I refuse to be a mere data provider and want liberty while casting - Casting Director Sohan Kumar Thakur

Sohan Kumar Thakur has made a name for himself in the television industry for being a Casting Director who has a keen eye for characterization and also for visualizing exactly what the show wants of him. The man started his journey in Delhi, only to later move to Mumbai and find his roots career-wise. Today, he is one of the most sought after Casting Director and enjoys a very good rapport with actors. Also, through his company Starways which deals with casting and celebrity management, the man dreams of having a one-roof hub for finding talent which will cater to the needs of production houses in both small screen and big screen. In a candid chat with Tellychakkar.com the man narrates his journey, ups and downs of his career for the site’s ‘Behind the Lens’ section.. Tell us about your journey in the industry? My career started in Delhi in the year 1999 when I was schooling. Later, I joined as the Production Manager for iconic serials Rishtey, India’s Most Wanted with Manoj Raghuvanshi. I also worked on a music video of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. At this juncture of my life, I felt that I had to go to Mumbai to create more scope for myself career-wise. I started my work at Mumbai with Sankraman Telefilms, and later went on to be part of soaps like Sonpari, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Dhoom wherein I used to direct the second unit. I later held the position of Assistant Director cum Production Controller for the movie Agnipankh. This is when I met with an accident after which I could not walk properly. I had to then re-think about my career and chose the task of Scheduling and Casting. I have always had a good understanding of casting, as I visualize exactly what the Creative Director wants. My casting tenure began in the year 2009, wherein I roped in actors for some big shows like Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo, Mata Ki Chowki, Hindi Hai Hum, Mann Ki Awaaz Pratigya. I was the Celebrity Manager for the Colors’ show Kitchen Champions for all the seasons. I also was part of the channel’s show Guiness Book of Records and Mallika-E- Kitchen. Later, I was associated with Rohit Roy Productions for 12 of their movies after which I was the Casting Director for shows like Looteri Dulhann, Ganga Ki Dheej. Presently, I am the Casting Head of ongoing shows Savitri, Savdhan India (Flying Turtle Films) and Sanskaar (Cinemantra). Tell us about your role of Casting Director. How do you go about your work? I believe that for any show or film, casting is the major part, and as a Casting Director one needs to have deep knowledge about the script and story. The casting guy should always be provided the correct information as the roots to the success of a show lies in its casting. If you see, Pratigya and Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya Hi Kijo were super hits because of apt actors chosen for the show keeping in view the lingo, area and research in mind. I would want to let out a fact here. Ratan Rajput who gained name and fame for her central role of Laali in Agle Janam was not an immediate casting. There were quite a lot of debates that happened and another fact is the Gulki Joshi was the original choice to play Laali. However, Ratan Rajput managed to get the role as she knew the culture and lingo of Bihar. She needed no workshop to get into the groove of the character. The girl has a sound theatre background too, and gave her best shot for the show. Another example of right casting is Sajjan Singh, played by Anupam Shyam. He had the traits of the character in him, and that added value to the show. Touchwood, I have always been complimented for the cast I have provided and am in demand as Casting Director. However, I refuse to be a mere data provider and want the complete liberty when casting. I never call a crowd for auditions; I am at times not famous because I don’t call many actors. However, production houses have the trust in me as my casting has always proved right. Casting is definitely not a cakewalk; it needs awareness and I always make it a point to take references from the net for a particular character. Have you come across an actor who acts pricey? See, there are always two sides to a problem. Indeed, there are actors who have thrown tantrums, but there are many who have complained about wayward schedules, no proper facilities etc. However, none of my shows have ended owing to tantrums thrown by actors. Few days back, there was a debate wherein big shots of Bollywood talked about actor exploitation. I was the only Casting Director from the TV industry to have attended it. And I told them that it is always a team work for a show to succeed. Fights do happen, and it is a human tendency to succumb to pressure of work. Many a times it might not be the mistake one only one side and it is always better if the actors and producers chalk things out mutually. Coming to your question of encountering an actor who acted pricey, I had one such bitter example. I had finalized a Gujarati actor for a show, and that is when the person was offered Bigg Boss. We had fixed our telecast dates, and had begun shoot with the person. But the person told us that she cannot continue shooting for us. We were in tremendous pressure, but I managed to find a replacement within the deadline and even reshot the scenes with the person on time. One thing that I have noticed is that it is always the female actors who dare to ditch. Having said this, I never hold any grudges and respect everyone for their work. I have earned a good will in the industry amongst the actors, and I am happy with the equation I share with them. Which has been the best phase of your life? I would say it is yet to come. I have had no Godfather in this industry, and I have learnt from people around me. I have never assisted anyone in casting and have never got trained in casting. I have learnt everything the practical way, and I am working hard towards achieving bigger goals. You own a company Starways, that deals with casting and celebrity management. Tell us about it. I registered the company in 2010 to promote new talent. The broader idea is to manage new talent exclusively. We have few clients on board like Sharad Kelkar, Jay Bhanushali, Roshni Chopra and many more. We want to be a super name in the coming years, wherein Starways will be a one roof talent house. Basically we want to grab assignments from various production houses in television and movies. Also we will be making documentaries, AVs for companies etc. I have my team spread out in the metros wherein they are hunting for new talents. We will identify many such new talents and promote them and give them a platform. Arhaan Behll is one such new talent that you identified. Tell us about him. That’s a story in itself. Initially, everyone was against casting Arhaan as he was an introvert. And the character in Pratigya needed to be bold and bindaas. I rooted for Arhaan, and one authoritative person in the channel wanted only Arhaan. When we did the workshop with him, he had that sparkle in his eyes that would take him a long way. And he did manage to carry off the role in a remarkable way and proved everyone wrong. In fact, Pratigya was earlier to be made for Star One, but the presentation was so nice that it was switched to Star Plus. And the rest is history as Arhaan jumped from a ranking of 500 to Number 1 in no time. How is your current stint with Flying Turtle Films (Savitri) and Cinemantra (Sanskaar)? It has been a good experience as I have been given the liberty to work in my way, and they trust me for my work. Shalini Thackeray is a very supportive person, very humble and nice to talk to. Tell us about some big names that you have launched in the industry What is your aim when it comes to Starways? Aah, my wish list is that the source for every new talent to get big in the industry should be Starways. We are working hard towards it. If one searches for new talents, our company should top the search list. Presently, I have 9 employees including me working for the company. We are spread out in Punjab, Rjasthan, Delhi, Bihar and have been hunting for new talents. We hope to get great results in the coming years. Have you ever gone through your share of struggle to gain success? Of course!! When I landed in Mumbai, I was completely a zero. I have even lived a phase when I was unemployed. I have worked for free just to gather experience. I have never got bogged down due to politics, and have maintained that honest is the best policy. Hard work always pays off; I am also known to be arrogant at my work place as I have the zeal to get the best out of my people.