Barry John

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Barry John is a British-Indian theatre director, actor, teacher, and writer. He is known as the mentor of many popular Bollywood actors including Shah Rukh Khan and Manoj Bajpayee.In an interview, Barry John recalled his growing up in the industrial city of Coventry and said that it was a rugged upbringing as it was a post-war era, and they have to live in temporary settlements, where the houses were made of asbestos. According to Barry John, he was the black sheep in the family, and he never asked for money from his parents. John further said that while studying in school, he was interested in music and theatres; however, his parents never took any interest in his interest, i.e., music and theatre. John was determined to follow his passion, and he started pursuing theatre evening classes, even before he turned 12, he started selling newspapers to fund his studies. [16]The Times of India.In an interview, Barry revealed that during the retro era of classical music, he was so fascinated by India’s culture and classical music that he studied Upanishads, [17]The Times of India the most recent additions to the Vedas, which are further considered as the oldest known Hindu scriptures.According to Barry, while he was a student in college, he used to spend his vacations working as a labourer at a construction site at ‘Wimpy”s,’ where he used to prepare hamburgers, and at a steel factory, where he made meshes. [18]The Times of India Barry added that he never wanted to bother his parents for money and that’s why he tried to finance his studies and other expenses himself. [19]The Times of India.In an interview, Barry revealed that his first play in college was ‘Kalidas,’ and the group used guitars instead of tablas in the play. [20]The Times of India Barry said, In fact, my first play in college was Kalidasa, for which we used guitars instead of tablas! In 1968, Pandit Ravi Shankar staged a concert at the Coventry Cathedral. I landed up in a kurta, with beads around my neck and long hair. The concert was mind-blowing.” [21]The Times of India.Barry John’s fascination for India brought him to Bangalore, India at the age of 22, where he came across an advertisement about a vacancy for a teacher, and he was hired at a salary of Rs 200 per month. Barry John started teaching English literature; he would teach and do some radio programmes during the day and perform in theatres in the evenings. [22]The Times of India.According to Barry, he shifted to Delhi in 1970. [23]The Times of India In an interview, Barry John revealed that he went through hard times in Delhi, where he lived in an under-construction building and joined the Yatrik theatre group, a resident company at the building of the Shriram Center; however, John was thrown out by the members of Shriram after a dispute. [24]The Times of India.Reportedly, in 1973, Barry founded the ‘Theatre Action Group’ (TAG), which functioned till 1977. [25]The Times of India In the same year, he joined the National School of Drama, but he started working after three years. [26]The Times of India.In association with TAG, Barry set up the foundation of ‘Nukkar,’ a theatre project for street and working children. [27]The Free Birds Collection – YouTube Barry John (centre) with the members of the group ‘Nukkar’.According to Barry, he later moved to Mumbai and worked as an actor in films like ‘Shatranj Ke Khiladi’ (1977) and ‘Kissa Kursi Ka’ (1978); however, Barry was never assigned a lead or primary role in any film. [28]The Times of India In an interview, Barry revealed that he did not like politics in the film industry, and he realised that films weren’t meant for him. [29]The Times of India.