Creativity, innovation and ambition bring people together for a purpose, no matter what the circumstances, backgrounds and aspirations.

The setting up of Actor Prepares UK and Europe is no different. This is abundantly clear in the words of each of the partners that have come together to embark on this unique venture.

ANUPAM KHER,
Chairman Actor Prepares

Anupam Kher is the founder and chairman of the renowned Bollywood acting school Actor Prepares.

Anupam is one of India's finest actors, with over four hundred films to his credit. He is famous to UK audiences for playing the father of Jessminder in the hit movie "Bend it like Beckham" (2002) and for his role in "Bride and Prejudice" (2004) and his appearance on the hit TV show "ER".

Anupam created the school in Mumbai over three years ago and has been the driving force behind the international roll-out to the UK, with further schools due to open in Durban and Sydney. He also regularly teaches courses at the school and as chairman, he ensures that each student receives individual guidance and counselling.

Moving from very humble beginnings to acquire a gold medal at the National School of Drama, Anupam started his career in the theatre. He has always made time for the stage, having acted in more than a hundred plays including "Kuch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai", which is currently being staged successfully all over the world

However, Anupam is mainly associated with the silver screen and is the proud recipient of the Padmashree Award bestowed upon him by the Government of India, as well as many others including the Special National Jury Award and the Actor of the Decade Award (Millennium Honours). He also holds the record for being the only actor in the industry to have won eight Filmfare awards in succession.

Anupam made his acting debut in the 1982 Hindi movie "Aagman". Then two years later, in 1984, came the critically-acclaimed "Saaransh". He received praise for his role as terrorist Dr. Dang in "Karma" (1986) and was applauded for his performance in the film "Daddy" (1989) and picked up a prestigious Filmfare Critics Award. He ventured into directing with "Om Jai Jagadish" (2003) and producing naturally followed. Actor and producer of the film "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara" (2005), Anupam’s talent was recognised by the Karachi International Film Festival who honoured him with the Best Actor Award.

Anupam has served as the chairman of the Indian Film Censor Board and is an alumnus of National School of Drama (1978 batch) and later became its director, between 2001 and 2004.

Anupam was born in 1954.

ASH VERMA
Chief Executive, Heathrow City Partnership

As a former senior British Civil Servant with over 35 years of experience, Ash Verma is known as a "social entrepreneur", who is passionate about "bringing business and communities together". Ash is recognised as an innovator and leader in his field of economic development, particularly enterprise and entrepreneurship and was included in the first ever publication of the Asian Power 100 in September 2005 and again in September 2007 in recognition of such work and is also included in the Asian Who’s Who.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts; Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Development; Corporation Member of the Ealing, Hammersmith and West London College (one of the largest and leading further education institutions in the UK) a Charter Member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) UK; Board Director of West London Business and Chamber; and Board Director of Ealing and Hillingdon Education Business Partnership.

Presently, Ash is the Chief Executive of Heathrow City Partnership Limited (HCP), a business led, Central and London Government Initiative introduced and launched in 2003 by Gordon Brown, Prime Minister when he was the Chancellor of the Exchequer.

Ash is a goals and targets oriented person, who has been inspired by Mahatma Gandhi, "the Great Soul in a beggar’s garb" as the poet Tagore called him. He believes that his affinity with Gandhi’s struggle for justice, fairness and equality have given him the courage to challenge the status quo.

In a constantly and technologically changing world, where ‘jobs for life’ are becoming less rare, the regeneration and economic development fields, like any other walk of life, also need to keep pace with the wider globalisation process in order to bring business and communities together for a common purpose. Ash believes that innovation and piloting new initiatives, such as Gateway Asia, Bollywood Connect, and Actor Prepares UK and Europe, the first Bollywood Acting School launched outside of India in 2008, are examples of how to promote and maximise on the educational, entrepreneurial, social and cultural strengths of the ever growing Asian Diaspora for creating cohesive and thriving communities.

PAULA SAYER
College Director Ealing Institute of Media

Ealing Institute of Media (EIM) is a proud partner and host of Actor Prepares UK and Europe. We are very excited to offer a course which will offer students of all ages and backgrounds a unique opportunity to learn the skills required to succeed in the competitive creative industries.

As a Centre of Vocational Excellence in Broadcast Media and Animation, we have invested over £50 million in our state-of the- art facilities across our four sites and are the ideal training centre for acting professionals and those in related fields. We maintain close connections within the media industry and have benefited from the world famous film heritage in Ealing.

EIM will provide students with a first class learning experience and at the same time allow them to benefit from the diversity and richness of cultures that is our hallmark.

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