Mumbai: Actor Kislay Dutt, known for playing Shukla in Office Office Chali Mussadi Ki Beti and for projects such as Dev DD and Mariyam Khan, took an unusual route to the screen: an M.Sc. in Biotechnology, research as a junior scientist at NIMHANS, medical studies in trichology and cosmetology, and years spent teaching biology to high school students. On National Education Day, the actor, who also runs his own clinic, spoke about how education shaped him and why he believes passion decides where a degree can take you.
“Education has been the ultimate foundational compass of my life, but not in a rigid, single-track sense. It trained my mind to understand human nature, from the cellular and physiological level to the emotional and behavioral level. That deep scientific and medical understanding doesn’t just serve my medical practice; it feeds directly into my craft as an actor. Education gave me discipline, versatility, and the confidence to continuously evolve without losing my core focus,” he said.
Looking back at his formative years, he credited his time at NIMHANS, and later standing in front of a classroom as a lecturer in Mehsana and Indore, with reshaping his perspective.
“Teaching 11th and 12th graders taught me that real education isn’t about rote learning, it’s about connection and empathy,” he said, adding, “At the same time, leading drawing classes, anchoring, and choreographing school and college functions showed me that logic and artistic expression aren’t opposites; they are two sides of the same coin.”
That conviction, that you do not have to put yourself in a single box, is what he carried onto the set and into the clinic. He said, “I view this shift as a vibrant, necessary evolution. For a long time, society measured success through a very narrow lens: medicine, engineering, or law. While those remain noble and vital professions, today’s generation recognizes that human potential isn’t limited to a few traditional titles.”
“Today, your degree doesn’t define your ceiling. A background in science or humanities gives you critical thinking, but life gives you the canvas. Moving from research and teaching into acting and clinical practice proved to me that formal education builds the intellectual engine, but your passion determines where you drive it,” he added.
He feels deeply grateful and fulfilled by the path he has taken, and said, “It hasn’t been a straight line. However, fulfillment doesn’t mean standing still. Ambition is a lifelong journey. I still have so much more to explore on screen, more compelling stories to tell, character arcs to dive into, and creative projects to bring to life. For me, the journey of learning, creating, and performing is only getting started.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=RtToJsBhYBatUrym&v=mOuYNSdhjHA&feature=youtu.be
