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MUMBAI: The countdown has begun! We are just two days away from the 15th edition of the Indian Telly Technical Trade and Programming Awards. These awards recognize the best in television production, editing, writing, direction, distribution, and creation.
TellyChakkar has been talking to several talented people from the industry who have been working hard behind the camera to make shows successful.
Today, we got in touch with casting director Lovesh Chokse, who has worked closely with Shoonya Square Productions and Kagaz Kalam Productions as an associate casting director.
Lovesh started the conversation by sharing a little information about himself and why casting plays an important aspect in any show: ‘I always wanted to get into the media industry, as I was inclined towards it. I feel that there is a lot of talent in India, and being a casting director, my job is to introduce a good actor. I generally look for new faces, as I see a lot of actors come with great enthusiasm and passion to give an audition. It gets difficult to cast a newcomer, but you have to keenly observe and see the potential that he or she has to be able to pull off in the show if they get selected. When the public likes a show, they mostly also like the characters. So, of course, casting plays an important role. I am always attentive, as a lot of people come for auditions, but then, to get the best out of the bunch is my job, and I don't want to lose that opportunity. I feel that good casting makes a show look good and real, and bad casting sometimes spoils good shows.’
Is it a thankless job according to you? ‘Yes, casting is considered to be a thankless job. Sometimes, I feel bad about it, but when you get appreciation for hard work, it feels great.’
You have cast actors for different kind of genres. Does a lot of brainstorming go into making sure that an actor fits the character perfectly? ‘As I cast actors for daily soaps, it becomes very difficult, as sometimes, you know that this actor can do wonders in the show, but due to budget issues, you can't cast him or her, so you start searching someone like that. Sometimes, I have to get into the look as well, as I know if I am sending an audition to the channel or my producer, the look, appearance, and performance all go hand-in-hand, so I work hard on that.’
How easy or difficult is to deal with producers and channel heads? ‘It becomes difficult sometimes to convince the producer that this person can do wonders, as our thoughts differ. There are a lot of rejections sometimes to get the best out of the lot. There are days when you keep auditioning and get nothing out of it. I feel observation and imagination is important when you are casting. If you are confident about someone, then work hard to get him or her on the show.’
What are the other struggles you face while casting? ‘In daily soaps, looks are the most important factor, but yes, for a lead role, everything matters: looks, appearance, and performance. Sometimes, they perform well, but looks are the issue, while sometimes, you get the right actor who is really good looking, but performance is the issue. So there is a lot of struggle to cast the lead actors. You don't get all three things in everyone.’
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