1- From acting dreams to being a successful casting director in Bollywood, what have you learnt from this journey?
The journey has been surprising for me from day 1. With time what I have learnt and believed is hardwork, passion and dedication can make you achieve your goal in life be it any career. The most important factor is loyalty towards your work which makes you succeed and grow with time.
2- You have played small roles in films like Grand Masti and Double Dhamaal. Do you wish to play a bigger or lead role in films or have you given up on acting?
At present my focus is to give my best as a casting director and my goal is turn a producer. Casting is something I really enjoy and I am passionate about. As a producer I have already produced an International commercial and a short film where on of the project has two well known personalities naming Shahid Afridi and Nasser Hussain Ex captain of England. Talking about acting which I am not really thinking about at the moment since I have planned few things that I want to get into soon and I am working towards my goal.
3- Abhishek Banerjee also has a similar journey in Bollywood. He also wanted to act first but later got into casting direction and now he is pursuing both. Do you see him as an inspiration?
It feels great to see people who are focussed and who keep going for something that they are passionate about. It is commendable to not leave your dreams and simultaneously work on another profession with the same dedication. Abhishek Banerjee is definitely setting an example for others who can follow their dreams and not give up.
4- Bhool Bhulaiyaa had popular actors Vidya Balan and Akshay Kumar as lead actors. What made you cast young actors like Kartik Aaryan and Kiara Advani in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2?
A dear friend of mine Mukesh Chhabra who is a well known casting director is casting for Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2.
5- How do you choose actors for films? Do you have a list of actors who will fit the role or genre or do you take their audition and sign them up?
Every casting's requirement is the look of an actor and If an actor fits well in look is when he or she is auditioned. Casting is a tough task because when a director takes a casting director on board for any project is when he has complete trust in the casting director on his knowledge. Today we have many casting directors in the Industry but very few are working with well known productions because they have proved themselves with their work. For example when I am in the narration of any film and when character briefs are discussed I get 4/5 options in my head at the moment knowing the character requirement and this comes with experience in the field. Being a casting director it is my responsibility to give best of the options thats 6/8 to the producer. Once the actor fits in the look is when we see the performance of the actor but we do give priority to the theatre background since their skills are brushed and with time we do have workshops for the actor which gets them in the skin of the character totally.
6- You have done quite a few multi-starrers. After the film released, did you feel that abc actor could have played the other character better than the one you had chosen?
An expert in any field should never have a doubt in his decisions and after taking a decision if this doubt comes which somewhere states he or she is still not the best at it. The aspiring actors are full of passion and giving them opportunity where they prove them self is what makes me happy by finding a new talent. The recent film that I casted for was 'Pagaalpanti' where I casted a talented actor Inaamul Haque who has been seen in films like Airlift and Jolly LLB for the character of Nirav Modi which is the negative lead. We already had pitched to a well known actor but I thought casting an actor who has had worked in few. Having trust in the actor is what made me convince the director for Inaamul and the actor has proved his craft in the film making his presence felt. This is what makes me feel good about my work where people could accept an actor in the character that I have casted for.
7- Anything else you would like to add?
I would like to say that casting as a career is a safe profession and I feel every category has a learning school like acting, editing, direction and many but there has been no subject for casting which can give great opportunities to people. Casting has a good package of salary and I have come across many who want to learn casting but having no option , so I make them work with me as intern and teach them the technicality of the field.
I am looking ahead for the upcoming projects that I am casting for in 2020. There are 8-10 projects that I am casting for, from which 3 require hardcore casting for which I will be traveling as well. Also I am working on a Hollywood project which is in the process. Hopefully 2020 will be coming with great concept of films and I am sure the audience will have a good time watching them.
Upcoming projects:
1- Untitled film of Carnival Cinemas which will be directed by Faraz Haider
2- 'Maahi' an upcoming film which will be directed by Vikram Sandhu
No comments:
Post a Comment