Rahul Bose ( born July 27, 1967) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, film director, social activist, and rugby union player.
Bose has appeared in Hindi films such as Pyaar Ke Side Effects and Jhankaar Beats. Time Asia magazine named him “the superstar of Indian arthouse cinema”[1] for his work in parallel cinema films like English, August and Mr. and Mrs. Iyer. He is also notable for his social activism: he participated in the relief efforts that followed the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami and is also the founder of the anti-discrimination NGO, The Foundation. Bose is also a former member of India’s international rugby team, the National Orange Indian Rugby Team.
Born July 27, 1967 (1967-07-27) (age 42)
Kolkatta, India
Occupation actor, screenwriter, film director
Early life
Rahul Bose was born to Rupen and Kumud Bose on July 27, 1967. He spent his childhood in Kolkata, West Bengal and then moved to Mumbai with his family. His mother introduced him to boxing and rugby union. He also played cricket and was coached by cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi.
He is an alumnus of the Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai. After being rejected by a number of American universities, Bose attended Sydenham College. While at the college he played on the school’s rugby team and competed at the Western India Championships, winning a silver medal in boxing. After his mother’s death in 1987, Bose began working as a copy writer at Rediffusion. Bose left his job as an advertising creative director to become a full-time actor after the release of his first film, English, August.
Stage and film career
Bose started his acting career at age six when he played the lead in his school play, Tom, the Piper’s Son. He later performed on the Bombay stage in the plays Topsy Turvy and There Are Tigers In The Congo. He also performed abroad in venues such as the Leicester Haymarket in England where he starred in Tim Murari’s The Square Circle. After his aunt sent his head shots to director Dev Benegal, he was cast in the film English, August. His other notable films include Split Wide Open (Best Actor, Singapore Film Festival, 2000), Mr. and Mrs. Iyer, Jhankaar Beats, and Pyaar Ke Side Effects. In 2001, he made his directorial debut with Everybody Says I’m Fine!. Despite his roles in more mainstream movies like Thakshak and Pyaar Ke Side Effects, Bose has been called “the superstar of Indian arthouse cinema” by Time Asia and “the Sean Penn of Oriental cinema” by Maxim. He was scheduled to begin shooting his adaptation of Mohsin Hamid’s novel, Moth Smoke in early 2010, but the project was postponed after the film’s financial backers pulled out. The Japanese Wife, the third Aparna Sen film in which he has has appeared, is scheduled for release in June 2009.
Sports career
In 1998, Bose was part of the first Indian national rugby team to play in an international event, the Asian Rugby Football Union Championship. He has played both scrum-half and right-winger positions. In an interview with Daily News & Analysis, Bose indicated that he would not return to the team for the 2009 season.
Activism
Bose assisted in the relief efforts in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands after the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. As a result of this work, Bose launched the Andaman and Nicobar Scholarship Initiative through his NGO, The Foundation. The scholarship program provides for the education of underprivileged children from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. He is also the founder and chairman of The Group of Groups, an umbrella organisation for 51 Mumbai charitable organisations and NGOs. Bose is associated with several other charitable organizations such as Akshara Centre, Breakthrough, and the Spastics Society of India. In addition, he became the first Indian Oxfam global ambassador in 2007. He is also an ambassador for the American India Foundation, the World Youth Peace Movement and Planet Alert. He was also a vocal proponent of Narmada Bachao Andolan and its efforts to halt the construction of the Narvada dam. Bose has given lectures on gender equality and human rights at Oxford and during the 2004 World Youth Peace Summit.
Personal life
Rahul Bose formerly dated Koel Purie, who he directed in his film, Everybody Says I’m Fine!. The couple also appeared together in the 2004 film White Noise.
Filmography
Actor
Year Film Role Other notes
1994 English, August Agastya Sen
1995 A Mouthful of Sky Sarkar, Pavan TV
1996 Bomgay The Lefty
1998 Bombay Boys Ricardo Fernandes
1999 Split Wide Open Kut Price
Thakshak Sunny
2001 Everybody Says I’m Fine! Rage
2002 Mr. and Mrs. Iyer Raja
2003 Jhankaar Beats Rishi
Ek Din 24 Ghante Virendra
Mumbai Matinee Debashish “Debu” Chatterjee
Chameli Aman Kapoor
2004 White Noise Karan Deol
2005 The Fall Short film
Scrum in the Mud with Rahul Bose Himself TV documentary
Silsilay Neel
Kaalpurush Son
15 Park Avenue Joydeep “Jojo” Roy
‘ Kabir
2006 Anuranan Rahul Chatterjee
Pyaar Ke Side Effects Siddharth “Sid” Bose
The Whisperers Sid
The Other Side of Bollywood Himself Documentary
2007 Chain Kulii Ki Main Kulii Varun
Before the Rains T. K. Neelan
2008 Shaurya Major Siddhant Chaudhary
Maan Gaye Mughal-e-Azam Arjun
Dil Kabaddi Rishi
Tahaan Zafar
2009 Antaheen Abhik Choudhury
The Japanese Wife Snehamoy Chatterjee Completed
Mumbai Chakachak Completed
Zara Jee Ke Dikha Filming
Exchange Offer Completed
Bits and Pieces Arindam Completed
2010 Click and Marry Announced
Fired Announced
Playback singing
Year Film Song
2006 Anuranan “Akashe chhorano megher”
Writer/director
Year Film Notes
2001 Everybody Says I’m Fine!
2006 The Whisperers Script
