EXCLUSIVE! Amrish Sharma opens up on his acting school, 'Acting Ki Pathshala’, shares about his 16-years of experience as a casting director, reveals giving break to actors who are currently the top names in the industry and much more

MUMBAI:  The showbiz world is one such industry where a lot of people aspire to create names for themselves. 

There are several fields in this entertainment world where people try their luck. 

While some love to be in front of the camera, some love to be behind the camera. 

Out of all this, one important aspect of any project, be it film, TV, web show or music video is the role of a casting director. 

This is one such profession that is gaining prominence these days. 

Earlier, no one really knew anything about casting directors and how they operate. 

But with the rise in social media and other technologies, things in the entertainment industry have started to function in a different way. 

A casting director is the backbone of every project without which things can't be taken further. 

There are several casting directors who have made their mark in the industry and are doing well for themselves. 

There are the ones who have given us some of the most talented actors and actresses who are today big names in the industry. 

TellyChakkar got in touch with one of the casting directors named Amrish Sharma who spoke about his work and also about his acting school. 

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Acting school...

I started this acting school before Covid and the name of this school is 'Acting Ki Pathshala'. This is a two-month workshop which is very innovative. It is different from how the other acting schools operate. 

The teachers are from Sriram Centre from Art and Culture, one of them is from Barry Jones, another one is from Nation School of Drama. I myself teach students in this school. My motive to run this school is to bring good results of the students. I have seen so many actors from different acting schools but it seems they barely know anything. It's like they have just passed from those schools without learning much. The result is not up to the mark even after spending so much money. They are not able to perform well during auditions. In fact, I have seen so many of them not even being able to give an introduction perfectly. I want to find the loophole in this. I was told by many to start these workshops. 

There are two students who took my workshop and they are doing quite well in the industry. They got good work.

There are so many big acting institutions who do not promote it and that is really saddening. I will do this and that is the USP of my acting school.

I will teach everything to the students so that they are well-prepared to face the camera and approach others for work. 

Manhas has done many episodic stories and done a show on DD.

Nikhilesh Rathore is also there who did a show Mithai on Zee TV. 

Akansha Singh is a model and is doing a film in South. 

Managing acting school and casting...

It is quite challenging but once the casting is done, I get time to go and teach in the school. I just have to manage both the things and get the work done. 

Journey...

It's been more than 16 years since I have been doing casting as a casting director. I have cast many new actors who are big names in the industry.

The ones who are honest, they express gratitude towards me and till date always remember me. The ones who only want to work and move on in their lives, they don't remember me. 

This is the saddest thing that apart from two of them, no one has ever credited me for giving them a break. 

I gave the first break to Devoleena Bhattacharjee by Creative Eye. 

I had also cast Parul Gulati who is doing web shows.

Yami Gautam has done only one show till date and I had given her a break for the same. It was a Creative Eye Limited show.

Actors like Chandan Anand, Alan Kapoor and many others were cast by me. 

I worked with UTV for Ronni Screwala, Creative Eye Limited, Fireworks, I also did a show with Nikhil Reddy for a mythological show Shrimad Bhagwat, Sobo Films, Tirangle Films.

Tip to aspiring casting directors...

It's easy for people to become casting directors these days. They think it's very easy work and just have to collect the data and suggest actors. Casting in itself is a very strong job. An actor's career is decided on the way you think. The director and producer have a huge trust on casting directors. There are so many casting co-ordinators who think they are casting directors. It is very difficult to say who is right and who is wrong. 

I would like to tell all the aspiring casting directors that if they are an actor, they should only concentrate on acting. If they feel that they will create bonds as a casting director and then step into acting to fulfill their dreams, that is not going to work. The newbies should get themselves trained under experienced casting directors and understand everything properly. One should not be biased as it leaves no credibility to work.

Stay tuned to TellyChakkar for all the latest updates.

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