about bjas
India’s Professional Acting Courses for Over 20 Years
For over 25 years, Barry John Acting Studio has been one of the best acting schools in Delhi and Mumbai. BJAS acting classes in Delhi and Mumbai are designed to take students on a journey to Become an Actor.
BJAS opened (as Imago Acting School) in 1997, in Noida, U.P in Film City, just outside Delhi. The course moved to Saidulajab, Saket, in New Delhi in 2002. By request of students, casting directors and producers, the Directors decided to move to Mumbai in 2007, where the school was renamed Barry John Acting Studio. Among our first Mumbai students were Freida Pinto, Jacqueline Fernandez and Richa Chadda, followed soon after by Varun Dhawan, Arjun Kapoor, Rana Daggubati and many others who have successfully played in films and television serials.
In 2020, Barry John resigned as a Director of the parent company, Imago Media Company Pvt Ltd. Barry John had, some years before, signed an agreement allowing Imago Media Co to use his name, likeness and syllabuses for acting film courses, in exchange for a payment. That agreement is still in effect, which is why we still have “Barry John” in the name.
From the beginning, BJAS has offered an intensive, weekday course (currently the 4-month or 6-month Diploma in Film Acting) and a weekend course (currently the 3-month Certificate in Acting), and programs for children. In 2010, BJAS opened a Summer Workshop for children in 5 venues in Delhi NCR. This annual series of workshops is now in about ten venues every summer. The Young Actors Club weekend course is held at the New Delhi Studio. During the pandemic, we have offered YAC courses on line.
In Delhi and Mumbai we have been integral co-producers of independent and international film productions, as well as having many students cast in these productions through our casting service. We also offer pre-production acting workshops for feature films and TV serials, and on occasion corporate workshops using acting exercises.
Imago Artists’ Retreat
Coming next year! A residential retreat for acting and other courses, with full facilities, in a beautiful setting in the Parvati Valley, Himachal Pradesh.
The site is under construction. We’re preparing two large halls, tech rooms for film editing, a full canteen with public restaurant, student and faculty residences, and more.
We’ll post updates on our Facebook and Instagram pages, so look for announcements for courses, when we’re ready to open.
The People of BJAS
Founder
Barry John is an internationally renowned actor, director, designer, writer and teacher. Born and educated in the U.K., he has lived and worked in India since 1968.
Mr John’s long and distinguished career involved a number of well-known institutions.
He was the Founder-Director of Theatre Action Group (1973-99), Delhi’s most acclaimed theatre company.
He was on the faculty of the National School of Drama (1977-80), teaching and directing young actors. He was also Founder-Director of the NSD’s Theatre in Education Company (1989-92).
He himself has acted in a number of Bollywood and Western films.
He has also acted in the internationally acclaimed play Othello: A Play in Black and White (Roysten Abel) which won a Fringe First Award at the Edinburgh Festival.
He has a national award from the Sangeet Natak Akademi, and awards from the Sahitya Kala Parishad and the Delhi Natya Sangh.
Mr John is not currently associated with BJAS, however, we are operating under an agreement for the use of his name, likeness, and syllabuses.
Founder – Director
Sanjay Sujitabh is the Director of Imago Media Private Limited, the corporation that supports Barry John Acting Studio. Along with Barry John, he opened the Imago School of Acting in 1997 and has been a Director of Imago, and BJAS, since then.
Sanjay is also the renowned director of SETMAKERS, a company which has been in the forefront of innovative and trendsetting design and fabrication of television sets.
Sanjay’s training-ground has been in theatre, having acted, stage-managed and been a production assistant for Theatre Action Group in numerous plays since 1983: Agnes of God, The Importance of Being Earnest, Suno Re Kissa, Equus, Baghdad Ka Gulam and Rough Crossing, to name a few. He has also designed and fabricated the stage décor for many theatre productions in Delhi, including Imago Theatre Group’s “The Honey Trilogy”. He directed several plays with Nukkad Centre for Street and Working Children.
Sanjay was art director, and acted in, a British feature film shot in India, The Dead II – India, in 2014. The following year he was a producer of the feature film San 1984.
Sanjay hosted a web series interview show, Moving Up with Sanjay Sujitabh, in 2018. He is currently involved in the production of short and feature films.
Rccently, Sanjay designed and fabricated the sets for the TV show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC) – Kashmir. He has also undertaken the design and staging of events such as rock shows, fashion shows, trade fair exhibitions, as well as commercial and domestic interior design and fabrication.
Sanjay is designing and supervising construction of the new Imago Centre for the Arts in Parvati Valley, H.P., opening in 2023.