Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha is a veteran Indian theater and film actor and director. He has written and staged many theater plays. He is the former Principal of Bhartendu Natya Academi in Lucknow.
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Wiki/Biography
Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha was born on Friday, 8 May 1953 (age 70; as of 2023) in Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India. His zodiac sign is Taurus. He holds a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Laws. He did a specialization course at Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts (1976-1977) in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. He was one of the first batch of students of Bhartendu Natya Academi (BNA).
Physical appearance
Height (approx): 5′8″
Hair color: salt and pepper (semi-bald)
Eye color: light brown
family
parents and siblings
His father’s name is Kameshwar Nath Kulshreshta and mother’s name is Girija Devi.
wife and children
His wife, Neelam Kulshreshta, is a housewife.
Surya Mohan Kulshreshta with Neelam Kulshreshta
The couple has two sons named Tuhin Kulshreshta, Vice President, Barclays Capital and Nitin Kulshreshta, Assistant Brand Manager, Sunfeast Biscuits, ITC.
Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha with his family
Address
C-11, Sector- I, Aliganj, Lucknow-226024
Career
theater
Beautiful
Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha started his acting career as a child artist in a theater production in which he played the role of a deity during the Janmashtami festival. He has worked in many theater productions directed by Indian and foreign directors including ‘Kolage’, ‘Tambe Ke Keerey’, ‘Mahanagar – Teen Samwad’, ‘Ek Aur Dronacharya’, ‘Burning Path’ and ‘Baefoot in Athens’.
Surya Mohan Kulshreshta in the theater play “Barefoot in Athens”
Director
He made his debut as a theater director with the Greek play “Oedipus the King”. He directed about 100 plays in different languages with many theater groups and in many drama institutes. He directed a play titled ‘Andhere Mein’ which was based on Gajanan Madhav Muktibodh’s book of the same name. Some of the Hindi language plays he has staged are ‘Ram Leela’, ‘Vasansi Jirnani’, ‘Andha Yug’, ‘Bhagwajjukeeyam’, ‘Mrichchakatikam – Mitti Ki Gadi’, ‘Adhe Adhure’ and ‘Hulhuliya’.
2023 Hindi Play ‘Hulhuliya’ Poster
Other language plays he has produced include A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Exception and the Rule, The Lower Depths, and Men Without Shadows. He also directed the Finnish play “Puho Mies”.
playwright
In addition to being a theater actor and director, he is a playwright. He has written many plays including ‘Natak Ganesh – Marka’, ‘Tukare’, ‘Insaf Ka Ghera’ which was a Hindi version of Bertolt Brecht’s ‘Caucasian Chalk Circle’, ‘Veer Lorik’ based on Indian tribal folklore, ‘Mrig Trishna’, a contemporary play based on Kivara principles and lifestyle. He has written many articles and articles on several aspects of theater which have been published in many newspapers and periodicals including Rang Prasang and Chhayanat.
designer
He designed sets and costumes for most of the plays he staged.
Other works in the theater
He has conducted many theater workshops and lectured in many countries including India, Germany, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway and more. In 1993, Aarhus University in Denmark invited him to hold a seminar and give a lecture. He teaches theater direction as a visiting faculty member at Bhartendu Natya Academi. He is pursuing acting courses as a visiting faculty member at Lucknow University. He conducted workshops organized by the National School of Drama in New Delhi. He has taken theater classes and lectured as visiting faculty at the School of Drama, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh and IIT Kanpur. He was once invited as an external examiner for M.A. Theater students by Mithila University and Kashi Vidhyapet University in Varanasi. In 2006, he was appointed as a member of the selection committee at the National School of Drama, New Delhi.
television
mini series
In 2020, he played the role of Ramjap Baba in the Netflix English drama romantic television mini-series A Suitable Boy, based on Vikram Seth’s 1993 novel of the same name.
A poster for the 2022 Netflix TV miniseries ‘A Suitable Boy’
other works
In 1988, he worked as an assistant director and wrote the script and dialogues for the Doordarshan television series Amir Khusro. In the 1980s, he wrote the script for the Doordarshan television show ‘Theatrical Quiz’. He wrote screenplays and dialogues for the serials ‘Tagore Stories’, ‘Kinara Dor Nahini’ and ‘Patrile Raaste’.
movie
In 1993, she was cast in the lead role in the Sanskrit drama Bhagwad Gita: Song of the Lord, directed by GV Iyer.
