Students at Anupam Kher's acting school Actor Prepares played host to a surprise guest yesterday. Celebrated British director Danny Boyle, who is in town to shoot his latest opus, dropped in at the institute and interacted with the students.

The wannabe actors didn't let go of the opportunity and posed several questions to Boyle on various aspects of acting and direction to clear their doubts. "Can acting be taught?" "What do you expect from an actor?" "Why is it that only a handful of aspirants become successful actors?"

These were some of the questions that were fielded to the acclaimed director who has won 24 international awards at last count.

The students found the session "exhilarating and inspirational". Some commented that the morning was "a defining moment in their professional lives". On the other hand, Boyle was pleasantly surprised. "I never knew that such an acting school measuring up to international standards existed in Mumbai," he said after the session.

Boyle is best known for his films "Trainspotting", "Millions", "The Beach", "Sunshine", "28 Days Later" and its sequel, "28 Weeks Later".