I am known for emergency casting in crisis situations: Aadarsh Jain

MUMBAI: Myriad people are responsible for making a show successful, but as actors are the face of the project, they receive most of the appreciation. The crew who endlessly work behind the camera often remain the unsung heroes.

We got in touch with young and handsome casting director Aadarsh Jain, who spoke at length about the profession and his journey so far.

We asked Aadarsh about how he got into the profession and he said, 'I was earlier into acting. I did many television shows such as Jodha Akhbar. However, I met with an accident and started my career in direction. Later, I started casting for a few commercials and slowly and steadily got more contacts and got into full fledged casting. Assisting renowned casting director Vishal Sharma proved quite helpful for my career in this field.'

Talking about the projects he has worked on, he said, 'I have cast for about 35 commercial advertisements along with several reality shows, daily soaps, and episodics like Crime Patrol and Crime Alert.'

Aadarsh is a workaholic and can work 24*7. He said, 'My father started working at a very young age, and I believe I have inherited the quality of being a workaholic from him. I used to do part-time jobs while I was in school and college.'

Aadarsh further added, 'I am known for emergency casting in crisis situations. I had set up one of my shows in a mere 7 days. Only in the span of 7 days, I had locked the entire cast for a particular show, leaving the production and channel pleasantly surprised.'

Explaining his way of working, he said, 'I learned a very important lesson from my auditioning days: a casting director plays a very important role in motivating or demotivating an actor. Few casting directors don’t really pay attention to the actor who has come for an audition. They might just record one take and ask him to leave, which would leave the person confused and demotivated. When I record an audition, I try to perform the character and show exactly what I want from the person who is auditioning, and post the audition, I give feedback to the actors so that they can improve. After all, that is how they would grow, right?'

Talking about his inclination towards acting, Aadarsh said, 'I am still quite passionate about acting. While I was leaving from my hometown that is in Khurai, Sagar district, to make a career in Mumbai, my mentor told me that acting cannot be a profession. One can like acting and be passionate about it, but at the same time, one needs a well-paid job for a living. I kept my mentor’s words in mind, and thus, I still act in theatre plays and satisfy the actor in me.'

We asked him his take on casting directors not getting enough recognition, to which he said, 'It’s sad that we don’t get recognition on a larger scale. However, internally in the industry, people do appreciate us, and because of word of mouth, one gets to know about one's standing in the industry. However, the worse part is actors not giving due credit to casting directors.'

Expressing his gratitude towards his mentor, Aadarsh said, 'I am very fortunate that I got to assist Vishal Sharma, who is one of the best casting directors in the industry and has more than 60 TV shows to his credits. He taught me the art and intricate details of this profession. I believe that today, I am known for my work because of the experience that I gained while assisting him.'

We asked Aadarsh if he would like to give any tips to budding casting directors, and he said, 'For a person to be a good casting director, he needs to feel the character. Just providing actors for a particular role is not casting. You need to feel and understand the vibe, tone, background, and everything else about the character that you are casting for, failing which you can not become a casting director.'

Well, Aadarsh, your journey and experiences are quite motivating and enriching.

More power to you!