The rising relevance of the casting director in Bollywood

Casting directors are emerging as key players in the Hindi film industry today–a far cry from the scenario two decades ago. We look at five prominent names that have made a mark for themselves

When Shekhar Kapur was casting for his movie Bandit Queen (1996), he had a certain set of actors in mind to play the role of the protagonist–the dacoit Phoolan Devi. A discussion with actor and director Tigmanshu Dhulia led him to watch the play Khoobsurat Bahu in New Delhi in which Seema Biswas was acting. “I pointed towards her and told Shekharji, she is your Bandit Queen,” Dhulia had revealed in an interview to a film website in 2014. Considered one of the masterpieces of Indian cinema today, the controversial movie was also perhaps one of the first Hindi films to give credit to a casting director–Tigmanshu Dhulia.

The concept of a casting director is fairly new in Hindi cinema. Take a look at the films made between the 1970s and 1990s and you would find the same set of actors being repeated for similar roles over and over again. No wonder actor Iftekhar’s image is fixed in our minds as the dignified police inspector! The quest for new talent and fresh faces led filmmakers to start approaching casting directors in the early-to-mid-2000s. Prior to that, while the main stars were approached by the filmmakers themselves, the job of finding actors to play the smaller characters fell to the assistant directors.

Today, casting is considered one of the most important aspects of filming and casting directors are being looked upon as specialists in the field who can elevate a project with their skills. The advent of OTT platforms, too, has worked in their favour. As more content is generated, there is a greater demand for finding new talent. We take a look at some of the most prominent casting directors in the Hindi film industry today.

Gautam Kishanchandani

Prominent projects: Black Friday, Dev.D, No One Killed Jessica, Saand Ki Aankh, Sacred Games 2, Guilty Minds, Modern Love 2 episodes

Watching Black Friday today, one is left amazed at the brilliant casting for the almost 200 characters of Anurag Kashyap’s critically acclaimed crime drama. What’s even more amazing is it was Gautam Kishanchandani’s first film as a casting director. Until Kashyap told him he is giving him credit for casting, Kishanchandani was not even aware that such a thing exists! “Then I looked at some Hollywood films and realised they credit their casting directors,” he laughs.

Kishanchandani’s love affair with filmmaking began when he saw Roja on the big screen during his second year of studying medicine. Although he became a doctor, he soon quit the profession to pursue his dream of directing a film. Filmmaking did not happen, but he stumbled upon casting with Black Friday and with Kashyap egging him on, took up more projects such as Aamir, No One Killed Jessica, Ghanchakkar, Dev.D and No Smoking. He took a break from casting for almost four years to write and pitch his own scripts. When that didn’t work out, he went through a low phase that lasted a while until he pulled himself back on track.

Recalling the days when actors would hardly be given half an hour or so to rehearse a scene, Kishanchandani says that he realised that this was counter-productive. “When I did a tele-film called Three Aces with Deepak Dobriyal, actors were given at least two or three days to prep and were called at a specific time to audition. Thereon, that is how I functioned,” he recalls. Selective about his work, he now has Kashyap’s Dobaara, Anubhuti Kashyap’s Doctor G and Vishal Bhardwaj’s Khufiya among his upcoming projects. And yes, he still hopes to direct a film someday.

Nandini Shrikent

Prominent projects:Luck by Chance, Don, Life of Pi, Gully Boy, Dil Chahta Hai, Talaash, A Suitable Boy, Made in Heaven

Unlike a number of kids her age, Nandini Shrikent was exposed to world cinema from an early age, thanks to her mother who worked with Cinemalaya, a platform for Asian cinema in New Delhi. After assisting Govind Nihalani on the Ajay Devgn-Tabu starrer Thakshak and working with Sharmishta Roy who is considered one of the greats of production design in Bollywood, Shrikent approached Excel Entertainment, hoping to land a job in the art department, but destiny had other plans. Zoya Akhtar asked her if she would like to do the casting for Lakshya and she jumped at it. “It seemed like an interesting job, plus it involved less running around,” she chuckles.

Movies such as Don and Luck by Chance happened but it was only after Rock On!! that Shrikent had constant work as a casting director. Calling casting a collaborative process, the 47-year-old says that she learnt everything on the job. “Things weren’t streamlined then, unlike now when you can access an actor’s work online. The systems are in place and even the actors enjoy the process,” she states. The biggest challenge now, she says, is the problem of plenty. “It’s hard to keep up now with so many actors but it is a good challenge,” shares Shrikent, who has also been instrumental in the casting for international projects such as Life of Pi and The Reluctant Fundamentalist.

