MUMBAI: Television has always been the grandest of mediums, serving as the audience's primary source of entertainment. The entertainment industry has evolved dramatically throughout the years.  

Casting directors are crucial in fostering new talent and discovering the ideal actor for a role. Through their talent and effort, several casting directors have reached success in this industry. 

Ashish Singh came to the industry with the dream of being an actor himself, but fate wanted to put a hold on it. He is now one of the most prominent casting directors in the industry, Ashish has become one of the go-to people for prominent producers and directors.  Ashish is also going back to his love of acting with some really great projects lined up. 

From Udaariyaan 3 to Pyaar Ka Pehla Naam Radha Mohan and many more, Ashish has quite the exquisite profile for casting people. 

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TellyChakkar got in touch with the casting director to talk about his casting process, journey and much more. 

When asked about his journey, he said, “So, I am basically from Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. I completed my schooling and graduation from there. I came to Mumbai to become an actor. I gave some auditions but couldn't crack them, so I moved on to different aspects but I knew that I would be to acting soon, which is happening now, I have projects lined up in acting. But in regards to casting, started my career in casting with Vishal Sharma in Optimystix, and I was an associate with him for almost 3-4 years. Later, I decided to branch out on my own as a casting director. Till now, the count of TV shows has been 70, where I have served as a casting director. I have been a casting assistant, a casting head, or casting director”. 

Talking about some if his most memorable projects, he said, “When I think about the most memorable projects, there are top 3 that come to my mind, number one being Krishna DASI for Optimystix. We wrapped up the casting for this show in almost 10 days. It was one of the quickest projects that we had done. We were toiling day and night for that project because the caste was so magnanimous and the project needed a lot of people for it. The show was in a very grand scale. The other one that comes to my mind is Pyar Ka Pehla Naam Radha Mohan, which was produced by LSD Studios. That show's casting was also done in 10 to 15 days. Which is, you know, the usual. Our procedure usually gets completed in 10 to 15 days. I am not somebody who needs like 3 months or 4 months, and I have been fortunate enough to work with producers who give me the creative freedom and let me finish up my part very quickly. They've always been very clear with the concept of casting. They have always been clear with the kind of people they want to cast and what the role outlines are. So, it really helps our process to go smoother. It happens very often in the industry that you meet people, your vibe doesn't match and creatively, you are not on the same page. But, I have been very fortunate and blessed to have the chance to work with producers who understand and respect the kind of work we do. Very recently, I have worked with Sargun Mehta of Dreamyiata Productions. I have casted for the show Udaariyaan Season 3 and she's such an adorable producer. She is so respectful. It makes our work so great when we get people like them. The other producers that I've been really fortunate to work with, who have been really great along the way have been Prateek Sharma of LSD Studios and Vipul Sir of Optimystix. These are the people that I have worked with for the longest time and they have such respect with regards to the work that we do; they respect our time and the efforts that we're putting in. So, it also makes us want to do things for them in a quicker, faster way and help them in their creative process. But my special thanks ans regards have to go to Vishal Sharma sir, who helped me in my struggling days and Prateek Sharma sir of LSD studios, who has really trusted with his big projects which have helped shape my career”.

Ashish is a prominent casting director, responsible for introducing many new faces to the industry.  

Stay tuned to TellyChakkar for mor updates. 

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