Kher's 'Actor Prepares' operational NOW

India's respected school 'Actor Prepares' became operational in West London, UK, from September 11, 2008 after selecting its first batch of eight students for a three months course in acting. The school is the brain child of India's ace actor Anupam Kher who has acted in more than 375 films, including a number of English films such as 'Bend It Beckham'. Actor Prepares UK and Europe is a joint partnership between Actor Prepares Mumbai, Heathrow City Partnership and Ealing Institute of Media. "Dreams do come true," says Ash Verma, the man behind making it possible in the UK.

Ash VermaAsh Verma, the Chief Executive Officer of Heathrow City Partnership, a business-led, private and public sector organisation, initially thought about Bollywood Connect, an initiative to create an arena for people from all backgrounds to access the growing jobs and business opportunities in the creative/media industry. 

"Film-making in India will multiply manifold in the coming months and years. India’s media and entertainment industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, the world's largest accounting firm. Its revenues grew 20% in 2006, about 19% in 2007, and they will reach $22.5 billion by 2011. If right steps are taken now, London could emerge as Bollywood's international capital and Heathrow City could be its gateway," says Verma in an interview with India-EU Film Initiative.  

Kher Presser in London

Addressing a press conference in West London, Thursday, September 11, 2008, Anupam Kher said "To me anybody who lies can act."

Kher said he discourages students to over-act, a regular feature in most Bollywood films. "Acting styles have changed in India and broad,"
he said. "Today I think the audience is much more different because of the onslaught of satellite channels, we have 134 channels, we have malls, we have multiplexes.

"The audience is no longer sitting at the edge of the seat and looking at Indian movies. They are relaxed and they say, 'let's see what you have done'," said Kher.

Ash Verma said 'Actor Prepares' is just the beginning in a direction to provide opportunities to those in the UK who aspire to be a part of such a talented and rewarding industry.

Verma added he found an ideal partner in Anupam Kher who is widely respected for his sincerity and multitude of talent in the Indian film industry.

When students become top stars

Anupam Kher with his students'Actor Prepares' was established in India over three years ago and is now one of the country’s prestigious acting schools for students wishing to pursue careers in the entertainment industry. Its website says Kher’s students include actors such as Abhishek Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone.

From September 2008, the UK and Europe Actor Prepares School will start to mould the best of the UK’s acting talent in an effort to meet the growing demand from the film and TV industry for skilled actors around the world.

The course and fee

The first course starts in Sep 2008 followed by Jan 2009 and May 2009 courses. The three month intensive course is designed for those students who are serious about breaking into acting for TV and Film.

According to Verma the students will benefit from a range of training and mentoring opportunities delivered by industry experts from the UK and Bollywood. They will be charged a fee of £4,000 with an audition fee of £25 and free one-week trip to the capital of Bollywood, Mumbai, where students will be mixing around with the who's who of India's film world. But this fee structure is vaild only for the inaugural year. There are other courses as well such as a month-long course at the weekends and a taster course to initiate in to the larger scheme of things.

The majority of the course teaching will take place at the Ealing Institute of Media (EIM) which is a centre of vocational excellence (CoVE) in broadcast media & animation. Located in the heart of Ealing, EIM claims to provide the perfect study environment for upcoming acting professionals, with close business links.

The students will be able to take advantage of local opportunities on their doorstep. Furthermore, the Institute provides students with state-of-the-art facilities including: a professional black out sound proofed TV studio with fully equipped control suite and sound production booth, a secondary studio and Mac and PC editing suites as well as a range of other equipment.

Over a period of three months, the intensive full-time professional course will provide specialist training in acting for anyone with the passion and talent to succeed. Classes will be held by industry professionals who will teach their craft through theories, games, exercises and extensively filmed practicals. In addition, students will receive invaluable advice from Bollywood celebrities, who will share their on-the-job experiences and offer tips for success.

Above all, each student will receive individual guidance and counselling from Anupam Kher, throughout the programme, says the school site.

Similar schools in Durban and Sydney are also planned

Why I did it!

"During the filming of ‘Bend it like Beckham’ it became obvious to me that there was enormous potential to build much stronger links between UK and Indian cinema. The huge success of the movie shows what happens when you combine UK and Indian artistic talent. There is a natural synergy which creates something special. I am confident that if we try to learn from each other there is much we can do to improve the brand of both UK and Indian cinema and indeed TV," says Kher on his school's website.

Contact

Actor Prepares - London
College Information Centre
Ealing Institute of Media
Hammersmith & West London College
Gliddon Road, Barons Court
London W14 9BL
Freephone 0800 034 0384
Email: actorprepares@wlc.ac.uk

Actor Prepares - Mumbai
2nd Floor, Film Industry Welfare Trust House
Next to Ajivasan Hall,
Juhu Road, Santacruz (west)
Mumbai – 400049.
Tel: 022-26605659 / 6180
022-65797855.
Email: info@actorprepares.net

Actor Prepares - Chandigarh
Govt.Central Crafts Institute Campus,
Sector 11-C,
Chandigarh – 160011.
Tel: 0172-3200717 / 5075930,
Email: jyotika@actorprepares.net

http://www.actorprepares.co.uk/index.html