Acting is my passion but casting makes me grow: Parag Chadha, Splitsvilla 3 winner and Casting Director

‘I can never quit acting’, says handsome hunk Parag Chadha, winner of MTV Splitsvilla Season 3 and one of the finest casting directors of Bollywood and television world. The talented man owns his company Bribe With Talent Casting. He has cast many popular faces for the movies Rabba Main Kya Karoon, Ishk Actually, Ek Tha Tiger, Band Baja Baarat, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl and many more. Moreover he is casting for many upcoming shows on Indian television. Here is Parag in a frank tete-a-tete with Tellychakkar.com for our Behind the Lens section. How did your journey in this industry begin? To begin with, I hail from Delhi and did my graduation from the metropolis. I always had a dream of becoming an actor. I started my career through modelling. Then Splitsvilla came my way and I went on to win the show. But destiny had something else in store for me. I got an opportunity to work with Yash Raj Films. I worked there for a year, and this is where I started developing my interest and contacts in the casting industry. I must say that it turned my life completely and here I have my own firm (Bribe With Talent Casting). Can you name a few serials that you have worked on? Currently, I am casting for Big Magic’s ongoing show Akbar Birbal, Life OK’s Savdhan India, MTV Webbed and few more upcoming shows on varied channels. Also, I am presently working on Zee TV’s Jamai Raja, Star Plus’ Airlines, two news shows for Life OK and one for Star Plus. Along with television shows, I am also casting for many upcoming movies, reality shows and commercials. Tell us something about your working pattern? Well my part comes into picture once the script is ready. It is our job to get suitable faces that can fit into the role properly. I believe a show’s success or failure depends upon its cast. Firstly I don’t believe in portfolio pictures. I ask actors to send their audition footage and then I upload it to my YouTube channel which is accessible only to me and my team. Then according to the maker’s choice I show them the audition tape after which they decide and take a final call. Now I have 10 to 12 people working under me and with God’s grace my firm is quite established. What challenges did you face in this industry? I have gone through a lot of hardships. I belong to a rich family but I always believed in working hard and doing something of my own. I didn’t want to take money from my parents. Hence I left Delhi and came to Mumbai. There was a time when I didn’t have a single penny in my pocket. However if I wouldn’t have struggled at that time I wouldn’t have reached this phase of life. A friend of mine Noor has helped me a lot in my journey. Do you still wish to work as an actor? Yes, acting is my passion and my first love. However, casting helps me to grow. And right now I am able to manage both the things at a time. How many hours do you put in altogether? There is no time bar. It totally depends upon the show’s requirement. Now I have many shows in my kitty, so I have been occupied. I can’t escape from work and have to be active round the clock. What are the things that you keep in mind before casting for a particular show? Obviously, look is the first thing that we see in any actor. After that, there are auditions and lastly, the budget and date part comes into the picture. Now for Akbar Birbal I had to work really hard to get good and talented faces for the show. The show is of a comedy genre and to make audiences laugh is not an easy job. How do you handle a crisis situation wherein the lead or a character artiste wants to walk out of the project? Till now I haven’t come across any such situation but if in case I come through I would firstly talk to the actor and try to figure out what is the real reason for quitting. I believe half the problems can be sorted out if you talk and clear things out. Your favourite actor and actress that you wish to cast in future? I want to cast Alia Bhatt in any upcoming film. She is flawless and is a very talented actress in Bollywood now. Which show do you think has the best cast? I think Colors’ 24 had the best cast till date. In fact I had been approached for one the important roles, but due to some issues I could not take up the project. I still regret for not being part of the show. Any advice to new aspirants in this industry? Yes, I would like to share that whatever work you do, you need to be efficient and professional. There is no rocket science in casting industry if you understand the makers’ requirements properly.