Poster of the 1993 Sanskrit film Bhagwad Gita – Song of the Lord
The film won the Golden Lotus Award at the National Film Awards of India. In 2013, he played the supporting role of Tiwari in the Hindi crime drama film Monsoon Shootout. In 2018, he appeared as Badri Kaka in the thriller drama film Daas Dev. In 2023, he portrayed Asaram Bapu in the Hindi courtroom drama film Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai (earlier known as Bandaa).
other works
In 1986, he worked as an assistant director and production controller for the National Award winning Hindi drama film Yeh Woh Manzil To Nahin.
A short film
In 2003, he appeared as Dabewala in the Indian silent crime drama short film The Bypass starring Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. The short film won the Staff Award at the Milan Film Festival.
Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha in a still from the 2003 silent short film ‘The Bypass’
other works
From 1974 to 1985, he worked as the vice-president, general secretary and treasurer of the Meghdut Theater Group. From 1985 to 1991, he served as President, Vice-President and LKO of the Indian Public Theater Association (IPTA). He was also a member of the National Executive of IPTA. In 1991, he was appointed as the Director and President of the National Institute of Progressive Arts (NIPA), Rangmandal. He is the former director of the Bhartendu Academy of Dramatic Arts, a theater training institute of the Government of Uttar Pradesh.
Awards, honors, achievements
- Won Rang Yatra Samman in 1993
- Won the UP Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in 1995
- In 1996, he won the Bhartiya Fankar Society Award
- In 1998, at the International Theater Festival in the USA, he won the Best Costume Design Award for the play “Love Forever”.
- In 2015, he received the Sanjit Natak Academy Award for his contribution to the field of theater direction.
Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha received the Sangeet Natak Academy Award from the then President Pranab Mukherjee in 2015.
- “Honorary Diploma” awarded by the International Association of Amateur Theater in Norway.
- Awarded Navonmesh NGO in 2020 for 10 years with the NGO
Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha receives an award from Navonmesh NGO in 2020
Facts/Trivia
- Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha is often called Doordarshan’s ‘A’ grade actor.
- He worked in a radio show called ‘Hawa Mahal’.
- In 1972, he joined Life India Corporation (LIC) and retired in 2006. Speaking in an interview about how the job helped him pursue his passion for theater, he said it wasn’t enough.
My job helped feed my passion. They gave me a lot of freedom for the theater. It’s a fact, I couldn’t survive the theater without a job. Back then, the only option would be to make TV or movies to survive. In the Hindi belt, it is still not possible to survive on theater alone. It was even tougher then. Every theater legend has done something or the other. Raj (Bisaria) was teaching, Anil Rastog was at CDRI and Urmil Kumar Thapliyal was in radio. So were others. There are grants for performances, but this opened “shops”. There are people who run multiple communities in a group and commit fraud for grants. Today, after so many years, I can say that theater can sustain me, but not for everyone. Also, my lectures and workshops get me paid. “
- In 1985, Seria Mohan Kulshreshtha’s play Ram Leela won acclaim at the National Sangeet Natak Academy Festival in Delhi.
- In 1991, his play “Bhagwadjjukeeyam” was awarded the best production at the World Theater Festival in Norway.
- In 1993, he represented India in the World Theater Project in Germany.
- He directed the play ‘Kundmala’ which was performed in 1999 at Kalidas Samaroh in Ujjain.
- In an interview, while talking about his vision for theater and what he has learned over the years in the theater industry, he said:
Everyone has their own vision of theater and it continues to evolve over time. The first thing I learned is that visuals should speak louder than words. Through radio show Hawa Mahal, I learned the importance of audio that can create visuals, and I learned the importance of simplicity from Ram Liel. My real training came under the influence of passion and learning from BNA. My vision broadened with different theater forms – realistic, international (western), folk and classical. My canvas was broadened by reading different philosophies, literature, culture and history.
- He sometimes consumes alcohol.
Surya Mohan Kulshreshtha is drinking beer
Categories: Bollywood
Source: dienchau2.edu.vn
