"Method" acting in India! :) I remember reading a lot about this style of acting, popularized by Strasberg at the Actor's Studio in New York City decades ago, back when I was in my early twenties. Its very famous and India, with its fabulous Bollywood industry, is the perfect place for a school devoted to this technique. Many noted faces in the west have been "method" trained-some have even won Oscars.

In an exciting new venture into the development of international acting talent, the prestigious Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, home of Strasberg's trademarked 'Method' acting training process, has announced a partnership with Optimus Management Group, of Hartford, Connecticut, to open the first Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute India, home of the burgeoning Bollywood film industry. The partners plan to open Strasberg Institute India in two locations, Mumbai and Hyderabad, by early 2010.

Founder and CEO of Optimus Management Group, Ahmed A Ahsan, and esteemed Bollywood director Rahuul Rawail have formed an exclusive partnership to operate the Lee Strasberg Institute in India. In a contract signed today with co-founder Anna Strasberg and CEO David Lee Strasberg, they have entered into an agreement to develop the first Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute India which will offer students the only sanctioned 'Method' training facility outside of the US. Currently, there are two Strasberg Theater and Film Institutes operating in this country; at their headquarters in New York City and in Los Angeles.

The Strasberg Institute India will be run by veteran Bollywood director Rahuul Rawail who has more than 30 films to his credit including some of the biggest blockbusters of the Indian cinema. Rawail is also keenly interested in the development of young talent. As CEO of the Institute in India, Rawail hopes to offer the next generation of talented Indian actors the chance to compete globally as the country continues to export more of its films and its stars to the international market.

Strasberg Institute India's co-founder, Ahmed A Ahsan, has grown the Optimus Management Group in Hartford, Connecticut into an award-winning company which provides management consulting and human resource solutions throughout the country. Ahsan was inspired by recent growth in the Bollywood film industry and decided to apply his business acumen to the development of a top-notch Acting School in India so that interested and talented young actors who couldn't afford the expense of studying abroad could take advantage of the best actors' training available. He also envisions the long-term potential for attracting a stream of production opportunities to Connecticut and North America. The development of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute India is the first step in that direction.

ALSO READ: Now, a film on Shiney controversy!