Cyrus Broacha
Encyclopedia
Cyrus Broacha is a TV anchor, Theatre Personality, Political Satirist, columnist and author. He is also a stand-up comedian
and prankster, best known for his show Bakra on MTV
and his show The Week that Wasn't on CNN-IBN.
mother. He studied at Cathedral and John Connon School
, Mumbai
and graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. He is also a student of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute (New York).
He started acting at the age of five with a school play The Emperor's New Clothes
. Every year he performed and wrote for the school magazine, winning prizes for English and Drama.
and starred alongside Naseeruddin Shah
. The next year, he did his first professional play Brighton Beach Memoirs under the baton of Pearl Padamsee
. The press hailed him as a child prodigy, and his career in acting took off. He continued acting in several plays, as theatre became his passion. He also came into the limelight during his college's Malhar
festival. When he was in college, FM radio
took off in India, and he gained a reputation as a radio jockey.
After graduation, Cyrus went to the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
in New York
where he studied acting for theatre. After returning to India, he acted in many commercials, television serials and plays. He also hosted shows and corporate events, while pursuing his passion of theatre with over 20 commercial theater productions.
to Shah Rukh Khan. His candid-camera show "MTV Bakra" on MTV India became very popular.
Broacha is MTV International's ambassador for AIDS
Awareness. He has moderated The Youth Conferences with UNAIDS in Hanover and Barcelona. His involvement with MTV and UNAIDS had him interviewing international greats like Bill Clinton
, Nelson Mandela
and Colin Powell
. Cyrus was one of the judges of the MTV Roadies
season 7.He is by far the most popular VJ in the history of Indian television.
. He also presents the show "Faking News" on IBN 7, directed by friend Vijayakar. He led India's Rock the Vote campaign and represented MTV at the UNAIDS conference in Hanover
, Germany
. He moderated the Indian segment of "Be Heard - A Global Discussion With Colin Powell" in February 2002.
He also appeared on Sony Entertainment Television's hit show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa
- India's "Dancing with the Stars" and Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi Level 3
on Colors TV. He is also a columnist
and still writes for two leading national papers and two magazines. He hosts an annual show called 'Greenathon' on NDTV
.
and politics. It traces the lives of two young best friends, Karl and Kunal, giving a humorous, tongue-in-cheek and witty account of how they make it big in tinseltown.
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
and prankster, best known for his show Bakra on MTV
MTV India
MTV India is the Indian version of MTV , a channel specialising in music and youth culture programming. It was launched in 1996 and is now part of the Viacom 18 Media Pvt. Ltd based in Mumbai. . "MTV India" is one of the oldest Music Television Networks in Asia...
and his show The Week that Wasn't on CNN-IBN.
Early years
Cyrus was born on August 7, 1971 to a Parsi father and CatholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
mother. He studied at Cathedral and John Connon School
Cathedral and John Connon School
The Cathedral and John Connon School is a co-educational, private school located in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, established in 1860.According to the Education World-C fore Survey of Schools 2010, the school has been ranked first in the all India ranking of the best schools in India.It was ranked...
, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
and graduated from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. He is also a student of the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute (New York).
He started acting at the age of five with a school play The Emperor's New Clothes
The Emperor's New Clothes
"The Emperor's New Clothes" is a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent...
. Every year he performed and wrote for the school magazine, winning prizes for English and Drama.
Career
Cyrus Brocha, when only 12, acted in his first Hindi film Jalwa with Pankaj ParasharPankaj Parashar
Pankaj Parashar is a Indian film and television director. Among his most-known are cop-thriller Jalwa starring Naseeruddin Shah, the Sridevi hit, ChaalBaaz , and television detective series Karamchand...
and starred alongside Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah is an Indian / Bollywood film actor and director. He is considered to be one of the finest actors of Indian cinema. In 2003, the Government of India honored him with the Padma Bhushan for his contributions towards Indian cinema.-Early life:...
. The next year, he did his first professional play Brighton Beach Memoirs under the baton of Pearl Padamsee
Pearl Padamsee
Pearl Padamsee was an Indian theatre personality as a stage actress, director and producer of English language theatre in Mumbai active in 1950s - 1990s.She also acted a few Hindi and English language films...
. The press hailed him as a child prodigy, and his career in acting took off. He continued acting in several plays, as theatre became his passion. He also came into the limelight during his college's Malhar
Malhar
Malhar is an old raga in Indian classical music. Malhar is associated with the atmosphere of torrential rains.- Legend :According to the legend, Malhar is so powerful that when sung, rain falls from the sky....
festival. When he was in college, FM radio
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
took off in India, and he gained a reputation as a radio jockey.
