When Naseeruddin Shah Blasted Indian Acting Schools as Frauds

Bollywood actor Naseeruddin Shah

Naseeruddin Shah Cries Foul At Indian Acting Schools & Their Teachers

Naseeruddin Shah is one of the best actors in India & is known to be not politically correct when it comes to speaking out. He recently attacked acting schools in India and explained how these institutions are playing with young, enthusiastic minds who want to make it big in the world of cinema.
He explained why he hates the concept of acting schools in India and it makes sense-

“There are no acting teachers in the country, they are all shams, they are all frauds and I have no hesitation in saying this.”

“All these people running acting schools are absolute and utter frauds, they are fooling the kids who come to them and teach them nothing.”
“There is no acting teacher in this country and it is a really unfortunate thing, considering how old the film industry is.”
“I believe that anyone who is passionate about acting can learn on his own.”

“Dilip Kumar never went to an acting school, Amitabh Bachchan never went to an acting school, Kamal Haasan never did yet all of them are such fine actors.”

“An actor trains himself and that is what I believe. Being in an institution is conducive to learning.”
“I learned at the National School of Drama because I had the urge to learn. I was exposed to many things I was not exposed to before, so my horizons widened, but you can do it on your own as well. I don’t think it’s essential for an actor to go to a training school to train yourself.”

It is important to add that these acting schools charge huge sums of money from the students. We invite the experiences of those who have attended these acting schools…

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Author's opinion


Basically, I agree with Naseeruddin Shah's views “An actor trains himself..." with our experience with this blog where many student readers of the posts from this blog have practiced with their friends  or in the front of a full size mirror are now actors in films and TV serials
However,  there may be some good acting schools in our country to learn, but for the beginners and those actors who want an update and sharpen their talent,  in my opinion the best option would be to hire/join a senior acting coach (Click here for an example).  He / she  should be a person of wisdom  possessing superb communication skills, compassionate towards young aspiring actors and presently still working as an actor