Best Acting Colleges in India

In India, people are crazy about two things, cinema, and cricket. Not only are these two disciplines mainstream, they too have become marketing companies involving a great deal of money. Right from childhood, we have fantasized about following the footprints of iconic actors such as Dilip Kumar, Madhu Bala, Amitabh Bachchan, and Shahrukh Khan. Every performer in India has dreams and ambitions to enter the cinema industry in India which is widely recognized as Bollywood. If you want to become an actor and looking for acting courses, then our blog on the acting institutes and colleges in India will be of great help to you!

Must Read: Top Acting Colleges in the World

List of Best Acting Colleges in India

Let us first take a glance at the best acting colleges in India, so that we can have them at our fingertips:

• Film and Television Institute of India (FTII)
• National School of Drama (NSD)
• Barry John Acting Studio
• Institute of Creative Excellence
• Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares

We will now go into the fine details of these acting colleges in India to have better information about them.

Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune

FTII is among the best acting colleges in India. It is India’s earliest, but the most esteemed School for Acting. The Institute was rebranded in 1971 as The Film and Television Institute of India. FTII is a member of CILECT (International Liaison Centre of Schools of Cinema and Television), an organization of the world’s preeminent schools of film and television. It offers a variety of filmmaking courses.

Admission Criteria

The candidate should possess a bachelor’s degree for most courses. Only 12 places are available for every course and the applicant should qualify for the entrance exam to pass for the selection.

Courses Offered

FTII offers 112 seats in the below-mentioned programs-

Course	Duration
Direction & Screenplay Writing	3 years
Editing	3 years
Art Direction & Production Design	3 years
Cinematography	3 years
Sound Recording & Sound Design	3 years
Screen Acting	2 years
Screen Writing (Fim, TV & Web Series)	2 years
Direction	1 year
Video Editing	1 year
Electronic Cinematography	1 year
Sound Recording and Television Engineering	1 year

Notable Alumni

Here is a list of the notable alumni from FTII:

• Danny Denzongpa
• Jaya Bachchan
• John Abraham
• Mithun Chakraborty
• Mukesh Khanna
• Naseeruddin Shah
• Om Puri
• Prakash Jha
• Resul Pookutty
• Sanjay Leela Bhansali
• Satish Kaushik
• Shabana Azmi
• Shatrughan Sinha
• Smita Patil
• Vidhu Vinod Chopra

National School of Drama (NSD), New Delhi

National School of Drama is among the best acting colleges in India. The Sangeet Natak Akademi established NSD as one of its constituent members in 1959. It became an independent entity in 1975 and was registered as an autonomous organization that is fully funded by the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India. At the National School of Drama, students are required to produce plays that they need to perform before the public as part of their training.

Admission Criteria

The applicant should be 20 – 30 years old and possess a bachelor’s degree. 26 positions are available and the selection method comprises a committee that will examine the talent of the candidates. The selected candidates are also given stipends during the course period.

Courses Offered

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

• Modern Indian Drama
• Classical Indian Drama
• World Drama
• Voice & Speech
• Yoga
• Theatre Music
• Mime & Movement

Notable Alumni

Here is a list of notable alumni from NSD

• Naseeruddin Shah
• Om Puri
• Anupam Kher
• Piyush Mishra
• Irrfan Khan
• Neena Gupta
• Seema Biswas
• Raghubir Yadav
• Pankaj Kapoor
• Raj Babbar
• Ashutosh Rana

Barry John Acting Studio, Mumbai

Instituted in 1999 in Film City, Noida (Uttar Pradesh)is among the best Acting Colleges in India. BJAS functions under the Theatre in Education Trust, a non-profit organization. 

Admission Criteria

For ages 18+, there is no trial or educational requirement. To enroll for any BJAS program in Delhi or Mumbai, fill in and submit the form. After the submission of the online Admission Form, the administration will call or email you to authenticate payment options.

Courses Offered

• Certificate in acting (weekend course)
• Diploma in film acting
• Diploma courses in film arts
• Customized film workshops
• Young actors club (Theatre workshops for children)

Notable Alumni

Here is a list of notable alumni from Barry John Acting Studio:

• Shah Rukh Khan
• Manoj Bajpai
• Samir Soni
• Shiney Ahuja
• Freida Pinto
• Jacqueline Fernandez
• Richa Chadda
• Varun Dhawan
• Arjun Kapoor
• Mira Nair
• Rana Daggubati
• Sushant Singh Rajput

Also Read: Creative Writing Courses

Institute of Creative Excellence, Mumbai

ICE was founded in 2010 by Balaji Telefilms to grant programs to students affiliated with the Media and Entertainment industry such as Acting, Cinematography, Direction, Digital Photography, and Modelling. It is among the best acting colleges in India. If the thought of how to become a film actor bothers you then the Institute of Creative Excellence is for you. The Institute blends the most advanced technique of training that consolidates components of Instructor-Led Training (ILT), Computer Based Training (CBT), and Web-Based Training (WBT).

Admission Criteria

The Admission process at the Institute of Creative Excellence incorporates written examination audition and interview for selection in the academic program of interest. Post payment of registration fees, candidate need to appear for:

• Written/ Online Test: Questions will be based on the course or the specialty applied for.
• Audition for Acting / Modelling courses
• Personal Interview: Post clearing the Written Test / Audition Test

Courses offered at ICE

Advanced Acting	Advanced Direction	Acting
Direction	Cinematography	Advanced Editing
Film Editing	Modeling & Celebrity Management	Dancing
Music Production	Ad Making	Digital Photography
Digital Sound	Personality Development	Script Writing
Make-up	Animation & VFX	Production
3D Artist	Digital Filmmaking	Visual Fantasia
Visual Effects (VFX)	ICE Expert	Film Making

Notable Alumni

Here is a list of notable alumni from ICE:

• Aman Khullar, TV Actor
• Amandeep Kaur, Model
• Chahat Pandey, TV Actress
• Jatin Suri, TV Actor
• Shruti Kanwar, TV Actress
• Anu Pillai, Model
• Ravi Singh, Model
• Prajakta Chavan, Assistant Editor
• Rajat Mahajan, Director

Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares, Mumbai

The Institute was founded in 2005 by Anupam Kher and is among the best acting colleges in India. This acting school is different from the rest because it is frequently visited by Bollywood celebs who bestow their precious experience and knowledge, and tips to succeed.

Admission Criteria

Candidates require to offer an audition video, a complete statement form, and a non-refundable Enrollment amount of Rs. 250. Age certification for the Diploma in Acting is 18+.

Courses offered

3-month Full-time Diploma Course	1-month Part-time Certificate Course
Personalized Training programs	Acting Workshops

Notable Alumni

Here is a list of notable alumni from Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares:

• Abhishek Bachchan
• Hrithik Roshan
• Kunal Kapoor
• Manish Paul
• Deepika Padukone

Explore: Best Performing Arts Institute in India

FAQs

Hence, these are the best institute for Acting in India. If you are still unsure about which Acting college to choose, get in touch with our Leverage Edu experts. They will guide you every step of the way. Sign up for a free session today!