Barry Jones, the creator of wonderful bunch of actors is responsible for giving quality performers to this country. Let's share a few golden moments with this guru and learn about the qualities one should develop to become a successful actor.

Q. Do you believe acting to be a born talent or one can master this creative art under the guidance of a Guru?
A. Yes, you can have natural inclination or some basic skills i.e. drawn towards a performer.

But the fact is in terms of becoming a professional actor you certainly need to have something in you. It cannot remain as a raw talent.

It has to be directed and canalized and other skills and awareness have to be developed, especially when there is more technical media like television and films. It's not quiet as simple as it looks.

Q. Which aspects do you look upon while grooming an actor?
A. Wow! It's a long list. There are aspects which have to do with your body, the physical aspects in terms of awareness and control of your body as well as flexibility and learning to be expressive, your facial expression.

There are things to do with your voice and speech to develop a rich voice so that your voice sounds interesting. Then there are things to do with your mind in terms of concentration. It's a multi task which is required while performing as your mind has to concentrate in all different things but all at a same time.

You have to remember many things, not only your lines but also the moves, things to do with your costumes, then of course imagination to encourage yourself to be more creative, to learn to take risks, to be courageous and make things look real.

Q. Still there isn't much money associated with theatre in India...Is that the reason why actors opt for silver screen rather then satisfying their creative self by working in plays?
A. Naturally, I mean theatre in India just have not developed sufficiently to guarantee anyone a secured career. There are very few theatre companies that pay anything like monthly wage sufficient for someone to live on. So it's largely at amateur level or semi professional at best.

So people are forced to do other work in order to earn money and pay their expenses. And they do theatre as a recreation and for passion in their free time. Schools and colleges still don't have separate theatre facility for students.

Q. Amongst the plays you have made, which one has been your favourite and why?
A. Wow! (after a pause), you know its like asking a parent which one is your favourite child because its like giving birth to a child. In creative work you choose to work on any new production because it is something important to you.

And of course you do it with all your ability putting your heart, mind and soul in it. I have hardly done a play that I didn't think was important or that they didn't become important to me. So it's a very difficult question to answer.

Q. Does meditation too helps in enhancing one's acting capability?
A. Partly in a sense that just meditating won't make you an actor because it is a very passionate activity. But in terms of helping your mental work and your concentration, of course meditation is certainly an element in the actors work.

Q. What kind of adjustments an actor has to make while acting in theatre and in front of the camera?
A. Well briefly the whole process is very different. The way you prepare yourself for acting in a play is different to the way you will prepare for films.

Now-a-days there are directors who hold preparations or workshops before resuming to shoot in terms of working with their characters.

In a play you are playing the whole script in every performance and that's what makes theatre training more rigorous, disciplined for actors while in films normally you don't perform the whole script as such except bit by bit and then not in sequence.

The schedule of a film shoot is geared around the locations because it is costly to shift from one location to another one especially if it is another city or another part of the country.

So the whole scene is being shot in one sequence and may be you first shot of the film will be the last scene or something like that. It makes very difficult for an actor as you have to come in with lot of preparations to work out the whole graph of his performance.

Q. Do you feel with production houses turning into factories and making hell lot of films in minimum time is affecting the quality of movies?
A. Yes and I don't really understand the commerce in the industry. But it feels like the more you make the merrier regardless of the quality. Personally I don't see the logic in it. It is not something I would like to be a part of. I take the work far more seriously. I think even if you are into commercial you should incorporate the artistic talents.

Q. Who according to you is the most talented actor amongst the current bunch of Bolly-stars?
A. Again it's like asking me who is my favorite child. I love them all.

Q. Your take on Guru Dakshina and have you got any till date?
A. It is good but I have not received any guru dakshina yet. But yes I get pleasure and great satisfaction when I see my students doing well all over and I don't feel nothing can be bigger than that. Sabir Rahman