New Delhi: President Ram Nath Kovind named former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP and actor Paresh Rawal as the chairperson of the National School of Drama (NSD) on Thursday.
Union culture and tourism minister Prahlad Singh Patel, under whose ambit NSD falls, confirmed the appointment. Congratulating the actor on his new position, the minister said artists and students will benefit from his talent.
“It will be challenging but fun; I will do my best because this is a field I know very well,” Rawal told the Press Trust of India.
A ministry official who did not wish to be named said that three or four candidates were shortlisted by the ministry for the post. “The President takes the final call,” said the official. “Rawal will be the chairperson for the next four years.”
The post of the NSD chairperson has been vacant since 2017, with vice-chaiperson Dr. Arjun Deo, a Rajasthani poet, critic, playwright, theatre director and translator, acting as the head.
Rawal has been in the film industry for more than three decades and has won numerous awards, including the prestigious National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1994. In 2014, he was conferred the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India, for his contribution to the entertainment industry. Rawal is famous for his roles in Hera Pheri and Andaaz Apna Apna. He is also a popular Gujarati stage actor.
He was also a member of the Lok Sabha from 2014 to 2017 from Ahmedabad East, Gujarat.
The post of chairperson of the government’s apex art and theatre school has been occupied by several prominent people in the past, including former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and social reformer Kamala Devi Chattopadhyay.
NSD’s prominent alumni include actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Nawazzudin Siddiqui, Irrfan Khan and Om Puri. CAN WE GET A COMMENT FROM ONE OF THEM OR SOMEONE ELSE IN BOLLYWOOD?
