Top Acting Schools in India: Offered Courses, Fees & Famous Alumni

Due to the glamour factor and high pay scale, many youngsters aspire to make their place in the Indian film industry as an actor. The best way to enter the world of acting is by enrolling in acting school. This article lists the best acting schools in India where candidates can hone their skills as an actors and learn the nuances of acting. Candidates can choose a suitable college for themselves based on their skill set and plans.

Top Acting Schools in India: If there is survey to be conducted in India where young aspirants are asked about their career choices, many will either say cricket or acting as these two are the high playing, glamorous jobs which brings in name, fame and money from all nook corners. Today we will discuss about acting as a career options and the Top Acting Schools in India in which budding actors can get themselves enrolled.

In India, every budding actor who dreams of making a career in the film industry aspires to follow in the footsteps of veteran actors like Dilip Kumar, Madhubala, Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan. Due to the, glamour factor, high pay scale and the emergence of OTT there are ample opportunities for aspiring actors, many youngsters aspire to make their place in the Indian film industry. However, to make a mark in this industry, along with acting skills, it is also necessary to have exposure. The best way to do this is by enrolling in an acting school. This article lists the best acting schools in India where candidates can hone their skills as an actors and learn the nuances of acting. Candidates can choose a suitable college for themselves based on their skill set and plans.

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Film And Television Institute Of India (FTII), Pune

Established in 1960 on the erstwhile Prabhat Studio premises at Pune, FTII boasts of a rich legacy in quality Indian cinema. The Prabhat Studio was declared a heritage site by the Pune Municipal Corporation and is used by students to this day. “The Institute was renamed 'The Film and Television Institute of India' in 1971. The Television Wing, earlier located at Mandi House, New Delhi was shifted to Pune in the early seventies, bringing together the training in film and television under a common roof” states the official website.

FTII is a member of CILECT (International Liaison Centre of Schools of Cinema and Television), an organisation of the world's leading schools of film and television.

Courses offered at FTII

FTII offers 112 seats + 8 seats for foreign candidates in the below-mentioned programmes-

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Famous Alumni of FTII

Below are the names of the leading actors, who are the alumni of FTII:

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Barry John Acting Studio, Mumbai

Established in 1999 in Film City, Noida (Uttar Pradesh), Barry John Acting Studio (BJAS) operates under the Theatre in Education Trust, a non-profit association. In 2002, the course moved to a studio in Saidulajab, Saket in New Delhi. The official website informs that “By request of students, casting directors and producers, Barry John and Sanjay Sujitabh, the Directors, decided to move to Mumbai, where the school was renamed Barry John Acting Studio”.

Courses Offered at Barry John Acting Studio

The institute offers various full time and short-term courses in acting, which are mentioned in the table below:

Famous Alumni of BJAS

Below are the names of the leading actors, who are the alumni of BJAS:

National School Of Drama (NSD), New Delhi

“It was set up by the Sangeet Natak Akademi as one of its constituent units in 1959. In 1975, it became an independent entity and was registered as an autonomous organisation under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860, fully financed by the Ministry of Culture, Government of India”, informs the official website. At the National School of Drama, as part of their training, students are required to produce plays which are then performed before the public.

Courses offered at NSD

NSD offers a diploma in dramatic arts along with the below-mentioned programmes:

Famous Alumni of NSD

Below are the names of the leading actors, who are the alumni of NSD:

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Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata

Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI) is the second ever national centre of cinema that was established by the Government of India as an autonomous academic institution under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in 1995. Located in Kolkata, the institute campus is situated on a 40-acre lush-green land.

Courses offered at SRFTI

Film and Television courses offered at SRFTI include:

Famous Alumni of SRFTI

Below are the names of the notable alumni of SRFTI:

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Whistling Woods International, Mumbai

Established in 2006 by filmmaker Subhash Ghai, Whistling Woods International (WWI) is an institute for film, fashion and communication. WWI has also successfully diversified into allied fields such as animation, media & entertainment, communication and fashion. Some of the acclaims and recognition received by this film school are as follows:

• Hollywood Reporter has named WWI as one of the top ten film schools in the world
• WWI is an invited partner for International campuses in the United Kingdom & Nigeria
• On invitation from the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Govt. of India, WWI has structured curriculum and guidelines for Media Studies at the High School level
• Television giants like Star & Colors receive digitisation training from WWI faculty
• Sony set up a Global Centre of Excellence in association with WWI
• Associations with technology partners ensure that the students receive training on the latest equipment and technology
• WWI was accepted as a full member of the prestigious CILECT (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinema et de Television)- A global association of film schools

Courses offered at WWI

The main campus housed in Film City, Mumbai offers short-term and long-term degree and diploma programmes in Acting, Animation, Cinematography, Direction, Editing, Producing, Screenwriting, Sound, Visual Effects, Fashion Design & Media Management Studies.

