Well this is interesting! One of the Hollywood’s best Acting schools is soon going to launch one of its international branches in India. Lee Strasberg Institute boasts of Alumni such as Scarlett Johansson, Angelina Jolie, Adam Sandler, Al Pacino and the likes.
This news got me thinking. India has some good Acting schools but in this ever growing industry of Bollywood and Television there has always been dearth of good actors and film makers.
Bollywood’s trend has always remained the same. League “A” stars are mostly sons/daughters of famous Actors, Directors or Film makers. And usually they learn acting after becoming stars (Shahrukh Khan is an exception).
League “B” has some good ACTORS whom we praise for their acting (and not looks). This league has actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Manoj Bajpai etc. These people have long tried to come in the frontline of Bollywood but they never could.
League “C” has actors who are remembered for a movie or two and then forgotten. They often are victims of bad movie selection or lack of star power in the Industry. This is where we have a huge potential.
Students coming out of Schools such as Lee Strasberg may very well change this Bollywood trend. This will also help students who are aspiring to become world class Directors or Movie makers.
On the other hand Indian Television broadcasting is also changing dynamically. With more than 350 Channels, it’s probably the fastest growing TV industry across the world. With more Channels coming in, the scope for actors, writers, directors etc is growing. We need more and more quality Film Institutions to fill up this lacuna.
In our country, anything other than getting an engineering or medical degree is seen as a career risk ! Hence, for lakhs of aspiring actors in India Lee can provide a very good opportunity, as it will bring the requisite exposure to film and acting. This will also inspire parents to send their kids to these schools.
I hope that there is a trend in the making and more International Institutes will follow Lee’s path. Let’s hope that in near future we’ll be able to watch world class Bollywood movies and Indian TV shows.
What do you think? Will this institute generate some good actors and directors for Bollywood Industry or will it always remain a hot-bed for Actor-Director’s sons & daughters?
[This Media Monday post has been submitted by Rabi Gupta, a start up enthusiast and soon to launch his first product iDubba (Intelligent Box).]
only the sons and daughters of famous actors/directors/producers can make it in Bollywood. How many outsiders could make it? We can just count them on fingers.
On the other hand, a flop actor like Abhishek Bachchan survives even after giving 17 consecutive flops just because people worship his father.
Yes Philip and that’s why I saw this move by Lee as a potential trend shifter. But still, we have to wait and watch to see whether any real actor (without a family name) can make it to the top!