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

Our society places a lot of emphasis on movies, and we constantly strive to imitate our favourite actors in all facets of life. While we imitate movie characters since we were children, many people dream of a profession in the glamour industry. Many young people desire to establish themselves in the Indian film industry because of the growing number of work prospects, the glamour component, and the high pay scale.

However, in addition to acting talent, exposure is crucial if you want to succeed in this field. Entering a reputable acting school is the best method to accomplish this. The best 5 acting schools that can help you strengthen your acting skills are listed in this article. To learn more, keep reading!

1) Film And Television Institute Of India (FTII), Pune

FTII was founded in 1960 on the grounds of the former Prabhat Studio in Pune, and it has a long history of producing high-calibre Indian films. The Pune Municipal Corporation declared the Prabhat Studio a heritage site, and it is still in use by students. In 1971, the Institute adopted the name "The Film and Television Institute of India.

According to the official website, "The Television Wing, previously housed in Mandi House in New Delhi, was relocated to Pune in the early 1970s, bringing together the training in film and television under a single roof. FTII is a member of CILECT (International Liaison Centre of Schools of Cinema and Television), an organisation comprised of the world's top film and television schools.

Courses offered at FTII

Direction & Screenplay Writing	INR 1,23,928(Total Fees for Semester 1 & 2)
Cinematography	INR 1,23,928(Total Fees for Semester 1 & 2)
Editing	INR 1,23,928(Total Fees for Semester 1 & 2)
Sound Recording & Sound Design	INR 1,23,928(Total Fees for Semester 1 & 2)
Art Direction & Production Design	INR 1,23,928(Total Fees for Semester 1 & 2)
Screen Acting	INR 1,23,928(Total Fees for Semester 1 & 2)
Screenwriting (Fim, TV & Web Series)	INR 1,23,928(Total Fees for Semester 1 & 2)

Famous Alumni of FTII

1. Danny Denzongpa
2. Mithun Chakraborty
3. Om Puri
4. Sanjay Leela Bhansali
5. Shatrughan Sinha
6. Jaya Bachchan
7. Mukesh Khanna
8. Prakash Jha
9. Satish Kaushik
10. Smita Patil
11. John Abraham
12. Naseeruddin Shah
13. Resul Pookutty
14. Shabana Azmi
15. Vidhu Vinod Chopra

2) Barry John Acting Studio (BJAS), Mumbai

Barry John Acting Studio (BJAS) was founded in 1999 in Film City, Noida (Uttar Pradesh) and is run by the Theatre in Education Trust, a non-profit organisation. The course was relocated to a studio in Saidulajab, Saket, New Delhi in 2002. Barry John and Sanjay Sujitabh, the directors, chose to move to Mumbai, where the school was renamed Barry John Acting Studio, according to information provided on the official website.

Courses Offered at Barry John Acting Studio, Fees

Certificate in acting	Rs 50,000 + 18% GST = Rs 59,000
Customised film workshops	Rs 50,000 + 18% GST = Rs 59,000
Diploma in film acting	(Delhi, 4 months) Rs 1,75,000 + 18 % GST (total 2,06,500) (Mumbai - 6 Months): Rs 3,00,000 + 18% GST (total 3,54,000)
Young actors club	Rs 10,000

Famous Alumni of BJAS Mumbai

1. Shah Rukh Khan
2. Shiney Ahuja
3. Richa Chadda
4. Mira Nair
5. Manoj Bajpai
6. Freida Pinto
7. Varun Dhawan
8. Rana Daggubati
9. Samir Soni
10. Jacqueline Fernandez
11. Arjun Kapoor
12. Sushant Singh Rajput

3) National School Of Drama (NSD), New Delhi

One of the top theatre training schools in the world and the only one of its type in India is the National School of Drama. It was established in 1959 as one of the Sangeet Natak Akademi's constituent divisions. It was granted autonomy in 1975 and registered as an autonomous organisation under the Societies Registration Act XXI of 1860. The Ministry of Culture, Government of India, provided all funding for this project. Training at the School is intense and is based on a complete, comprehensive, and meticulously structured programme that covers every facet of theatre and links theory to practise.

