Anil Sharma started young, went on to gain fame in casting the best of fresh faces for many non-fiction genres. Well, after being called the ‘Casting King of Splitsvilla’ and ‘Reality shows’, he went on to give few of the best faces to the fiction genres too.
Here is Anil, in conversation with Tellychakkar.com, for our Behind the Lens section.
You have been mostly casting for youth oriented projects? Why is it so? What interests you to go for the youth based shows and not the saas bahu sagas?
It depends on the offers I get, but yes I love to cast for youth-oriented projects as it connects me to the story itself. Take for example the launching pad I gave for the popular show, Sadda Haq as the Casting Director. The show was based on Engineering and being an engineer myself, I got a good connect with the story. And this helped me get the right cast on board.
Also, in youth oriented projects, there is a chance to give the industry new faces. You can again look at my recent casting for the Channel V show, Mastaangi. I have given the industry more than five promising new comers in this show. Trust me, they will do really well for themselves in the future. I view it like this too, that I am young enough, and this connects me better to the youngsters.
As for saas bahu sagas, I have done Veera for Star Plus with Beyond Dreams. That was a totally different concept with an amazing story, where you felt love and emotion coming out of every character. Of course, the cast of Veera is loved even today. I am working on few other concepts right now, and am in the process of casting few fresh faces. At the end of it all, I will say that every genre is good; as far as I am enjoying my work, I would love to cast in every genre.
Tell us about the work you have done in the last few years?
I have done few fiction and non fiction shows in the last few years and the hit ones are Veera for Star Plus, Sadda Haq for [V], Million Dollar Girl for [V] and MTV India's Next Top Model for MTV.
How did you begin your career in this industry?
I was in my final year of engineering when I used to follow lot of non-fiction shows and modelling pageants like Gladrags, Roadies etc. I have even auditioned for few modelling projects, but eventually got rejected. However, I got in touch with many known personalities during this tenure, and they asked me to try my luck in Mumbai as an actor. Since I had great looks and good voice, they selected me for their designer shows, for which I started walking ramps. When I got bit famous, I got a call from Miditech India to cast for their non-fiction show on MTV. They wanted me to bring fresh faces from Delhi and Chandigarh, and my modelling experience helped me a lot. Post this, I got called by all the production houses who wanted me to cast for their reality shows. I got so popular that I was termed ‘King of reality shows’ and ‘Anil MTV’. I have casted for many seasons of MTV Splitsvilla, Kingfisher Calendar Hunt, NDTV Fast and Gorgeous, Perfect Couple, Truth Love Cash, UTV Stars etc. After enjoying a good reign with non-fiction, I entered the world of fiction and had a new fire in me to do good work.
Which according to you has been your most fruitful casting?
Mtv Splitsvilla Season 5 and 6, as almost every contestant proved their worth. I still remember how I found them and convinced the channel to take them. My finds include the recent Bigg Boss return, Rishabh Sinha. He was a real estate agent, but the channel rejected him for his looks and certain other reasons. I went on to convince the channel to give us time of one month, and I will bring before them a modified Rishabh. I personally went to Rishabh’s house, and trained him so hard with his gym and diet activities. Again, I brought him to the Splitsvilla office, made him go through the audition. As you know, rest is history. For Sadda Haq, I introduced both Param and Harshita, and they are doing a swell job even in Season 2.
Will you like to cast for other genre shows like a mytho or historical?
I would love to cast for both genres. I am a Brahmin, and I have always listened to these stories of valour from my parents. I really feel good when someone talks in ‘Shuddh’ Hindi. So that connects me with the genre, and I will be glad if I get an opportunity to cast such shows.
What do you think of the future of TV?
Well, we have been seeing the same concepts. Guess we have reached a phase where TV needs to go through a change. It would be great if TV casts more real faces like in films. Rather than a gora chitta good-looking hero, I guess people will connect well with one like Ranveer Singh rather than Ranbir Kapoor.
Do you agree that digital media is the next big future?
Yes, we have a great talent in India, and people can showcase their skills via the digital media. With viewers seeing the same things on TV, this will be a good change for all.
Do you think casting directors on TV have got their due credit?
No, definitely they have never been given credit. No actor will say in his / her interview that Anil Sharma found me and cast me. You can call Rishabh Sinha today, and ask him who gave him his first break. His answer will be, I got a call from MTV (smiles). Its such a good functioning ambience in films, as everyone from the producer to director, actor and actress give credit to the casting director. I will not work with any such company who do not recognize the work of the most important person in the whole process of making a TV show.
How do you think the system can be changed?
People need to take their own stand, but nobody is even ready to speak here, owing to a lot of insecurity factors. I know about one of my friends, who casted for 5 shows for a company, but they packed him off saying that they cannot afford his high budget anymore. I urge people like him to come out in the open, and talk about the companies which do this. Due to such behaviour prevailing, people tend to put in less efforts. I have often heard people say – ‘Ek mahine ki toh baat hai, kaunsa inhone damaad bana ke rakha hai, jitna paise de rahe hai us hisaab se main bahut kaam kar raha hoon’. To change all this, the production houses should give their employee a respectful amount, and respectful behaviour and hire them for a given period, and make them understand that they will be part of the success that the company will reap.
Do you have a role model or inspiration when it comes to work?
I see this differently. I don’t have a role model; I just want to give my best and always want to give TV a top-rated show. I guess people look at me as their role model. Yes, I have heard friends say, ‘Yaar tu kaha se le aata hai aise faces, humein toh nahi milte’. This gives me a great feeling.
What’s your ultimate goal?
My ultimate goal is to open my own production house and make reality shows, and also host fashion events.
As the casting director in charge of a show, what is the kind of freedom that you will want from channel / makers?
The channel should allow us to audition people in different cities. They should take enough time to set up a show, as you will get better talent when you look for them across the country.
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