After graduation, Cyrus went to the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute
__notoc__The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute is an acting school located at 115 East 15th Street between Union Square East and Irving Place in the Union Square neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, as well as at 7936 Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, California...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
where he studied acting for theatre. After returning to India, he acted in many commercials, television serials and plays. He also hosted shows and corporate events, while pursuing his passion of theatre with over 20 commercial theater productions.
MTV
His popularity had MTV seeking him out and offering an opportunity to bring his brand of humour and fun to the small screen. Starting with a campus show "MTV-U" he gained national recognition and MTV Bakra consolidated that. As anchor with MTV, his reputation grew as he became MTV's main face. He has, till date, interviewed almost everyone in the Hindi Film Industry from Amitabh BachchanAmitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is an Indian film actor. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s as the "angry young man" of Hindi cinema, and has since appeared in over 180 Indian films in a career spanning more than four decades...
to Shah Rukh Khan. His candid-camera show "MTV Bakra" on MTV India became very popular.
Broacha is MTV International's ambassador for AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
Awareness. He has moderated The Youth Conferences with UNAIDS in Hanover and Barcelona. His involvement with MTV and UNAIDS had him interviewing international greats like Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
, Nelson Mandela
Nelson Mandela
Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of Umkhonto we Sizwe, the armed wing...
and Colin Powell
Colin Powell
Colin Luther Powell is an American statesman and a retired four-star general in the United States Army. He was the 65th United States Secretary of State, serving under President George W. Bush from 2001 to 2005. He was the first African American to serve in that position. During his military...
. Cyrus was one of the judges of the MTV Roadies
MTV Roadies
MTV Roadies is a youth-based popular reality television show on MTV India.When asked about the show, executive producer said, "Roadies has travel, adventure, drama, touch of voyeurism..."-Format:...
season 7.He is by far the most popular VJ in the history of Indian television.
Host
Cyrus has hosted many cricket shows including the popular Chevrolet Cricket Show on Ten Sports, and interviewed nearly every cricketer from every generation. Cyrus Broacha also anchors a news satire and comedy show, The Week That Wasn't on CNN-IBN, co-written and directed by friend Kunal VijaykarKunal Vijaykar
Kunal Vijayakar is an Indian film actor, director, and television personality who hosts the food show The Foodie on Times Now and comedy-spoof show The Week That Wasn't on CNN IBN with Cyrus Broacha.-Career:...
. He also presents the show "Faking News" on IBN 7, directed by friend Vijayakar. He led India's Rock the Vote campaign and represented MTV at the UNAIDS conference in Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He moderated the Indian segment of "Be Heard - A Global Discussion With Colin Powell" in February 2002.
He also appeared on Sony Entertainment Television's hit show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa
Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa is a television reality show and the Indian version of BBC's Strictly Come Dancing and ABC's Dancing with the Stars.- Concept :...
- India's "Dancing with the Stars" and Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi Level 3
Fear Factor – Khatron Ke Khiladi Level 3
Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi X 3 is the third season of India's reality show Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi, which premiered on Colors on October 2, 2010. Unlike the first two seasons which are hosted by Akshay Kumar, this season is hosted by Bollywood film actress and former Miss World...
on Colors TV. He is also a columnist
Columnist
A columnist is a journalist who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs....
and still writes for two leading national papers and two magazines. He hosts an annual show called 'Greenathon' on NDTV
NDTV
NDTV is an Indian commercial broadcasting television network founded in 1988. It was founded by Prannoy Roy, an eminent journalist and current chairman and director of NDTV Group. NDTV currently has more than 1,000 employees producing news from over twenty locations in India...
.
Actor
Cyrus Broacha has acted in the following Hindi movies;- 9999 (2009 film)-Reception:The film's music received mixed reviews from critics. Indiatimes gave the soundtrack three stars out of four, saying the songs "What's Up", "Soch Mat Dobara", "Punjab Size" were average while praising "Kal Ki Tarah" and "Delhi Destiny". Bollywood Hungama's Joginder Tuteja gave the album...
- Little Zizou
- Fruit and NutFruit and Nut (film)Fruit and Nut is a 2009 Bollywood comedy film directed by well-known comedian Kunal Vijaykar and starring Boman Irani, Cyrus Broacha, Dia Mirza and Mahesh Manjrekar in pivotal roles...
- Mumbai Chakachak
Author
In January 2010, he released his book "Karl, Aaj aur Kal", a semi-autobiographical comedy about celebrities, BollywoodBollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
and politics. It traces the lives of two young best friends, Karl and Kunal, giving a humorous, tongue-in-cheek and witty account of how they make it big in tinseltown.