Veteran actor Atul Srivastava addressed the students during his visit to Bhartendu Natya Academy (BNA), Lucknow. The actor who is interestingly the alma mater and the president of the alumni association showered his pearls of wisdom to the aspiring artistes.
“From my learning and work experience, I can suggest preparing a ground first. Syllabus, theatre and everything else comes later. It starts with training the mind. For that, one needs to be a good listener and identify things that restrict their growth,” he said.
The 59-year-old actor mentioned that, “I feel that we usually say no and give up on things very easily. Instead we should have an approach of ‘yes, it’s possible’ and then give your best. We get distracted every easily! For example, it’s a fashion to buy and flaunt fancy hi-end books or refer to YouTube masterclasses but what we don’t focus on is working on our basics. Quest to become a centre of attraction does hamper our growth!”
Srivastava shared some of the most essential tips conferred by his guru Padma Shri Raj Bisaria, “I am a student of 1984-86 batch and till date I am learning from him. The biggest lesson I learnt from him is to observe yourself first and check causes that are hampering your growth. Like, once I decided to stay very reserve which eventually resulted in me losing friends, contacts and work! Then I corrected myself.”
“In performing art or any other field, we need to have clarity of thoughts and develop the ability to put it forward in a right manner,” he concludes.
The actor who will be next seen in a series of films and OTT releases, says, “Last year was very tragic as I lost my two brothers during the second wave, while I and my elder brother were both admitted in hospital. So, I came down this year to look beyond hard times and celebrate with my family.”
