Our Success Stories Say It All

When you are an actor the mechanism of language must be on and without this it’s difficult to exist in the world of movies. I find myself very fortunate to be trained by Rajan sir. I always struggled with my pronunciations and he has not only taught me but he made sure that it starts reflecting while I speak. I remember reciting so many poems with him and it makes so much sense today as it made my speech so easy for my own mind. My classes were full of energy, positive vibrations and at the same time lot of fun that made classes so interesting. I always looked forward for next class eagerly waiting and Rajan sir being a master, his discipline and dedication influenced me as a student. I can’t thank him enough for raising my confidence level. It has been a great learning experience. I still remember the first lesson I learnt from Rajan sir is “accept yourself”. The moment we accept that something is wrong it’s always the beginning of correcting it. A teacher like Rajan sir only accepts result oriented gratitude and I hope he accepts my Thank you.

A part of life happens inside classroom and lot of life happens around it, in the mind and heart of a child. Theater in education is a breathing force which enables us to express. I was a student at DPS R K Puram, tired of shifting schools and failed at making friends. Theater then, gave me a voice, an outlet to express and to realize my personality. It is a huge platform for our Children to realize their true potential. Not necessarily everyone becomes an Actor by profession but what you gain by opening your arms to theater activities is unimaginable. It can transform an introvert into an extrovert. It can enable you to deal with your biggest fears, just like that! It can transform people. In the present scenario, Theater in education is an answer to lot of problems that our children are facing today. To be able to tell stories, to be able to dance and sing, to be able to express, is the biggest form of education. It opens the world to the child, it teaches them to be more receptive, spontaneous and true to their spirit. It makes their Parents and teachers proud of them.

Rajan Chawla has been the most sincere teacher when I studied theatre in Delhi. His involvement and learning is immense. It will be an honor for our children to be under his guidance. You will see them transforming from a caterpillar to a butterfly. I wish him all the very best and power to pursue this noble cause for our children. It’s my pleasure to introduce Phoenix Theatre-In-Education Company to you.

It is really an amazing learning experience from Rajan Sir, as it is all about giving facial expressions in front of camera or modulation of voice or even fight with the stage fright. I am so thankful to Rajan Sir and his company that I got the opportunity of learning from him. I must say that when I deliver the dialogues for camera I try to recollect what all he has taught me to give my best shot. I wish him and his institution a very best of luck so he can keep producing excellent actors as ever.

This is to commend Mr. Rajan Chawla for his incredible knowledge of teaching acting and theatre skills. He has taught me as an acting instructor and now as he is the Director of Phoenix Theatre-In-Education Company, I wish him and his team all the best for future endeavor. He brought forward good qualities such as spontaneity, creativity, preparing for character, face expressions, body language, voice modulation etc. that are needed to perform well in the competitive level of film and television.

He is a good individual performer and a great group leader. His unconventional way of thinking helped me learning and growing. What I am doing today has a big part of his teaching and guidance.

I was working as a professional voice-over artiste in Delhi in 2004, I had been doing it for 3 years and was learning on the job but my range was limited. I wanted to improve the range in my voice so that I could do more and diverse characters, at the same time I wanted to act in front of live audiences so I wanted to learn more and go back to school to learn the craft of acting. Mr Rajan Chawla is the man who taught me the importance of voice and using different voice registers and in the class I learnt the importance of body postures and movement. It opened an entire new world for me, I was able to mimic new characters and went on to associate with NDTV puppet show Gustakhi maaf for about ten years in Delhi.

It was this training that still makes me think about a scene ten times before I perform it. I work as a full time stand-up comedian and if you have seen my work on YouTube, you might have noticed that I use a lot of physical movement but in a very subtle and restrained way. It is all choreographed in advance, how do I know it ? Because I learnt it from my acting teacher Mr Rajan Chawla. His way of teaching has stayed with me because it is practical and easy to remember. Tools learnt in acting class help me everywhere whether be it voice-overs, acting for camera or stand-up comedy which I approach as a solo interactive play. If you are serious about a career in acting, Mr. Rajan Chawla is the man.

