MUMBAI: TellyChakkar has been at the forefront of introducing our readers to the people tirelessly working behind the camera who hardly get any recognition and appreciation. One such department is casting direction.
TellyChakkar had a candid conversation with renowned casting director Rajkumar Prasad to know more about his journey in the industry. Read the interview below.
How has your journey been in the Industry?
I belong to a small village near Bihar. I had absolutely no connections and didn’t even have anyone from the family residing in a city like Mumbai. It was a distant dream of people residing there to even think of migrating to Mumbai. It took a lot of struggle to take the decision of coming to Mumbai and then making it to where I am today. It has definitely not been easy. Having said that, I am happy and content that I took the leap of faith and came to this city in pursuit of my dreams, and I can safely say that I’m doing quite well here.
How did you decide on taking up casting direction?
So, initially, casting direction as a department never existed. They had directors, and three assistant directors used to take up different roles, like one would be assigned TCR duties, another would be given costume, and the third would do casting. I used to get casting as my responsibility. After reaching Mumbai and going through my share of struggle, I met Mr. Anand Mahendru of Advance Entertainment, who gave me the opportunity to be an assistant director for his show on SAB TV named ‘Daddy Samjha Karo’ and ‘Aan’ for Zee TV. My journey started from there, and today, apart from being a casting director, I also own a talent management company named Rajkumar Creations. It has been a long journey until now, but quite a satisfying one. I hope to keep doing good work.
Tell us about difficult castings that you’ve done.
Well, there isn’t one or two. It has been a tedious job on more than one occasion. However, I would mention a few of the castings that really made me work harder. I was working on SAB TV’s Jijaji Chhat Par Hai. The makers wanted a young chirpy Delhi girl, and after auditioning quite a lot of girls, our search finally ended on Hiba Nawab. Even Kanika Mann’s casting for Guddan was quite challenging, as we had to search for a young, chirpy girl who will also play a mother-in-law. An actress who’s young but able to pull off such a character was a task. I discovered Kanika and brought her on the board from Haryana. It feels great to see these characters and actors being whole-heartedly accepted by the audience.
A tip for budding casting directors?
Well, I would suggest they never judge a book by it’s cover. Always give a chance to perform to the actors. I know of people who blankly tell the actors on their faces that they do not fit in their criteria. However, I’ve realised that how actors look and how they perform are totally different. I would advise all the casting directors to not deny the actors of their chance and always take auditions. You never know...the actor you think doesn’t fall in the criteria would give out a great performance.
Well said, Mr. Rajkumar!
Here’s wishing him all the best.
Stay tuned to this space for more updates.
(Also read: DJ's casting director Vinamrata Bhojwani opens up on how casting in TV and digital space is different
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