That's what Raj Kapoor's childhood was like. When you're the son of the founder of Prithvi Theatre, the stage is like the back of your hand. By the time he bagged the role of Pyarelal in Richard Attenborough's Gandhi, he was already a 4-year stage veteran.
The man who became a household name in the 80s, thanks to his portrayal of Karamchand, and is now recognized as one of India's finest screen actors ( Ek Doctor Ki Maut, Maqbool, Office Office ), started his career in theatre after graduating from NSD. He's one of the most versatile stage actors around, having started his career way back in 1994. It's only been a few years since Deepak Dobriyal has become a recognizable face in movies, but don't let that fool you. Her role model was her mother, who was very active in the Assamese theatre scene. She worked with eminent artists like Bhupen Hazarika and Bishnuprasad Rabha back home in Assam and in 1984, she graduated from NSD. The Bandit Queen actress burst into the scene with Shekhar Kapur's biographical film on Phoolan Devi, but she was already an accomplished theatre actor before that. Despite maintaining a high profile film career, Prithviraj Kapoor remained devoted to theatre throughout his life. He founded Prithvi Theatres and also acted in nine silent films before bagging a supporting role in India's first talkie Alam Ara in 1931. He has also been a vocal rationalist throughout his adult life.Ī visionary who started a career in acting during silent era films in India, the grand patriarch of the now-famous Kapoor film clan was truly a pioneer. Lagoo acted in over 40 Marathi, Hindi and Gujarati plays. He went on to form the theatre group Progressive Dramatic Association and also starred in the famous Marathi play Natasamrat. Multi-talented Shriram Lagoo was bit by the theatre bug when he was still studying medicine at B.J. Their first play was Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot. In 1977, he formed Motley Productions, a theatre group with fellow actors, Tom Alter and Benjamin Gilani. One of the most revered actors in the country, Naseeruddin Shah ( Mirch Masala, A Wednesday, Sarfarosh ) honed his talents on the stage. And she's equally famous for her stage prowess, having acted in iconic plays such as Safed Kundali, Tumhari Amrita and A Doll's House. But as a graduate of Films and Television Institute of India (FTII) and the National School of Drama (NSD), the late Om Puri started his acting career on the stage.įive-time National Award winner Shabana Azmi's name pops up every time there's a list of great actors from India. This National Award winning actor (for Ardh Satya ) went on to portray many career defining roles such as parts in Dharavi, Mirch Masala, Maqbool and Maachis. Over the years, we've had actors importing their talents from the stage, even as writers and directors, onto the big screen. When it comes to Bollywood, a vast majority of the audience wants to pay to watch stars - to hell with acting skill, if need be. While that's a gross generalization, you often wonder why that is so. Bollywood has always been seen as the bastion for those who have more to offer in terms of looks and attitude than actual talent.