New Delhi, Jan. 31: At risk of losing deemed university status, India’s premier theatre school is planning to thumb its nose at “bookish” norms — with a university of its own.

The National School of Drama, the alma mater of actors like Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Seema Biswas, has approached the culture ministry, its parent body, for permission to set up a culture university that would function as an academy for all dramatic arts.

The move followed a probe by a review panel that sent a detailed questionnaire to all 130 deemed universities across the country. Sources involved with the review said the NSD — never keen about its deemed university status — could face government action for not participating fully in the probe.

The NSD, granted the tag in 2005 but hauled up recently by the UGC for not meeting requirements like stipulated number of professors and readers with mandatory teaching qualifications, says culture cannot be straitjacketed to fit norms.

Director Anuradha Kapur said the NSD was a “practising arts institution” with acclaimed stage artistes, choreographers and dance gurus, and could not be treated like any other normal university. “Great kathakali gurus and exponents teach our students. You cannot ask them to go in for a NET examination,” she had said.

The culture ministry has asked the Delhi-based school to submit a concept note regarding the proposed university. “The NSD has evinced interest in setting up a culture university. The NSD has a logic when it says culture cannot be straitjacketed like any other discipline. The education imparted by the NSD is not bookish,” culture secretary Jawhar Sircar said.

Theatre personality Sathya Prakash said the NSD did not need deemed university status. “Great actors like Om Puri were products of the NSD. But they were not taught by those who have cleared NET.”

Sircar said the NSD’s proposal had been placed before the Central Advisory Board of Education but added that if the institute didn’t want to go by UGC norms, it should present an alternative set of criteria. “It is up to the NSD to come up with an alternative yet credible criteria.”

Sources in the NSD said the institute was planning to turn itself into an academy of dramatic arts that would offer a five-year (3+2) course. The NSD now offers three-year full-time residential diplomas in dramatic arts. Graduates in any subject from a recognised university who have participated in at least six theatre productions can apply.

“Right now there is no scope for specialisation. With the +2 component, the NSD will be able to offer research projects, too,” said a faculty member, adding that the institute had set up a “vision committee” to work out the modalities for the proposed university.

The NSD also has plans to venture into television and radio production. Training at the school covers dramatic literature, aesthetics, theory of acting, mime and movement, martial arts, yoga, music, stage techniques and design.