World Theatre Day, observed on March 27, celebrates theatre as an art form with an aim to inspire experienced and amateur actors alike to take to the stage
World Theatre Day was announced in 1962 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI). Since then, it has been celebrated each year. Various national and international theatre events are organised on this day
Theatre has played an important role in shaping the careers of renowned Indian actors. Some of them continue to perform in plays even after establishing themselves as well-known actors in the Indian film industry
Some Bollywood actors who started their careers as theatre artists are Shah Rukh Khan, Naseeruddin Shah, Anupam Kher, Vinay Pathak, Jim Sarbh, Ranvir Shorey, Rasika Dugal, Neena Gupta, Divya Dutta. The National School of Drama (NSD) has also produced some of India's finest actors including Om Puri, Pankaj Kapoor, and Irrfan Khan
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan also started his journey from the stage. He credits his NSD friends for igniting his interest in acting. He had studied theatre under Director Barry John. One of his notable stage performances was when he played the role of an Italian lover in Delhi’s Action Theatre Group production, titled Rough Crossing
Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah, known for films like Jaane Bhi do Yaaron, Monsoon, A Wednesday, Masoom, started his career as a theatre artist. Over a span of 40 years, Naseeruddin has produced 42 plays in addition to acting, directing, and co-founding Motley Theatre Group with Benjamin Gilani
Actress Shabana Azmi, who appeared in plays including Tumhari Amrita and Safed Kundali, appeared most recently in Broken Images, written by Girish Karnad and directed by Alyque Padamsee
Manoj Bajpayee was rejected by the National School of Drama, but that didn't stop him from becoming one of the most-loved actors in the film industry and theatre. One of his famous theatre plays is Netuwa
Prior to acting in films, Jim Sarbh appeared in plays. His performances in MacBeth by Rajat Kumar and Death of a Salesman were well-received by the critics. He later entered the film industry, and was last seen in Mrs. Chatterjee vs Norway
Pankaj Kapoor, Saurabh Shukla, Ratna Pathak, Boman Irani, Anupam Kher, Rajpal Yadav and Rohini Hattangadi are some of the most revered actors in the Indian film industry with a stellar theatre background. The late Om Puri was also a well-known theatre personality