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Acting coach to Bollywood stars, Atul Mongia deconstructs the art form and how to find success in showbiz

The writer, director and storyteller talks about what it takes to shoot to success in an industry where the odds are against you

Pursue a hobby, we’re told. It’ll keep you happy, it’ll keep you sane. Yet, there’s often a subtle judgement that’s passed based on the kind of hobby one chooses. Singing or dancing? Sure. Learning a musical instrument? Great. Chess? Even better. Acting? Why, oh why! “Do you want to become like Shah Rukh Khan?” comes the ridicule. But at the core of it, acting, like other forms of art, is a way of expressing oneself through a creative medium. So, at what point does the profession of acting supersede the art?

Acting coach Atul Mongia, who’s an acclaimed writer and filmmaker based in Mumbai, India, has done a fair bit in demystifying the art of acting, which he insists is “more to do with the Self, rather than acting.” Now, an idea such as this, may sound abstract, but Mongia’s India-based creative venture The Artist Collective, has morphed into a space dedicated to proving how acting is nothing but exploring the self, bringing filmmakers, storytellers and artistes under one roof, to explore the art form.

“When one refers to a dictionary's definition of acting, they would discover that “to act” essentially means to do. So, in essence, acting literally means doing,” says Mongia. However, what many fail to recognise is that doing something isn't limited to just physical actions. This is where Mongia’s coaching differs. “For me, acting is more about ‘being’ than ‘doing'. Even when one is experiencing specific emotions or engaged in deep thought while remaining perfectly still, they are, in fact, still ‘doing’ something,” says Mongia, who’s also co-directed the Netflix series Mai, featuring Sakshi Tanwar in the lead role.

Ultimately, every acting performance is distilled down to its truth and conviction, believes Mongia. “We don’t want to create this strange personality with a tiger's limbs and a rhino’s head. It’s all about being how you are in real life, and how your character will be in their reel life. It could be the subtlest performance imaginable, but it might fail to convince. Conversely, it could be the most larger-than-life performance ever, yet it could move you to tears or make you laugh, purely because of its believability," he explains. "In the end, the actor must seek conviction and truth.”

Acting mentor to the stars

At the young age of 21, Mongia embarked on his path as an acting coach, not having a clue what the journey would entail. Over the years, he has not only pioneered acting coaching in India but has also extensively been involved with nurturing and guiding both established talent in India and budding actors, as they set foot in the industry.

Whether it’s actors such as Kiara Advani, Ranveer Singh or Alia Bhatt singing praise for the coach or Kriti Sanon and Vicky Kaushal attributing their National Award-winning performances in Mimi (2021) and Uri (2019) to his coaching, Mongia’s workshops have become a rite of passage for hundreds of artistes coming to Mumbai with the dreams of ‘making it’ as an actor.

However, the acting coach doesn’t believe in taking any credit for the accolades. “I don't like taking credit for any performance because I'm not the one delivering it,” he says, insisting that "it isn't about modesty; it's a matter of perspective". "Consider this: I provide the same guidance to everyone, and I exert the same level of effort with all individuals. However, not everyone receives a National Award or widespread critical acclaim. It's them who deserve the credit," says Mongia.

The journey of an actor in cinema is seldom solitary. It's a collaborative effort where various individuals, including musicians, editors, technicians come together to create a cohesive performance. “Though the director and the actor often enjoy the spotlight, it is also the editors who put in a substantial amount of effort, carefully crafting the performance scene by scene," says Mongia. "Sometimes, a good performance can be turned into a great performance by a good team and the same performance can be made average by a bad team.”

According to the coach, the stars who lead a longer and more fulfilling career in the industry acknowledge the fact that it's a team effort. "The foundation of gratitude and humility is the key to a star's longevity," says Mongia. “People often say this about two of the biggest superstars, Mr Amitabh Bachchan and Mr Shah Rukh Khan, that when you're with them, you feel like the most important person in that moment. This feeling arises from their acknowledgement that they are where they are because of everyone around them.”

The harsh reality of ‘making it’

While it’s crucial to have your feet firmly planted on the ground, it is advice for already established actors. The journey of making it as a successful actor is a whole other story. Relentless hard work with no certainty of the desired outcome and tenacity to overcome rejections after rejections, is a minimum requirement to survive in the industry, says the acting coach.

“The number of actors who come to Mumbai with the aspiration to join Bollywood is unfathomable," he says. "Just finding work is difficult, paid or unpaid. In fact, the first challenge is not to get paid work, it’s to get a call to an audition,” he adds. “If you crack an audition and get a good role, there’s no certainty the film will be released. Then, if the film releases and your role gets a certain amount of appreciation, there’s still no guarantee that you will get another role soon after.”

The journey is very long, he continues, “And it’s not because people have a grudge against you but because the ratio of demand and supply is very awkward."

“There are 10,000 people who can apply for that one job. How often does that happen with an engineer or an MBA graduate? For every one role, there are thousands and thousands of people competing.” According to the coach, this disproportionate supply stems from the mammoth adulation and fame that superstars enjoy in India. “It’s a heady cocktail of fame, money and power,” he says. “People often get attracted to the glitz and glamour associated with the industry but that is a big misconception. If you see the biggest stars in the country, 95 per cent of their life revolves around work. They don’t have a life outside of it.”

The secret sauce of success

So, how does one crack the code of becoming an actor in the bustling city of Mumbai? “There’s no formula to it,” says Mongia, keeping up the mystery around it. However, with decades of experience in coaching actors and nurturing talent in the film industry, Mongia believes that when it comes to finding mainstream success as an actor, certain factors are more critical than the others. “Talent is undoubtedly a critical factor but it is something that can be honed,” he explains. “Acting can be learned and if you work hard enough, you can drastically improve your acting chops. But equally, how you look on screen also matters. Can you hold people’s attention for 90 minutes?”

According to the acting coach, screen presence is a substantial factor for acting in cinema. “Many people often inquire about how they can enhance their screen presence but there's no precise definition or formula to it. To a certain degree, you’re born with it,” says Mongia.

“It’s important to note that screen presence is not solely about physical attractiveness; it's about captivating the audience on camera. Some people naturally captivate you.” Though in his observation, people can build their screen presence over time. “I do believe there's a connection between self-belief and screen presence. As your belief in yourself grows stronger, your presence becomes more significant. That is why exploring the self is so important for acting," he adds.

However, if there’s one element which is essential to finding success as an actor, it’s the two golden words: hard work. “The willingness to work incredibly hard is the most important factor," says Mongia. "I've been around actors, directors, producers and I’m a director myself. The individuals who have succeeded or have longevity in this field are those who have devoted their lives to it. They don't really have a life outside of this industry because the level of commitment and the amount of hard work this field demands is immense,” he adds.

“It's about the determination to persist and remain positive when things aren't going well. The discipline, the focus to adhere to your routine and commitments, even when nothing has worked out for you in years. This is the most crucial factor in determining whether someone will make it or not," says Mongia.

Acting and the self

When deconstructing his acting workshops conducted at The Artist Collective, the coach mentions the primary focus is always on understanding who you are as a person. “We delve into the question of ‘who you are’ before delving into the character. It also encourages people to re-examine and question their own identities, as we often neglect to explore certain aspects of ourselves.”

In his workshops called ‘Acting and the self’, designed and facilitated by the coach and his team, participants engage in an intensive process for nearly 10 to 11 hours each day delving into their fears, past experiences, struggles, all geared towards cultivating greater self-awareness. “Ultimately, the core objective is to reconnect with oneself because, unfortunately, we often lose that connection in our busy lives, preoccupied with external matters," says Mongia.

Much of the work at The Artist Collective involves delving deeper within, incorporating mindfulness techniques such as meditation. “Typically, actors tend to believe that they must find their character externally. However, our approach focuses on internal exploration. Whenever we seek a character outside of ourselves, we may not fully understand it, may pass judgement, or struggle to empathise with them completely. But when we try to discover the character within ourselves, we can connect with it genuinely and gain a deep understanding of that character,” he explains.

The purpose of art

Though many people who come for Mongia's workshops are aspiring actors, there plenty who join in, just to explore themselves through a new way of expression. “Anyone can benefit from the exercises we do as part of these acting workshops,” says Mongia. “Many participants recommend the workshops to their parents, friends and family because they think they might benefit from them.”

Cultivating honesty and empathy remain crucial to navigating the art of acting, according to Mongia. And much like in acting, these qualities are also fundamental to life. The acting coach admits that many aspects fundamental to the art of acting also resonate to understanding yourself better as an individual and how you relate to others. The reason for this, he adds, is that “the primary purpose of art is to elevate, to take people from a lower plane to a higher one, to facilitate growth in those who engage with it, whether they are creating art or viewing it," he says.

Art is essential for our existence, believes the acting coach. "When you're feeling miserable or upset, you need that sad song to express your pain, to find a place for it. Without art, you'd be lost," he adds.

"One of my favourite definitions of art is that it makes the comfortable uncomfortable and the uncomfortable comforted. That is the essence of art. When you say that anybody can act, yes, anybody can because art has never been just about the art; it has always been about life,” he signs off.

somya@khaleejtimes.com