When Om Puri revealed how he overcame his struggle with English
Mumbai, June 17
Late legendary actor Om Puri once revealed how he struggled with English during his NSD days.
During his interaction with actor Anupam Kher for the show "The Anupam Kher Show - Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai", Om Puri shared,
"I was having a lot of difficulty with English in the National School of Drama because I studied in Punjabi medium, and here we were taught in English medium. There were some from the convent whose English was very good. So I suffered from complex."
When Ebrahim Alkazi, the director of the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi from 1962 to 1977, came to know about this, he asked people to spy on him.
As Om Puri finally confessed to Alkazi that he is unable to speak in English, unlike many others in NSD, he told Om Puri to not to speak in English and speak in Hindi instead if that made him feel more comfortable.
However, he advised the actor to read newspapers and communicate with his friends in English in order to improve.
"Even if they laugh, don't worry", Alkazi had said.
Following his primary education, Om Puri joined the National School of Drama , and his classmate, Naseeruddin Shah, encouraged Om Puri to join the Film and Television Institute of India in Poona with him.
Talking about his acting journey, Om Puri made his debut with the 1976 Marathi film "Ghashiram Kotwal," which was based on a Marathi play of the same name by Vijay Tendulkar.
Om Puri has worked in multiple languages including, English, Punjabi, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Bengali, Gujarati, Urdu, and Marathi.
Some of his most celebrated dramas are - 'Aakrosh' (1980), 'Arohan' (1982), 'Ardh Satya' (1983), 'Disco Dancer' (1982) 'Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro' (1983), 'Chachi 420 '(1997), 'Hera Pheri' (2000), and 'Chup Chup Ke' (2006), to name just a few.
— IANS
Reader Comments
It's amazing how Om Puri overcame this. Here in the UK, we sometimes take English for granted. His journey from struggling with English to acting in multiple languages shows incredible determination.
Ebrahim Alkazi's approach was brilliant - first reduce the pressure, then encourage improvement. That's the kind of mentor every student needs. Om Puri's multilingual filmography is testament to his genius as an actor. Miss him dearly 🙏
Honestly, this English obsession in India is a bit problematic. Why should someone feel inferior for not being fluent? Om Puri spoke with his performances, not his accent. We need more such stories to remind ourselves that language is just a tool, not a measure of intelligence.
A beautiful story of perseverance. Om Puri's work in British films like 'East is East' and 'The Parole Officer' showed his versatility. It's remarkable how he turned his supposed weakness into a strength.
This reminds me of my own father who studied in Hindi medium and later became a professor. Language is just a medium, the content matters more. Om Puri's journey from struggling with English to acting in Hollywood is the pride of every Indian who didn't have English medium schooling. Jai Hind! 🇮🇳
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