Courses offered at NSD

Diploma Courses in Dramatic Arts
10,500/Y

Famous Alumni of NSD, New Delhi

1. Ashutosh Rana
2. Om Puri
3. Ashish Vidyarthi
4. Anupam Kher
5. Piyush Mishra
6. Irrfan Khan
7. Alok Nath
8. Neena Gupta
9. Seema Biswas
10. Raghubir Yadav
11. Annu Kapoor
12. Pankaj Kapoor
13. Raj Babbar
14. Rajpal Yadav
15. Atul Kulkarni
16. Himani Shivpuri
17. Nawazuddin Siddiqui

4) Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI), Kolkata

The Government of India established the Satyajit Ray Film & Television Institute (SRFTI) as an independent academic institution under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in 1995, making it the second-ever national centre of film. The institute campus is set on a 40-acre expanse of lush natural land in Kolkata.

Courses offered at SRFTI

1. Postgraduate programme in Cinema
INR 1.82 L (for 3 years)

2. Postgraduate programme in EDM
INR 1.82 L (for 3 years)

Famous Alumni of SRFTI

1. Vipin Vijay
2. Sagar Ballary
3. Kanu Behl
4. Sivakumar Vijayan
5. Namrata Rao

5) Whistling Woods International, Mumbai

Whistling Woods International (WWI), an institution for film, fashion, and communication, was founded by filmmaker Subhash Ghai in 2006. Additionally, WWI has been successful in branching out into related industries including animation, media & entertainment, communication, and fashion. These are some of the achievements and recognition that this film school has attained:

The top 10 film schools in the world, according to the Hollywood Reporter, include WWI.
WWI has been invited to work with international campuses in Nigeria and the United Kingdom.
In response to a request from the Indian government's Ministry of Human Resource Development, WWI has developed a structured curriculum and set of best practices for teaching media studies in high schools.
The instructors at WWI provide digitization training to major television networks like Star & Colors.
A Global Center of Excellence was established by Sony in collaboration with WWI.
The students are trained on the newest tools and technologies thanks to partnerships with technology partners.
The distinguished CILECT (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinema et de Television), a world organisation of film schools, recognised WWI as a full member.

Courses offered at WWI, Fees

BSc in Filmmaking (3 Years)	INR 23,00,000
MA in Filmmaking with Specialisations(2 Years)	INR 16,00,000 - 22,00,000
MA in Screenwriting (2 Years)	INR 9,50,000
Diploma in Screenwriting (1 Year)	INR 5,00,000
BA in Acting (3 Years)	INR 15,00,000
MA in Acting (2 Years)	INR 14,00,000
BBA in Media & Communication with Electives (3 Years)	INR 9,50,000
MBA in Media & Entertainment(2 Years)	INR 9,50,000
MBA in Sports & Esports Management(2 Years)	INR 6,50,000
MBA in Event Management & Experiential Marketing(2 Years)	INR 17,00,000
BDes in Visual Communication Design(4 Years)	INR 17,00,000
BDes in Fashion Design(4 Years)	INR 17,00,000
BDes in Animation(4 Years)	INR 18,00,000
BDes in Game Design(4 Years)	INR 18,00,000
BA in Music Production & Composition(3 Years)	INR 15,00,000

Famous Alumni of WWI

1. Akshay, Offline editor: Prime Focus. Segment Editor in Australia for an award-winning TV series 'No Limits'.
2. Aditi, Director - Little Red Car Films (3 feature films in pipeline) Creative Producer - UTV (Supervising Producer - 'No One Killed Jessica', 'Chillar Party' and 'Paan Singh Tomar'. Supervising Producer - Walkwater Medi.
3. Kavan Ahalpara- Life of Pi (Digital Coordinator: Rhythm & Hues Studios), Bhoothnath Returns (Visual Effects Producer)
4. Anil Mange - Actor, Hasee Toh Phasee, PK, Singh is Bling
5. Adeeb, Directed 5 Ad films for Wockhardt Foundation India. Director for an Ad film - Child Rights and You, Producer for an Ad film - Save the Children India
6. Shashank Khaitan - Director of Humpty Sharma Ki Dhulhania