Famous Alumni of WWI

Below are the names of the notable alumni of WWI:

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Ramesh Sippy Academy Of Cinema And Entertainment (RSACE)

Offering theoretical as well as practical knowledge by industry professionals, Ramesh Sippy Academy of Cinema and Entertainment (RSACE) was established by Ramesh Sippy. RSACE has a tie-up with the University of Mumbai in association with the Garware Institute of Career Education and Development. Aspirants who complete the film making programmes offered by RSACE will be awarded graduate degrees by Mumbai University’s Garware Institute of Career Education and Development.

RSACE has many dignitaries on its panel with Ramesh Sippy being its Chairman and Founder and Kiran Joneja Sippy as the Managing Director of the film school. The Board of Directors of RSACE include names like Hema Malini, Manmohan Shetty and Rohan Sippy. The Advisory Board of this film school has prominent artists on board such as Kamal Haasan, Sonu Nigam, Vidya Balan, Jackie Shroff, Kabir Khan, Vijay Krishna Acharya, Prosenjit Chatterjee, Daggubati Suresh Babu, Ashish Kulkarni, Sajid Nadiadwala, Sheena Sippy, Sabbas Joseph, Sunil Alagh, Anupama Chopra, Rajnikant V Shah and Mukesh Sharma.

Courses offered at RSACE

The courses offered at the institute are mentioned in detail below:

Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares, Mumbai

Established in 2005 by Anupam Kher, this acting school stands apart because it regularly welcomes Bollywood celebrities who share with students their invaluable on-the-job experiences and tips to succeed. The official website reveals that, “Each student receives individual guidance and counselling from the country’s most successful, trained teacher-actor, Anupam Kher, throughout the programme”. Some of the guest speakers who visited this acting school are Preity Zinta, Anil Kapoor, Konkona Sen Sharma, Om Puri, Imtiaz Ali, Ranbir Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Shekhar Kapoor, Mahesh Bhatt, Vikram Bhatt, Boman Irani, Dimple Kapadia and many more.

Courses offered at Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares

The courses offered at the institute are mentioned in detail below:

Famous Alumni of Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares

The notable alumni are tabulated below:

Institute of Creative Excellence, Mumbai

Established in 2010 by Balaji Telefilms to offer courses to students in courses related to the Media and Entertainment industry such as Acting, Cinematography, Direction, Editing, Production, Scriptwriting, Sound, Animation & VFX, Dance, Ad Film Making, Digital Photography and Modelling. The official website informs that Institute of Creative Excellence (ICE) “incorporate the latest training methodology of Blended learning which incorporates elements of Instructor Lead Training (ILT), Computer Based Training (CBT) and Web-Based Training (WBT)”.

Famous Alumni of ICE

Below are the notable alumni of ICE

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AAFT (Noida, Mumbai, Kolkata And New Delhi)

Established in 1993, Asian Academy of Film & Television (AAFT) was sponsored by Asian Society of Film & Television and became the first ever media school in the private sector. AAFT is the first ISO 9001:2000 film school. It is approved as an international level training centre by the City & Guilds, UK in 2002. AAFT is also affiliated to International Film & Television club.

Media firms which visit AAFT for campus placement are Star Plus, Star News, AAJ Tak, B4U Music, SONY, NDTV, Sahara Samay, Channel 7, BBC, Sadhna, Colors, India TV, ESPN, Times Now, Zee Network, Star One, Doordarshan, Discovery, Network 18, Bag Network, Balaji Telefilms, MTV, CNN IBN, ETV, NDTV Imagine etc.

Famous Alumni of AAFT

The notable alumni of AAFT are tabulated below:

R K Films & Media Academy, New Delhi

Located at Pusa road in New Delhi, R K Films & Media Academy (RKFMA) offers “quality training in the studios besides regular modern classroom interactions and practical training with special stress on show cases of legends in the respective media field”, states the official website. Started as an ‘Acting School & Institute for Mass Communication’, RKFMA now offers a wide range of certificate courses in radio jockeying, anchoring and news reading in association with Delhi university’s colleges such as Hansraj College, Miranda House, Janki Devi Memorial College and Shyam Lal College.

Courses Offered at R K Films & Media Academy

RKFMA offers degree and diploma courses in mass communication, journalism and advertising. It also offers diploma and certificate courses such as:

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