MUMBAI: On the occasion of Mumbai University’s 153rd birthday, Anurag Kashyap inaugurated the University’s first initiative in the world of cinema, by announcing a Post-Graduate diploma course in Film & Television.

Kashyap elaborated on his flight from acting into writing & direction. Then explained why one needs to learn filmmaking, "Why a course like this helps is because it teaches you the very basics, the fundamentals of filmmaking…you need to know them to reject them and create your own rules & methods."

He talked about directors like Danny Boyle, who are capable of simultaneously editing, shooting and generating narrative, but achieving that state is a slow process. He said, "Earlier it took people years of struggle to pierce through the medium, both in the corporeal sense of access and cerebral sense of understanding, finally becoming filmmakers at 50 or 60 years of age, whereas today there are people as young as 21 who are making great films, precisely because of abundant film education."

He concluded the session by saying that "What must motivate the maker is not the Oscar but the journey." He said outlining the importance of the journey of filmmaking which is endless.

The Post graduate diploma in Films and Television is a one year full time program, which will begin in August 2009. Students will be selected after a entrance test and interview. The first six months will be an orientation of Cinema and film studies and the second term, one could specialize in either Cinematography, Editing, Sound or Direction.

Digital Academy director Kartikeya Talreja said, "We are honoured and humbled with this association and that as always we will always try and go the extra mile for all P G students in the course content as well as placement for the students who graduate from this course."