Rajan has been my Teacher, Trainer and a Friend for last 18 Years. As an actor he is always calm and composed, emotes with ease and always justifies the character. He acts with passion and at the same time teaches without any bias and prejudice. He is sincere with his teaching and has clear defined set of goals and objectives.

His Teaching style incorporates:

• Well laid out instructions
• Brainstorming and question-answer sessions
• Understanding of individual differences and needs
• Helps to overcome inhibitions and shyness
• Making every individual assertive and confident

I was fortunate to have Mr. Rajan Chawla as my instructor/teacher. I completed both, my acting training and Theatre-in-Education training under him and also had the opportunity working with him. He is one of the very few teachers, who is both- a very fine actor and a teacher at the same time. I was not only able to learn the nuances of acting but some great tools that I use in my own workshops that I conduct.

The methods learnt under him have always reached out to the students and have been very helpful in their participation, growth and development. The T.I.E activities games and methods cater to the needs of all children, helping them to develop concentration, listening skills, teamwork, agility, confidence that I am sure will contribute to their overall development as individuals. Mr.Chawla has had great influence on me as an actor and also as a theatre-in-education practitioner. Today many schools are open to these techniques and I have received immense appreciation for my methods and work.

I remember the time when straight out of school, my life didn't have a definite plan. Theatre gave my life a sense of direction in achieving my dream, it was so much more of your efforts that helped! I remember, I’d always run to you for help when I didn't understand anything. You were always there as a guide, a friend, a teacher!

It’s been such a long time since then but the lessons learnt back then have stayed with me because they were so much more than just theatre lessons. I learnt a lot more about people, about behavior, moods and life.

My profession revolves around emotions. These are 'real' life emotions involving 'real' people sitting in different corners of the world. And had it not been for all that I learnt under your guidance Rajan, I would not have such an able understanding of my own work. You have unknowingly been one of the few people who have shaped my personality. Thank you for everything.

I and Rajan have had a very long association. And although I'm an anchor right now and, you know, I do a lot of debating and talking on television, but it was acting that I learned from Rajan which really taught me, you know, how to be confident in front of the screen, how to formulate sentences and you know how to keep my emotions in check because trust me, you know, when you are anchoring you have to be you know, you have to be able to keep a tap on your emotions. So Rajan's teachings and, you know, the way he has coached me in the past has really been helpful. He's a great guy and I wish his team and him all the best. And even if you want to be an anchor or if you want to be, you know, in front of the screen, learning acting and learning the nuances of being in front of the camera is something which is very important and Rajan does it in a way that will last you for a long long time, a lifetime rather. And it has absolutely worked for me. So, here's wishing Rajan and his entire team all the best.

I think acting is something that anybody and everybody can talk about, and anything and everything is a lesson. But there are few people who diligently work towards finding a method in teaching or training people for theater or any performance. There are very few people like that. The time that I spent with Rajan Chawla sir during a theater workshop makes me feel that he is one of those rare pedagogues. His teachings can be invaluable for anyone. He is a very, very disciplined, dedicated, sincere, hard-working, and giving teacher. I wish him and his team the very best in their new endeavor. Theater has been life-changing for me, and I'm sure it can be life-changing for anyone.

I had been auditioning for many years, but nothing seemed to work out. Then, I joined the online acting classes offered by Phoenix Theatre-In-Education. Rajan Chawla Sir taught me the nuances of acting, such as improvisation, characterization, how to approach a scene, how to approach a character, emotions, and body language. He also covered many other topics like method acting and the Meisner technique. After learning all this, I started clearing my auditions. I recently did a few television commercials for Burger King, Symphony Cooler, and Tata Insurance, and have some other projects that haven't been released yet. All of this was possible only because of Rajan Chawla Sir. So thank you so much, Sir. Thank you so much, Phoenix.