global powerhouse it is today.
About the Author
Radha Chadha is an author, columnist, speaker and one of Asia’s foremost experts on marketing and consumer insights. Her book The Cult of the Luxury Brand: Inside Asia’s Love Affair with Luxury was a bestseller, and is the go-to book for understanding luxury in Asia. After two decades at top advertising agencies—Ogilvy, JWT, Grey and Bates Asia—she founded her own brand consultancy in Hong Kong. For over a decade, Radha also wrote a widely read column for Mint, one of India’s leading business newspapers. She holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and a BA from St Stephen’s College, Delhi.
Radha grew up on the campus of the Film and Television Institute of India, where her father, Jagat Murari, shaped a generation of filmmakers.
The Maker of Filmmakers: https://amzn.in/d/6mGH3kt
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