He is the man who helped Shah Rukh Khan take his first trembling steps on stage and deliver the first dialogue without a stammer.
Shah Rukh Khan’s acting teacher, who has trained the best of Bollywood stars, says his students have left him for greener pastures, reports SUJATA CHAKRABARTI
He is the man who helped Shah Rukh Khan take his first trembling steps on stage and deliver the first dialogue without a stammer. The best Bollywood talents including the likes of Dia Mirza, Manoj Bajpai and Konkona Sen Sharma swear by his name.
But theatre guru Barry John is an unhappy man today. The same Bollywood boys have ditched him at the ‘last minute’.
Barry now rues that the same stars don’t have the time to come and participate in the few theatre workshops that he arranges in New Delhi. He admits that he has made several attempts to involve his ex-students like Kunal Kapoor and Manoj Bajpai in his workshops but ended up being disappointed.
Barry says, “My own students have pulled out at the last minute. An actor today will only be part of theatre after he has lost his career in Bollywood.”
Barry has moved to Mumbai from Delhi after seeing that his students were ‘frustrated with the paucity of opportunities’ in Delhi. The problem is he is neither too happy with the theatre scene in Mumbai either.
Barry adds, “There is too much of Bollywood influence in theatre.”
According to the theatre guru, the advent of corporates in Bollywood will shake the ‘foundations of Bollywood dynasties’.
“Bollywood films have been monopolised for too long now by the Bachchans, Kapoors and the Khans. Monopolies are always unhealthy; star kids become actors overnight thanks to their family right of inheritance,” says Barry.
The conversation naturally veers towards his most famous student, Shah Rukh Khan. With pride thick in his voice, he says, “Shah Rukh Khan’s success is like a fairy tale. Just like him, there is so much of talent in theatre today who can make great actors.” And then he says something about SRK only his close friends have observed so far. “He is a good businessman. It is essential now-a-days for an actor to be his own PR.”
We let Barry talk a little about his favourite topic – theatre as a tool for social change.
“Theatre has lost its serious artistic intent. We have fallen to the other side with the sole purpose of making people laugh,” he ends with a sarcastic smile.
c_sujata@dnaindia.net
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