Journalism of Courage
When the acting course at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) had its first run in the mid-seventies,the course didn’t just produce stars like Jaya Bachchan and Shatrughan Sinha,amongst others who went on to soar in Hindi cinema ,but also a brilliant bunch of actors like Om Puri,Shabana Azmi,Satish Shah who chose to defy convention and create the trend of parallel cinema. They were however tagged as ‘art film’ actors and did not receive their due in mainstream cinema.
However,when the course was restarted in 2004,even though this tag stuck on,the actors who have passed out in recent years have managed to not just shrug it off and enter mainstream cinema,but also gather attention for their acting. The students in fact are treading the thin line of doing mainstream roles but not at the cost of their core acting ideologies.
Take the case of Shirin Guha,who passed out in 2011 from the institute. Having completed shooting for ‘Lootere’,opposite Ranvir Singh,she says she was clear about her profession. Art,expression and serious cinema are very important elements of film-making,but so is the financial aspect . It wouldn’t translate well if we are making films that no one watches,or which flop. That was a reason why I knew I would be ‘okay’ doing films or cinema that are mainstream. But that is subject to the condition that my views as an actor are not compromised upon. Commercialisation cannot come at the cost of art and vice-versa.
The change,to a great extent,has also been attributed to the recent success of former FTII graduates in mainstream cinema . Even the industry perspective is changing, says DJ Narain,director FTII,adding,Besides,even when the acting course was running earlier in the 70s,some of the finest names of Indian cinema had graduated from here. Incidentally the new actors who have started getting mainstream roles,will restart this trend and also give the institute a prominent face as being a place where the best actors come from.
Manish Gandhi,who graduated last year and has recently acted in television serials like ‘Crime Patrol’,’Gumraah’,and had a recurring role on ‘I Love My India’. The institute has always been known to be a place where cinema and theatre are discussed on a different platform,which is more about expression than money. While almost all the acting students now have adopted this trend by understanding the needs of the industry,it could also mean that people would view the institute as a ticket into Bollywood.
Raghav Kuckreja,who passed out in 2010 has recently completed a play called ‘See-Saw’,which is inspired by Hindi films and has 10 songs. As an actor,the most important transition in the newer batches,he says,is that they have started understanding films,cinema and even theatre,as audiences. When that understanding sets in,it becomes easier for an actor to do roles that are not just entertaining but also give the audience something to think about,” he says.
