Profile

WRITER, ACTOR, BANGALORE, INDIA.

Directed a brace of plays by Abhijit Sircar, son of theatre legend Badal Sircar. Child’s Play and Author, Author, for the students of Mallya Aditi International School. 2017.
Directed Indira Parthasarathy’s Aurangzeb (translated into English by T. Sriraman from the Tamil original) with high school students at the Mallya Aditi International School, Bengaluru. Sep 2016.
Voiced Palestine poet Sumer Hadeid’s verse for dance performance I WILL by Tripura Kashyap at Spaces, Chennai. 2016.
Adapted for stage and directed Saadat Hasan Manto’s short story Toba Tek Singh; from a translation by Frances W Pritchett of Columbia Univ. for the students of Mallya Aditi International School, Bengaluru – Sep 2015.
Interpreted Thomas Cromwell, in Robert Bolt’s A Man for all Seasons. Bangalore 2012. Director: Arjun Sajnani.
Visiting Artist to the Singapore School Project, an extension of Airan Berg’s I like to Move it Project, Lintz, aimed at introducing the presence of an artist to the classroom within regular school curricula. Organised: TTRP Singapore (now ITRI).
Underwent three day workshop in the Feldenkrais movement method with Michel Casanovas, in Bangalore 2011
Performed at the Mirror Comedy Festival 2010, Bangalore. Organised by the Times of India Group.
Performed at Leela, the South Asian Womens Theatre Festival, March 2010, New Delhi. Organised by The National School of Drama, Indian Council for Cultural Relations, and Jamia Milia Islamia.
Wrote and performed his own poem Anger Sutra Bitter, a “Ginsbergian take” on the urban condition, at One Shanti Road studio, Bangalore.
Played The Narrator in Twelve Dancing Princesses, an original English musical by Clay Mathes Kelton, premiered Bangalore, Chowdaiah Memorial Hall, Aug 2009.
Played the lead in Byomkesh Bakshi inspired play Checkmate, by Pandora’s Act, Kolkata – GD Birla Sabhaghar, May 2009.
Played Nick Bottom, the weaver, in Tim Supple’s Indo-UK hit production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream – 2008 0nward – Performed at The Shubert Theatre, New Haven, Connecticut, The National Arts Centre, Ottawa, The Southern Theatre, Columbus, Ohio, and The Chicago Shakespeare Theatre on Navy Pier, Chicago, Illinois. (See reviews below)
Attended Sources of Performance Energy workshop at Veenapani Chawla’s Adishakti Laboratory for Theatre Arts and Research, Pondicherry. Training in Koodiyattam, Mizhavu percussion, Kathakali, Kalaripayattu and yoga for the theatre.
Attended workshop at NCPA, Mumbai, with Simon Mc Burney of Theatre Complicite
Selected for the 7 day workshop-audition in Mumbai with Tim Supple, organized by The British Council. Part of the 60 member shortlisted stage actors from all over India and SriLanka for the world production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. 2006
Wrote lyrics and liner notes, and contributed spoken word on CommunicativeArt – Lounge from the Bay and Kamasutra Lounge, Freespirit Records, India, as well as other albums in the lounge and world music genres.
Played Yayati in ART Bangalore’s English premiere of Girish Karnad’s Yayati as part of the Kannada Rangabhoomi Namaskara Theatre Festival.
Acted as Les Kenkatt in Boy gets Girl by Rebecca Gilman – Kimaya Productions Bangalore 2006
Conducted three-day theatre workshop for architecture students at Manipal Institute of Technology, School of Architecture. 2006
Acted in Girish Karnad’s Bali directed by Arjun Sajnani , 2005
Acted in Yavamajjaka, a musical fantasy by Poile Sengupta, Bangalore.
Played Yavakri in Arjun Sajnani’s production of Girish Karnad’s “The Fire and Rain” in Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai in 1999-2000
Played Aazam in Arjun Sajnani’s production of Girish Karnad’s “Tughlaq” in Bangalore, New Delhi and Hyderabad in 2003
Played Mr. Nanda in the Script production of Nissim Ezekiel’s “Don’t Call It Suicide” as part of the Times of India Theatre Festival in Bangalore in 1995
Workshopped under dancer-choreographers Tripura Kashyap and Bharat Sharma in Bangalore, and worked with the former both as an artistic and technical resource in Apoorva Dance Theatre.
Performed with Chingari, an experimental theatre group based out of New Delhi. Played Madame Pernelle in Chingari’s Hindustani adaptation of Jean Baptiste Moliere’s “Tartuffe”, directed by R. Madhavan.
Worked with theatre director Jacqueline Khan in Calcutta.
Scripted and directed a ten-minute dance-theatre production entitled “They Dance Alone”, inspired by Sting’s musical tribute to a Chilean folk dance. The content centered around the lonely lives of prostitutes.
Practicing Ashtanga Yoga under various teachers.

