Casting Director Kavish Sinha: I was rooting for Dino Morea from the moment I read Shaybani Khan’s character for ‘The Empire’ – Times of India


Kavish Sinha has been garnering accolades for his recent and successful casting for popular shows like, ‘The Empire’, ‘Mumbai Diaries 26/11’ and others. In an exclusive interview with ETimes, he spills the beans on some misconceptions about casting directors. He also gives us a sneak peek into some upcoming films which include Taapsee Pannu’s ‘Blurr’ and Rani Mukerji’s ‘Mrs. Chatterjee v/s Norway’ and more. Excerpts…

How did you get started as a casting director?
I love people and I am blessed with a memory where I would mostly remember the names of everyone I have ever met. In a sudden shift in my career, I became a casting assistant. It was there that I realised I was cut out for this. After working there for a little more than a year, I forayed independently and started my own casting company. It’s surprising that I feel like I am starting afresh every day.

What drew you to this profession?
I think it is the people who have drawn me to this profession–their stories and their aspirations. Actors are an eclectic bunch. They bring in such diversity in their ideas, their personalities, their being. To be surrounded by them and be a channel to their dreams is the only motivation behind me being a casting director.

What do you look at while auditioning?
I look at an actor’s understanding of the script without mostly knowing the whole script. How they interpret those lines given to them and perform the scene, what they bring to the table with their rendition. Their instinct and innovation are the criteria.

What are the misconceptions about casting directors you’d like to clear?
For one, we got to be treated like people doing their jobs and not Gods. We can only be a bridge between actors and directors. We work on a certain brief and can only help you if you fit that well. Two, we cherish talent the most. We are called partial and are accused of favouritism. We can’t go a long way with that. We have to create fresh opportunities for different actors across different projects. We work hard towards it.

How was your casting experience for ‘Mumbai Diaries 26/11’’ and ‘The Empire’?
Both were very contrasting projects. While ‘Mumbai Diaries 26/11’ spoke of an incident we’ve all witnessed in our lifetime, ‘The Empire’ was a world we’ve only heard and read about. One needed to be as real and the other was larger-than-life. The common thought was to connect with both the shows. It was challenging because both were happening simultaneously and to switch from one mood to the other was complicated but equally rewarding. I’ll never forget the time spent on casting these two.

Dino Morea has been receiving a lot of praise for his character as Shaybani Khan. Who, apart from him, do you think, would have fit into the role?
I was rooting for Dino from the moment I read Shaybani’s character. He brings in a blend of good looks and those bad boy vibes and is extremely effortless. Another actor I’d have loved to cast as Shaybani would be Jaideep Ahlawat.

Were there instances where you found someone suitable but he/she got rejected?
I’ve mostly had the good fortune to cast my top choices after auditions. My directors have been very supportive of me and they’ve always heard me out. If they want to go for someone else, it’s because they don’t see that actor pulling the entire film/ series off. Someone might be very good in the audition, but a lot of factors come into the picture when one has to look at them holding the whole project together.

Can you share any fun or interesting anecdotes from your casting experiences?
Casting is full of funny moments every day. During ‘The Empire’, I remember actors forgetting lines because of Urdu words in the scripts. Many would use but, and, why, please as fillers because that’s such a part of our lingo and we’d have to do the entire take again. Medical procedures and terminologies during the ‘Mumbai Diaries’ auditions were other complications. My assistants would lie for hours as dead bodies for an immersive experience. Recently, for ‘Rudra’ we shot from a top angle, where actors had to hang and look up and deliver lines. It was interesting because you’d never experienced maintaining a look with your body hanging down and your eyes constantly looking up.

You have done casting for Taapsee’s first productional venture ‘Blurr’. How difficult was casting for such a film?
I think the film itself is packed with moments full of twists and surprises. Every character brings out something interesting. It was difficult to cast actors who could play the visually impaired. My director and I were on the same page with most auditions. It wasn’t difficult to cast the rest of the characters.

We have a lot of actors like Bhumi Pednekar and Siddhant Chaturvedi who have made it as actors from casting. Did you know them from their casting days? What are your thoughts on them as actors today?
I replaced Bhumi in the YRF casting team. Of course, she was much senior. She sat me down and taught me many basics of casting. Siddhant I had met when I was an assistant. His charm was contagious and still is. Both have turned out to be phenomenal actors and now I dream of casting them in one of my projects.

For ‘Feels Like Ishq’, you brought together young and fresh new talents on screen. Who was that one actor or actress who performed beyond your expectations?
I think it was Sanjeeta Bhattacharya. One of my assistants spotted her in an ad and I immediately asked him to test her. When her audition came in, I sent a message to my producer, the lovely Saher Latif, that we don’t need to look any further. She proved me right in every possible way.

Rani Mukerji is set to impress once again with ‘Mrs. Chatterjee v/s Norway’. You are also a part of the project. Can you tell us something about it?
It’s probably the most humane story I’ve ever cast for. What’s bigger than a mother-child relationship? Also, it’s based on a real incident which made it more intriguing. You have to wait for the film to watch some fabulous actors come together and add life to the story.

Do you have any tips for aspiring actors?
Kudos to you for choosing to be an actor! One must be very proud of this decision because it’s not an easy one to make. But now that you’ve chosen it, go all out with and for it. Be realistic, be empathetic, hone your craft and know yourself well before you get into the skin of another character. It takes time, it’s challenging and sometimes soul-crushing. But that’s only going to make you come out stronger. Every emotion you feel, every experience you gather is only and only making you a rock-solid human and a better actor.

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