With projects such as Zoya Akhtar’s The Archies, Meghana Gulzar’s Sam Bahadur, Ravi Udyawar’s Yudhra, Made in Heaven season 2 and Reema Kagti’s web series Dahaad among others, Shrikent, who has a casting company with Karan Mally, is glad that newcomers don’t have to “maaro chakkars” of producers’ offices anymore. “It’s an area of expertise for us. We are here to make their job easier,” she states.

Shruti Mahajan

Prominent projects:Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, Mary Kom, Bajirao Mastani, Lipstick Under My Burkha, Pad Man, Aashram, Gangubai Kathiawadi

Ten years ago, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali called Shruti Mahajan to cast for Gangubai Kathiawadi, a movie he was planning to make at that time. Although the film did not work out then, the New Delhi girl ended up working with him in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, kicking off an association which continues to thrive till date. A decade later, Bhansali made the Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi and guess who ended up doing the casting? Mahajan laughs, “I think I manifested it. I am really filmi that way!”

Her background in MBA and initial years of working in human resources, she believes, have been the driving factors behind her focus and dedication to her profession. The self-proclaimed movie buff with a keen eye for spotting talent worked as an assistant in the casting department of Yash Raj Films for a year before branching out on her own. Her process involves a lot of hits and trials, she says. “The only thing I tell my assistants is that we have to hit rock bottom, only then we will come up,” she shares. At the end of the day, she feels casting boils down to intuition and instinct. “With time and experience, your understanding about your own craft becomes better. There is also a better understanding of directors and scripts,” she continues.

From the many projects she has been associated with, Mahajan says she has a sense of satisfaction when sees projects such as Bombay Begums where she got Pooja Bhatt to come on-board, Aashram with Bobby Deol and City of Dreams with Priya Bapat. “Getting a Supriya Pathak to play Dhankor Baa for Ramleela or Tanvi Azmi as Radhabai in Bajirao Mastani or Masaba in Modern Love Mumbai’s ‘I Love Thane’ episode is where your instinct and experience come in. You can’t learn it. You either have it or you don’t,” she says, adding that she is looking forward to new projects such as Bhansali’s Hiramandi, Vidya Balan-starrer Neeyat, Ram Setu, R Balki’s Chup and Abhishek Bachchan-Saiyami Kher-starrer Ghoomer among others.

Anmol Ahuja–Co-Founder, Casting Bay

Prominent projects:Stree, Paatal Lok, The Sky is Pink, Panchayat, Mirzapur, Secret Superstar

Friends since their Delhi University days, Anmol Ahuja and Abhishek Banerjee had assisted casting director Gautam Kishanchandani when he came to the capital looking for actors for Dev.D. Banerjee, who wanted to become an actor, shifted to Mumbai in 2009 with Ahuja, who dreamed of becoming a director, following suit the next year. Seeing casting as a way of remaining close to filmmaking and directors, the duo started their own company called Casting Bay in 2017.

Much before their peers, it was Casting Bay that spotted an opportunity with digital content, with The Viral Fever (TVF) being one of their first clients. “Back in the day, nobody would give us work and we realised we had to create opportunities for ourselves. That is where we saw the potential with digital content. Also, if you see our filmography, the majority of it is with first-time directors,” says Ahuja. Their knack for spotting talent and keeping their office doors open for newcomers to walk in has led them from one project to another. “I prefer it if an actor has worked on their craft, acted in theatre or done some acting workshops or courses. That’s always beneficial, but yes, there have been times when people who have not undergone any of this have also pleasantly surprised us,” he adds.

As someone working in the field of art, Ahuja understands that the only take-home is the appreciation they get for their contribution to a project. “That also motivates us to keep doing newer and good work because the hunger is only of that validation we get from viewers,” says Ahuja, adding that he is glad that the casting industry is finally getting the respect it deserves.

Casting Bay’s upcoming projects include Vikramaditya Motwane’s Jubilee, Homi Adajania’s Saas Bahu Aur Cocaine, Raj & DK’s Guns & Gulaabs, Amar Kaushik’s Bhediya and the Hindi remake of Tamil film Vikram Vedha among others.

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