Actor Alok Panday of 'Batla House' and 'MS Dhoni: The Untold Story' fame was in Lucknow recently. Making most of his visit, the Sahjahanpur-born actor visited his alma mater Bhartendu Natya Akademi (BNA) in Gomti Nagar. The Lucknow Central actor, who is a 2011 batch pass-out of BNA, believes that whatever he has achieved today is because of the institute. Sharing his feelings while visiting the institute, he said, “It was kind of a rebirth for me during those two years when I was studying here. I owe everything to this institute.” Talking about meeting with his mentors and the students, the Prem Ratan Dhan Paayo actor says, "This visit to BNA was a memorable one. I met the students there and visited classrooms and hostel, I also spent a good time with my teachers Chitra ma’am and Lalit Singh Pokhariya sir. A lot of memories got refreshed as we chit-chatted about memorable incidents while I was studying here. They also shared their life experiences with me, it was kind of a master class for me. I also got opened the BM Shah auditorium where I staged my life’s first play. So, the visit was a nostalgic one for me, a kind of complete flashback for me. I had a great time here!"

Alok Panday visited BNA and met the faculty and students there (BCCL/ Aditya Yadav)
Alok has also done films like PK and Sanam Teri Kasam. He also has shot for many movies in Lucknow including Batla House and the Pankaj Kapoor-starrer Saher. Talking about the increase in the number of shoots here, he says, “It always feels good to shoot in Lucknow as I have studied and spent a lot of time here. The good thing is that Lucknow and its people have become familiar with the shoots and have been very cooperative. It is also a boon for actors who are not able to move to Mumbai for various reasons.”
Sharing his feelings of working with John Abraham in the film Batla House, Alok says, “John Abraham was very supportive during the entire shoot and even appreciated my work a lot. By the time the shoot ended we were sharing a very good rapport. He is a very keen learner and it was a big surprise for me when an actor of his stature asked me about how I prepare for a role, the process of getting into a character and more. So, it was an overall great experience.”