Anupam Kher was recently in Sydney but not to work on a film, to work on some projects very important to him. First he was there to stage, Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai, his one-man play. He also performed in Brisbane and Melbourne and it was very well received.
Secondly, while there he worked on plans to open a branch of his acting school, Actor Prepares in Sydney. The school has branches in India, as well as in Asia, Europe and South Africa. “Yes, we’re opening one more branch of my school here in Sydney. It feels good because my dream was to take my skills outside our country.”
“I understand contemporary international cinema and the kind of acting required today. My school in Sydney, like elsewhere, will play a vital role in producing next generation actors for the entertainment industry across the world,” he said. There are also branches getting ready to open in London and Durban later this year.
Kher also announced, “I’m starting global acting awards. It will be called Thespis, named after the world’s first actor who was from Greece (hence the term ‘thespian’). And the awards will not be a Bollywood award. It will honour debut acting skills from all over the world. So, any debut performance from any part of the world will be eligible. The Thespis will be like the Oscar. When the award is announced, the emcee will say, ‘And the Thespis goes to…’ The first Thespis awards ceremony will be held in Sydney at the end of the year. Then the awards will travel to other parts of the world every year.”
We look forward to seeing how the Thespis awards come together. We will be sure to report the nominees for the inaugural ceremony and of course who the Thespis goes to.
