TO REEL
special story
Students with two faculty members Manash Pratim Neog (sitting right) and Sanjeev Buragohain (sitting left) and Nodal Officer of the course, Moloya Goswami (sitting centre)
From Real
to Reel
Jagiroad College in Assam has come up with the first Bachelor’s Degree in acting in the Northeast, a step that is sure to add new life to the regional film and television industry Nabarun Guha
I
t is said that acting is instinctive and it can never really be taught. However, over the years, the craft of acting has evolved into a science which is being improved upon every day. Thus, only possessing talent is not enough, though it is essential; you
36
│
│ January
2016
also require formal training to hone your skills as an actor. Even though there are many aspiring young actors from the region who are a storehouse of talent, there are not many places where they can undergo professional training. To change this state-of-
affairs, Jagiroad College in Assam has come up with the first BA programme in the Northeast.
Facilitating Change
Sanjeev Buragohain, one of the two faculty members of the new department says that this
course will act as a facilitator for people willing to take up acting as a career. ‘There is no dearth of talent in Assam but very few people actually take up acting as a career. They are not to be blamed as its scope is also limited. But now a degree from a University Grants Commission (UGC) recognized course can change things for good. We hope that more people will be inspired to take up acting as a profession,’ he says. Buragohain rues that a lack of trained actors is harming the industry today. ‘We don’t have enough trained actors in the industry today and this is harming the overall quality of work being done. Our aim here is to prepare our students with a working knowledge of acting before they join the industry’.
The Process
The B Voc Course has been introduced in Jagiroad College by UGC under the Dindayal Upadhay scheme. Dr Bhaben Neog, Principal of Jagiroad College says, ‘We were asked to
apply for two subjects for the B Voc Course and we applied for Acting and Retail Management. While Retail Management will help in providing employment opportunities for the students, acting is something we chose because we felt it is the need of the hour in the cultural sphere’. National award winning actress Moloya Goswami has been associated with Jagiroad College since long. She is presently the HOD of the Education Department. Neog admits that the veteran actress played a pivotal role in bringing the course to Jagiroad College. ‘Moloya Baidew was instrumental in bringing the course to our college. From getting permission from UGC to preparing the syllabus, she has been actively involved with every aspect of the course. She is presently serving as the Nodal Officer of the course’, he informed. Even though 50 students took admission in the Retail Management Course, the first batch of the acting course consists of just 15 students. ‘The reason
Students performing a mime act on road safety
behind fewer students is that not everyone will be capable of pursuing this course. We had auditioned 40 students out of whom we selected 15. We mainly judged whether they had a genuine interest in acting and had enough talent that could be honed. We took a viva, there was no written examination,’ Buragohain said. Even though there are just two faculty members in the department, some eminent guest teachers make up for it. Buragohain informs that renowned film director Rajesh Bhuyan, well-known scholar Dr Umesh Deka and Dr Bhaskarjyoti Borah, HOD of Commerce Department, Gauhati University has mentored the students. Efforts are on to bring multiple national award winning director Jahnu Baruah as well.
Stepping Stone
Goswami believes that this course can serve as the stepping stone for students who later want to enroll themselves in prestigious institutes like National School of Drama (NSD) or Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. She says, ‘One needs to be a graduate to apply in these institutes. So the course in our college will serve a dual purpose for students who want to study in NSD or FTII. They will get their requisite Bachelor’s Degree and will also get knowledge about the craft of acting which will come very handy for them in clearing the entrance exams. We have prepared our syllabus by studying the syllabuses in NSD, FTII and London School of Arts. So, our students won’t find themselves at sea when they go to apply in NSD or FTII’. Sukanya Supriya Das, a student
January 2016 │
│
37
who wants to join NSD sees this course as a perfect platform her. She says, ‘I always had a passion for acting and I have acted on stage in the past. Now, studying in this course has given me the perfect platform for my career’.
