Veteran and reputed producer-director B P Singh - the creator of C.I.D., the longest-running TV series of India - has been appointed as the new Chairman of Pune-based Film & Television Institute of India (FTII).

Singh replaces veteran actor Anupam Kher, who quit on 31 October citing international assignments. An alumnus of FTII, Singh was part of FTII Governing Council - serving as its vice-chairman. 

"Congratulations to Brijendra Pal Singh on his appointment as President of FTII Society and Chairman of FTII Governing Council," the FTII tweeted. 

Hailing from Dehradun, he started with Doordarshan in 1973 as a cameraman. He made murder mystery film Sirf Char Din and then TV series Ek Shunya Shunya.

His turning point came with the beginning of Sony TV channel and he launched C.I.D. in on 21 January, 1998. This year, it completed 21 years and has completed over 1,500 episodes. As of now, the serial is on a break. The detective serial finds mention in several record books.

He was also the creator of Aahat. Singh is the third Chairman of the FTII during the tenure of the Narendra Modi government.

It may be recalled that when TV actor Gajendra Chauhan was made the FTII chief, there were protests and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting came under sharp criticism. After Chauhan, Kher took over.