Jan 31, 2026 9:40pm IST
NSD in Mumbai, Finally
Mumbai is the entertainment capital of the country, often referred to as the ‘city of dreams’, where thousands of starry-eyed acting aspirants arrive each day with the hope of landing a job. There are acting schools by the dozen in the city. From the Mumbai Film Academy to Subhash Ghai’s Whistling Woods. However, none of that is government-recognized. Until now.
The prestigious National School of Drama aka NSD, established in 1959 in Delhi, opened its doors in the city, last November. Currently chaired by Paresh Rawal, the 65-year-old institution adds a new chapter to the city’s glorious film and theater scene.
Delhi’s NSD alumni include icons such as Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Ratna Pathak Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Yashpal Sharma, Rohini Hattangadi, Manoj Joshi, Neena Gupta, Pankaj Tripathi and Swanand Kirkire, among others. Mumbai is waiting to discover and groom its own acting students.
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Mumbai: The hub of acting
Veteran NSD graduates are enthusiastic about the institute’s new center in Mumbai. “I think a branch of NSD was needed, and now there will be more authentic and better training. Kids will get a branch of an institute that has its own legacy, and where the training is a little different from the rest of the film schools,” says Pankaj Tripathi.
Calling this development a ‘significant shift’, Vani Tripathi Tikoo, who worked as an actor-teacher at the National School of Drama’s Theatre in Education Company, shares, “The NSD spent six decades deliberating over establishing a dedicated acting program in Mumbai. Now, a new institution has launched in the city suburbs, specifically designed to provide a year-long, focused training program for actors. This development represents a significant shift in the industry.”
Better late than never
Actor Anup Soni, known for his portrayals in Gangaajal and Prassthanam, shares, “In-depth training in acting is a must, whether it’s for stage or for the screen, and the institute is a pioneer in that department. There were so many training institutes, but people who wanted to do theater went to NSD. In the past, it has also organized a lot of workshops in Mumbai and other cities in the country. But coming as a full-fledged school is a great idea.”
The theater capital of India!
Paresh Rawal ecstatically says, “Mumbai is the theater capital of India. Right from Gujarati, Marathi, and Hindi to Konkani and English all language plays happen here. If you haven’t done a show in Mumbai, you haven’t done anything big yet.”
Contrary to Rawal, Raj Babbar calls the national capital the hub of theater, “Earlier, Delhi was a theater hub, and Mumbai was a cinema hub. But when theater artists started moving to cinema, the decision was made to bring NSD to Mumbai; it takes time to build this kind of institute.”
NSD director, Chittaranjan Tripathy, describes Mumbai as a culturally rich city and says, “It’s a great hub for cultural activities, art, literature, and cinema.” Sharing how the path of students from the new center will be easier in terms of employment compared to others, he asserts, “The students who enrol here will be enormously benefited as far as theater training is concerned. Regarding employment, since Mumbai is the ultimate hub and ultimate market, we have lots of activities concentrated in that city. So, I think people who graduate from this particular center will have some kind of direct interaction with industry people while studying. And after graduating, their path will be a little easier in terms of their acquaintance with the space compared to people who migrate to this city later.”
NSD is culture
As per veterans, NSD is much more than an institute to its students. Pankaj Tripathi says, “It didn’t only make me an actor but also a better person.”
Babbar calls it a place where an individual becomes ‘skilful and mature’. “It is an institute where actors are trained with discipline, literature, art, etc. This institute not only trains you, but also gives you the complete personality of an artist. And for that personality, not only Mumbai, but all the big cities should have NSD branches.”
Rawal echoes the sentiment, adding that if a thing stays in only one place, it gets contaminated. “Everything that used to happen in Delhi has been decentralized. In every big city where the theater scene is vibrant, there should be an NSD.”
Plan for Mumbai
Paresh opines, “There is no good acting school or theater school in the city.” He says one way to make the new center an excellent institute would be to appoint actor Naseeruddin Shah as one of the core faculty members. “You have to bring in good faculty and good acting teachers. If you can rope in Naseer Bhai and let him work according to his schedule, it will be a huge benefit. There are other teachers as well, but let them come and work according to their schedule. Let them make their own syllabus as far as acting is concerned.”
The Bhooth Bangla actor proposes a playwriting course because of good writers, especially in the Marathi theater. “Even the students will benefit a lot. The people who come here should learn at a practical level,” concludes Rawal. Vani, who acted in films like Chalte Chalte and Dushman, also reflects similar thoughts regarding acting institutes in the city and comments, “Considering the numerous existing acting schools have not adequately prepared aspiring actors, this new center offers a much-needed alternative. Many individuals who were previously awaiting the opportunity to pursue a three-year course at the National School of Drama will find this new initiative highly beneficial. I believe this marks a golden era for both theater and content creation.”
Course and fees
The cost of a one-year acting course in NSD Mumbai is ₹5 lakh, and it admits 30 students per batch. The applicant should be 18+ and a 12th pass. The officials of the institute explain that, unlike NSD Delhi, the fee is necessary in the financial capital, as they are not receiving any government aid.
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