BENGALURU: The world witnessed the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) 2023 on February 19, where top names of the film industries walked the red carpet at the Royal Festival Hall in London. Austin Butler took home the Best Leading Actor Award for his portrayal of Elvis Presley and Cate Blanchett won the Best Leading Actress Award for her performance in TÁR.
While BAFTA is about glitz and glamour, it also works towards giving opportunities to many from across the world who are passionate about films. That’s what the BAFTA Newcomers Program is about. It was nothing less than a dream for director, actor, and writer Manahar Kumar when he found out that he is one of the students selected for the Los Angeles vertical of BAFTA Newcomers Program.
His selection for this fouryear programme was based on his work, including directing/ producing music videos and films for non-profits like, Men Against Rape and Discrimination (MARD) and Chhoti Si Asha (A Small Wish).
“It is a four-year new talent initiative, recognising and supporting international professionals to further their development and career. It was an intensive process, lots of questions to answer, and supporting materials in terms of previous films directed, acted and written. The application was judged on the range and quality of my work as a whole and the letters of reference from individuals who could speak of my talent and why I should be selected for the BAFTA Newcomers Program,” says Kumar, who will be seen in Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jawan.
The programme is mostly in a hybrid format, where Kumar is planning to shuffle between Mumbai and LA. “I am absolutely looking forward to it. The programme is going to help explore new avenues and also have a unique voice beyond the boxes of Asian identity,” says Kumar, who was last seen in the web series on Amazon Prime Video, Made in Heaven.
At present it seems like Kumar was always meant to be part of a movie but there was a time when he himself was not sure and he reveals Karnataka and Bengaluru played an important role in that realisation.
“I joined Manipal University for engineering, but realised that this wasn’t going to be my cup of tea for the next four years. So I moved into mass communication in the first year itself. I didn’t want to waste any more time and finances in that sense. It began in 2013. Meanwhile, our group used to perform in the annual festival of NLS Bangalore. I even performed in Mahesh Dattani plays too,” says Kumar, adding that he is here in Bengaluru every month.