Film work:
Acted in Kannada film Uppu Huli Khara.
Acted in Kannada film Mangana Kaili Manikya 2013
Rap lyrics and vocals on “Payasa”, a track from the Aidu Ondla Aidu OST ; Music Director – Abhijit Shylanath. 2011.
Assisted in Casting (Bangalore) for 3 Idiots 2010Acted in Ramesh Arvind’s film Accident in Kannada – 2008
Acted in Doosra, a Hindi film by Anand Subramaniam – in Bangalore Dakhni dialect – 2007
Acted in National Award winning Indian English feature “Stumble”, directed by Prakash Belawadi – 2002 (http://www.onlinewatchmovies.net/kannada/stumble-2003-kannada-movie-watch-online.html)Acted in Phir Milenge, Hindi film directed by Revathi.
Acted in Nagesh Kukunoor’s Hyderabad Blues 2

Radio/Television

TVC modelling – Voltas, Coromandel Fertilisers, Prestige, Paragon Chappals, McDonalds, Nestle, Amway, Nutrine, MTR…
Voice overs in English. Hindi, Telugu, Kannada and Bengali for radio advertisements, TV commercials, audio visuals, e-learning CDs and documentaries.

Previous professional experience

Media and creative communication consultant, columnist, writer.

• Independent creative producer for radio advertisments and other audio products.
• Executive Producer, Oyeindia.com, a web portal of BPL Innovision Business Group, Bangalore.
• Web content creator at Planetasia.com, Bangalore, India’s first web
• Published in major Indian dailies including The Statesman, Calcutta, Times of India, Bangalore, Indian Express, Bangalore, and Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad
• Senior copywriter at Everest Advertising, Bangalore
• Copywriter at Third Eye Advertising, Bangalore.
• Staff writer at The Statesman and Newscript, Calcutta.
• Staff writer at Jain Studios, Calcutta.

Awards
1998 – Silver Abby for excellence in advertising at the Ad Club Awards, Mumbai for http://www.royalenfield.com.
1999 – PC World Award for one of the 25 Best Indian websites for http://www.ksontheweb.com
2000 – Silver Abby for excellence in advertising at the Ad Club Awards, Mumbai for http://www.oyeindia.com

Special mentions

• Columnist – Sex and the Single Man – Mumbai Mirror
• Contributing editor to Sulekha.com – a literary and general interest website based in Texas for the Indian diaspora.
• Published on Chowk.com
• Acknowledged by Nicholas Negroponte, Co-Founder, MIT Media Labs and David Siegel, digital design guru, for reviews of their work.
• Wrote Ad Lip – a column on advertising – Indian Express, South India.
• Media columnist for City Reporter, Bangalore, a weekly published by Explocity.com.
• Media and culture columnist for Bangalore Bias.
• Freelance art, theatre, and music critic based out of Bangalore, India

Education
La Martiniere, Calcutta
Presidency College, Calcutta
JNU, New Delhi
Contact
Email: aporup@hotmail.com

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2785945/