Why Siddharth Roy Kapoor and Mira Nair are raising funds for Yeh Ballet’s Achintya Bose

Sooni Taraporevala and Muzaffar Ali were among the people who attended a fundraiser for the dancer-actor to realise his dreams

Achintya Bose; (right) with Siddharth Roy Kapur

Siddharth Roy Kapoor, the producer of the critically acclaimed 2020 Netflix film Yeh Ballet has more than just a professional connection with the film. The producer recently organised a fundraiser titled Dare To Dream for Yeh Ballet actor Achintya Bose so that he can pursue his dream.

Read more: Vidya Balan on how she met husband Siddharth Roy Kapur. Did Karan Johar play Cupid?

Siddharth presented a fundraiser evening along with the Ardea Foundation, at which the film was screened. This was attended by screenwriter Sooni Taraporevala and directors Anusha Rizvi and Bhaskar Hazarika. Also present were art philanthropists like Monsoon Bissell, Aditi Jaitly from the Performing Arts, Aseem Vadehra from the Kiran Nadar Museum of Art, and Vidyun Singh and Sunit Tandon from the India Habitat Centre.

Achintya, who was also present at the fundraiser, surprised those in attendance with a dance performance choreographed by him before the film screening.

Achintya, a dancer-actor who made his acting debut in the Netflix original film, has received a partial scholarship to the prestigious Sharon Disney Lund School of Dance at CalArts. But he needs additional financial support to fully realise his dreams.

Speaking after the event, Siddharth was hopeful of being able to help Achintya realise his dreams. "It is gratifying that the audience here recognised and appreciated Achintya as a performer and as someone that they clearly would like to support because it is incredible how his real-life story is mirroring the character in the film and the fact he’s got admission to Cal Arts, which is a wonderful school. I think we should all get together to support it, and I hope that this screening enables us to be able to send him on a journey that he was born to be on," he said.

Filmmaker Mira Nair who lent her support to the fundraising initiative, said that she hopes this encourages young people to follow their passions. "It gives me great joy to be here and support Achintya through his remarkable performance and this remarkable film. It dares me and encourages us all, especially the young people, to go with the impulse of their love and passion," she said.

Calling Achintya her "miracle boy", Yeh Ballet writer and director Sooni Taraporevala said, “Achintya is a remarkable young man, with boundless talent and a passion for hard work. For Yeh Ballet, he learned ballet, breakdancing, and acting all in a short period of time, earning him the title I gave him: my miracle boy. I am certain he will make them and all of us proud.”

Achintya played Asif in Yeh Ballet, a rebellious teenager who is passionate about hip-hop. In the film, he defies all odds and overcomes social barriers to become a successful male ballet dancer. This is close to Achintya's real-life story, as he too is fighting to see his dream come true.

Speaking about this, Achintya said, "This movie is about dreams; I hope that resonates with people. With my dreams coming closer to becoming reality, I feel I am reliving Asif and his life."

Yeh Ballet is written and directed by Sooni Taraporevala and produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur. It stars Achintya Bose, Manish Chauhan, Julian Sands, Jim Sarbh Danish Husain, Vijay Maurya, Heeba Shah, and Kalyanee Mulay. It is available to stream on Netflix.

Read also: OTTplay Awards 2022: Vidya Balan gives husband Siddharth Roy Kapur a flying kiss as she bags best actor female (jury)

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