‘SRK is a director’s dream’, says his Guru

Excerpts from the interview :

He left his hometown in the West and settled down in India, to teach acting. After setting up an acting school in Delhi and teaching the nuances of the profession for over 36 years, world renowned acting teacher (popularly known as the ‘theatre guru’) has now shifted base to Mumbai, because, according to him, “Mumbai is the ultimate destination; Mumbai is Bollywood.

Speaking of actors, one of his most-famed students happens to be the King Khan of Bollywood — Shah Rukh Khan — among others like Shiney Ahuja and Kunal Kapoor.

So, when he was training Shah Rukh way back in the early 80’s, did he realise the potential that SRK had?

“He had an unmatched zest to learn, he was extremely committed and put in a lot of effort, just like he does today for any project. He’s a director’s dream,” smiles Barry, as he remembers how SRK’s work in theatre was “energetic, lively and witty.” But is the ‘actor’ in him misjudged because of his ‘star’ status? “The actor versus star debate will always plague big artists. But Shah Rukh has proved his worth as an actor,” says Barry.

Nicole Dastur,TNN