Enthusiastic Freshers
Praising the first batch of students, Goswami says, ‘We have got a bunch of very enthusiastic and talented kids. They have come from different parts of Assam like Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Goalpara, Sonitpur etc. Most of them have prior experience of acting on stage but some students are completely raw. However, even those students make up for their rawness with their passion and eagerness to learn’. The students here are also ensuring that they utilize this opportunity with both hands. Sagar Nil, a student says, ‘We are learning about both the theoretical and practical aspects of acting. I think this is a great opportunity for budding actors’. One interesting feature of the course is that it provides multiple entries and exits. Even if a student leaves the course after the first year, he/she will get a diploma and an advanced diploma if they leave the course in the second year. However, there is also the option of returning back and completing the remaining course. Regarding the syllabus, Buragohain says that in the first semester, students are mainly taught the theoretical aspects. ‘They have been taught the Stanislavasky system of acting and method acting of Lee Stresberg. In the 2nd semester, we will teach folk drama and pala bhaona. They have also been taught how to act in front of the camera and also without it’.
38
│
│ January
2016
Bhaben Neog, Principal, Jagiroad College
Career Opportunities
There might be some apprehension regarding the future prospects of this course which is still unknown to most. However, Goswami says that there are talks of starting a M. Voc Course of Acting under Gauhati University and if that happens, students wouldn’t have to worry about future prospects of this course. Buragohain says that with so many entertainment channels and mobile theaters operating in Assam, there is no dearth of work for actors. ‘Three of our students are already working in a serial called Achin Sinaki which is being aired on Jonakk. They do classes for the whole week and shoot on Sundays. If there is a bulk shoot, then they apply for leave. We have also tied up with channels
like Rang and Rengoni who will provide placement to our students once they pass out’, he says.
Rosy Days Ahead
Northeast is not an unexplored corner for the entertainment sector in India anymore. There are many promising actors from the region who have already established their foothold at the national level. So, in that scenario, B Voc Course of Acting in Jagiroad College is a wonderful beginning in the long process of preparing a league of extraordinary actors from the Northeastern region of India, who will make not only the region or the country proud but also enrich the craft of acting visibly.
Photos: Manash Protim Neog
Students with two faculty members Manash Pratim Neog (sitting right) and Sanjeev Buragohain (sitting left) and Nodal Officer of the course, Moloya Goswami (sitting centre)
From Real
to Reel
Jagiroad College in Assam has come up with the first Bachelor’s Degree in acting in the Northeast, a step that is sure to add new life to the regional film and television industry Nabarun Guha
I
t is said that acting is instinctive and it can never really be taught. However, over the years, the craft of acting has evolved into a science which is being improved upon every day. Thus, only possessing talent is not enough, though it is essential; you
36
│
│ January
2016
also require formal training to hone your skills as an actor. Even though there are many aspiring young actors from the region who are a storehouse of talent, there are not many places where they can undergo professional training. To change this state-of-
affairs, Jagiroad College in Assam has come up with the first BA programme in the Northeast.
Facilitating Change
Sanjeev Buragohain, one of the two faculty members of the new department says that this
course will act as a facilitator for people willing to take up acting as a career. ‘There is no dearth of talent in Assam but very few people actually take up acting as a career. They are not to be blamed as its scope is also limited. But now a degree from a University Grants Commission (UGC) recognized course can change things for good. We hope that more people will be inspired to take up acting as a profession,’ he says. Buragohain rues that a lack of trained actors is harming the industry today. ‘We don’t have enough trained actors in the industry today and this is harming the overall quality of work being done. Our aim here is to prepare our students with a working knowledge of acting before they join the industry’.
