Meet Neeltarni Pratap

We were lucky to catch up with Neeltarni Pratap recently and have shared our conversation below.

Neeltarni, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

I learned my resilience from my father.
He understood, deeply, that pain is temporary. Because of that, he smiled through every phase of life. He taught me that happiness isn’t something you postpone—it’s a direction you choose. When things get dark, he would say, keep your face toward the sun, and the shadows will fall behind you. Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.

That belief became my compass when I started The NEGATIVE, an improv startup in India. On the surface, it’s a space where people come to learn improv. At its core, it’s a place where people come to Learn to FAIL — and discover that failure isn’t the opposite of success, but a lesson in resilience. You fail so much that you are not afraid of failure anymore, which if you think is a lesson in resilience.

Building a startup tests you in invisible ways—through uncertainty, rejection, and long stretches of faith. In those moments, my father’s teachings have kept me going. The NEGATIVE exists because of that inheritance: a belief that joy can survive uncertainty, that failure can be generous, and that resilience is built by choosing the light, again and again.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I am a performer and an entrepreneur, guided by two core ideas: learn to fail and follow the fun. My primary focus is The NEGATIVE, an improv startup in India that I co-founded with Krishan Hooda, firm director & improviser, to create personal transformation through improv and clowning.

The NEGATIVE grew out of my own journey. I spent over ten years training in Los Angeles at iO West, Second City, and UCB, along with clowning through The Idiot Workshop, Chad Damiani, and Mick Barnfather, and scene study with Howard Fine. More than technique, this training reshaped how I show up—in work, creativity, and life. I wanted to make that transformation accessible to others.

What excites me most is how The NEGATIVE has grown into more than a classroom. It’s becoming a creative ecosystem—training beginners, nurturing performers, developing original long-form and competitive shows, and building a community rooted in collaboration rather than perfection. We work with people from all walks of life, many of whom never imagined they’d step on stage.

We’re currently expanding across India and preparing to bring The NEGATIVE to Texas and Los Angeles in the near future. At heart, the brand is about trusting play as a serious tool for growth—and choosing joy, even when the outcome is unknown.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, three things have mattered the most in my journey.

First—improv and clowning.
This education didn’t just shape my acting career, it shaped how I live. Improv and clowning taught me how to be present, confident, how to listen, how to stay vulnerable, and how to not panic when things fall apart. On stage, it made me a better actor. Off stage, it gave me real life skills—how to deal with uncertainty, how to trust people, how to recover quickly. I don’t separate my art from my life anymore because this training connects the two.

Second—being okay with the unconventional path.
I’ve always loved taking unconventional routes, and honestly, some of the unconventional choices I made led to dead ends. They cost me time, energy, and sometimes a lot emotionally. But I don’t regret them. Those detours taught me what didn’t feel true, and that clarity eventually helped me build work that actually feels like mine. I’d rather arrive late than arrive somewhere I don’t belong.

Third—persistence.
Not the glamorous kind—just showing up again and again. There were many moments where things weren’t working, where it felt like nothing was moving, and quitting would have been easier. Persistence for me has been about staying curious, staying playful, and trusting that something is forming even when I can’t see it yet. I think one of my favorite quotes by Steve Jobs fits well here “Stay hungry, stay foolish”!

For anyone early in their journey, I’d say this:
Learn things that change you as a human, not just as a professional. Don’t be afraid to take strange turns—they’ll teach you more than the straight road ever will. And when it feels slow or pointless, don’t rush to exit. Sometimes the work isn’t failing—you’re just still becoming.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

Yes—absolutely. The NEGATIVE is at a stage where we are actively looking to scale, and that means we’re open to meaningful partnerships across multiple fronts.

We are currently seeking investors and strategic partners who believe in the long-term value of experiential learning, live performance, and community-driven arts education. The NEGATIVE has proven its model in India, and we’re now ready to expand into new cities—building a strong network, or as we like to call it, an army of trained teachers and performers who can carry the philosophy forward with integrity and play.

We’re also excited to collaborate with international partners who want to bring The NEGATIVE to new countries—whether through classes, workshops, residencies, or fully produced shows. This includes theatre owners, cultural institutions, festivals, universities, and independent producers who see the power of improv and clowning as both performance and personal transformation.

In addition, we’re actively looking for brand sponsors and cultural partners who want to support original live shows, competitive formats, tours, and education programs. Our audiences are engaged, curious, and community-driven, making sponsorships not just visible, but meaningful.

If you’re reading this and feel aligned—whether as an investor, collaborator, sponsor, or creative partner—you can connect with us through The NEGATIVE’s social media (@thenegativeschool on instagram) or email [email protected]. We’re looking for people who don’t just want to fund or host something—but want to help build something that’s playful, resilient, and global in spirit.

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