All brawn and no brains makes Jack a bad actor

Not only are we seeing more ‘intelligent’ shows on television but the actors on many of our shows are also changing. Initially all one needed was a good face and a good body to make it as an actor. Though that still remains an important criteria one more aspect has been added to an actor’s CV and that is his educational background. Unlike in the past where actors didn’t complete their basic education before entering the world of acting now you see actors who not only have a basic degree but also have gone way beyond it. The reason being that the profile of all those who make a TV show is changing…for the better. A lot of our new age producers and directors come armed with a degree. Hence the way they perceive a show and execute it is way different from the rest. And this is the same in the case of actors too. The small screen which sees an influx of youth from the distant corners of the country has churned out many such actors. Earlier the general face of an actor was that of a school drop out or in a rare case a college drop out. Now a majority of the actors come armed with at least a graduate degree. This not just helps them understand their craft better but also gives them an edge over others as they are able to deliver better. Karan V Grover who plays the lead in Yahaan Main Ghar Ghar Kheli is a Chemical Engineer, Sharad Kelkar who plays Satya in Uttaran is a MBA in Marketing and Swapnil Joshi who plays the lead in Papad Pol is a lawyer. And the list doesn’t end here. Mishal Raheja who played Datta Bhau in Laagi Tujhse Lagan is a MBA from USA and Abhinav Shukla who played Dev in Geet is an Engineer in Electronics and Communication. These are just a few examples. Shukla has said in an interview that to become an actor one needs caliber and should be educated and intelligent to observe and learn. He said that he is educated and observes things around him. Should actors be educated? Does a degree help them in their profession? Sure this can be another topic to debate, but here’s just a small but essential aside to the subject. A teacher who runs a school of acting says that actors should be educated. After all, you do have to study your characters. Earlier, actors were only judged by their personalities, but today they have to portray the personality of the character. So they have to understand the psychology of the character. We tend to think of celebrities as excessively pretty people who get paid for doing practically nothing. It is said that it takes karma rather than smartness to land an acting job. But now it’s also about how well you can understand and interpret your work that will help you to go a long way. And this comes from a good educational background. A director who has worked with both educated and uneducated actors says that he finds it easier to draw the best out of an actor who is educated. Simply because he understands an instructions better and is able to deliver faster and better. An educated actor is not just well-read but also more evolved in his craft as he is exposed to world influences. Moreover the maturity that comes with education helps bring out the finer aspects of acting more deftly. In fact with the advent of technology in the business of television there is a big potential for the educated not only as actors but also behind the scenes. An actor who enters the entertainment business with a super specialisation is better equipped. He can handle situations better and moreover as he is under constant media glare he is more confident to take on not just acting but can also deftly interact with both the media and his fans. TV has been criticised a lot for its content and the kind of plots that have been developed in the recent past. However, television in spite of all the controversy has been one medium, which has witnessed a progressive change in the content over the years. Now progressive shows have upstaged the saas bahu shows. And for those kinds of shows the face of the actors is also changing. The need of the hour is a fine blend of education and talent. And our current entrants to the world of television are just about nearly there. And now it’s time to also break the myth that item girls are 'blondes'… did you know that Payal Rohatgi (Rahul Mahajan’s love interest in Bigg Boss?) is a Computer Engineer? And that Mallika Sherawat is a graduate with a degree in Indian Philosophy? Read more...