The Process
The B Voc Course has been introduced in Jagiroad College by UGC under the Dindayal Upadhay scheme. Dr Bhaben Neog, Principal of Jagiroad College says, ‘We were asked to
apply for two subjects for the B Voc Course and we applied for Acting and Retail Management. While Retail Management will help in providing employment opportunities for the students, acting is something we chose because we felt it is the need of the hour in the cultural sphere’. National award winning actress Moloya Goswami has been associated with Jagiroad College since long. She is presently the HOD of the Education Department. Neog admits that the veteran actress played a pivotal role in bringing the course to Jagiroad College. ‘Moloya Baidew was instrumental in bringing the course to our college. From getting permission from UGC to preparing the syllabus, she has been actively involved with every aspect of the course. She is presently serving as the Nodal Officer of the course’, he informed. Even though 50 students took admission in the Retail Management Course, the first batch of the acting course consists of just 15 students. ‘The reason
Students performing a mime act on road safety
behind fewer students is that not everyone will be capable of pursuing this course. We had auditioned 40 students out of whom we selected 15. We mainly judged whether they had a genuine interest in acting and had enough talent that could be honed. We took a viva, there was no written examination,’ Buragohain said. Even though there are just two faculty members in the department, some eminent guest teachers make up for it. Buragohain informs that renowned film director Rajesh Bhuyan, well-known scholar Dr Umesh Deka and Dr Bhaskarjyoti Borah, HOD of Commerce Department, Gauhati University has mentored the students. Efforts are on to bring multiple national award winning director Jahnu Baruah as well.
Stepping Stone
Goswami believes that this course can serve as the stepping stone for students who later want to enroll themselves in prestigious institutes like National School of Drama (NSD) or Film & Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune. She says, ‘One needs to be a graduate to apply in these institutes. So the course in our college will serve a dual purpose for students who want to study in NSD or FTII. They will get their requisite Bachelor’s Degree and will also get knowledge about the craft of acting which will come very handy for them in clearing the entrance exams. We have prepared our syllabus by studying the syllabuses in NSD, FTII and London School of Arts. So, our students won’t find themselves at sea when they go to apply in NSD or FTII’. Sukanya Supriya Das, a student
January 2016 │
│
37
who wants to join NSD sees this course as a perfect platform her. She says, ‘I always had a passion for acting and I have acted on stage in the past. Now, studying in this course has given me the perfect platform for my career’.
Enthusiastic Freshers
Praising the first batch of students, Goswami says, ‘We have got a bunch of very enthusiastic and talented kids. They have come from different parts of Assam like Lakhimpur, Dhemaji, Tinsukia, Goalpara, Sonitpur etc. Most of them have prior experience of acting on stage but some students are completely raw. However, even those students make up for their rawness with their passion and eagerness to learn’. The students here are also ensuring that they utilize this opportunity with both hands. Sagar Nil, a student says, ‘We are learning about both the theoretical and practical aspects of acting. I think this is a great opportunity for budding actors’. One interesting feature of the course is that it provides multiple entries and exits. Even if a student leaves the course after the first year, he/she will get a diploma and an advanced diploma if they leave the course in the second year. However, there is also the option of returning back and completing the remaining course. Regarding the syllabus, Buragohain says that in the first semester, students are mainly taught the theoretical aspects. ‘They have been taught the Stanislavasky system of acting and method acting of Lee Stresberg. In the 2nd semester, we will teach folk drama and pala bhaona. They have also been taught how to act in front of the camera and also without it’.
38
│
│ January
2016
Bhaben Neog, Principal, Jagiroad College
Career Opportunities
There might be some apprehension regarding the future prospects of this course which is still unknown to most. However, Goswami says that there are talks of starting a M. Voc Course of Acting under Gauhati University and if that happens, students wouldn’t have to worry about future prospects of this course. Buragohain says that with so many entertainment channels and mobile theaters operating in Assam, there is no dearth of work for actors. ‘Three of our students are already working in a serial called Achin Sinaki which is being aired on Jonakk. They do classes for the whole week and shoot on Sundays. If there is a bulk shoot, then they apply for leave. We have also tied up with channels
like Rang and Rengoni who will provide placement to our students once they pass out’, he says.
Rosy Days Ahead
Northeast is not an unexplored corner for the entertainment sector in India anymore. There are many promising actors from the region who have already established their foothold at the national level. So, in that scenario, B Voc Course of Acting in Jagiroad College is a wonderful beginning in the long process of preparing a league of extraordinary actors from the Northeastern region of India, who will make not only the region or the country proud but also enrich the craft of acting visibly.
Photos: Manash Protim Neog
