It's showtime for Bollywood filmmakers

Filmmakers today believe that if they can teach acting, they certainly can act too
This year will see no less than eight Bollywood filmmakers as full-fledged actors in films. Not guest appearances or a walk off, it’s some serious acting talent that has emerged from behind the scenes.
Remember Sonakshi Sinha’s dad in “Dabangg”? That was director Mahesh Manjrekar.He also has a prominent role of a sophisticated businessman in the Salman Khan-starrer “Ready”. While directors Anurag Kashyap and Anurag Basu were seen as actors in Onir’s “I AM”, Madhur Bhandarkar has a prominent role in Rahul Dholakia’s “Society”. Anurag Kashyap, who plays a child-abusing father in “I AM”, will also be doing more films where he will play one of the principal characters. One of them is the Nana Patekar-starrer “Shagird”, where he’d be seen in the role of a gangster. Kashyap, in turn, has roped in filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia to turn actor for “Gangs Of Wasseypur”. If the buzz is to be believed, Imtiaz Ali, who refused many acting roles – the last one being Vishal Bhardwaj’s “Saat Khoon Maaf” – has given his nod for acting in Sushil Rajpal’s “Old Monk”. Soon after “Haunted” releases, Vikram Bhatt will come onscreen to play a husband whose wife cheats on him.
Also bitten by the acting bug is “Mumbai Meri Jaan” director Nishikant Kamat, who will play the lead in the upcoming film “404”, opposite Tisca Chopra. As to why he chose to take up acting, he says, “The director of the film, Prawaal Raman, urged me to play the lead, and I agreed because he’s an old friend of mine. Plus it’s a good break from directing. He’s put in a lot of responsibility on my shoulders by having me play the protagonist, so I better live up to it.” The film also stars filmmaker Satish Kaushik in an important role.
After establishing himself as a director, Satish acted in many slapstick comedies, and was showered with compliments for his acting in “Brick Lane” and “Road, Movie”. “If a filmmaker himself approaches another filmmaker to play a role, it is indeed a compliment. He’s not even scared of any interference or suggestions in the script which may come naturally from the director-turned-actor on the sets. Plus, I believe many directors have an acting streak in them, so why not explore it? If they can teach acting, they can certainly act too,” says Kaushik.
Dare we disagree?
Directors bitten by the acting bug
Madhur Bhandarkar- “Society”
Anurag Kashyap – “I AM” and “Black Friday”
Anurag Basu – “I AM”
Mahesh Manjrekar– “Wanted”, “Dabangg” and “Ready”
Tigmanshu Dhulia – “Gangs Of Wasseypur”
Nishikant Kamat – “404”
Imtiaz Ali – “Old Monk”
Satish Kaushik - “404”, “Road, Movie”, “Brick Lane” and many others
Vikram Bhatt – His untitled next
Rituparno Ghosh – “Memories In March”
Apoorva Lakhia – “Knock Out”
Farhan Akhtar – “Rock On!!”, “Luck By Chance”, “Karthik Calling Karthik” and “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara”