EXPLOSIVE: Sharat Saxena speaks up about the problems with the system of casting directors; but also maintains that he has benefited from it

By Fenil Seta -

August 19, 2021 - 10:11 AM IST

Recently, after veteran actress Surekha Sikri passed away, Pankaj Tripathi revealed that the late actress had to audition for her role in Badhaai Ho (2018). The actress was loved for her portrayal of the matriarch and even won the National Award for her performance. It led a lot of discussion about the concept of casting and casting directors which is an indispensible part of filmmaking today. The only actor who have been outspoken about the problems in this system is Sharat Saxena.

EXPLOSIVE: Sharat Saxena speaks up about the problems with the system of casting directors; but also maintains that he has benefited from it

When Bollywood Hungama spoke to him, this writer asked him what his views on this issue are and whether the process of auditioning should be done away for the versatile and established actors who have proved their worth. Sharat Saxena gave an in-depth answer and also looked at both sides. He said, “The problem is that nowadays, we have started to imitate the western world very much. This system of casting directors has come from Hollywood. Koi smart aadmi raha hoga jo actor banne aaya hoga. Usko kaam nahi mila hoga. Toh usne socha hoga ki chalo casting karte hai. And now, casting has become a very lucrative profession. Earlier, there were hardly 1 or 2 casting directors. Now I feel there are more casting agents than actors! In every casting agency, there are some 15-20 casting agents. This has become the new way of making films. When I had started working in films, in every production house, there used to be a fat file. Usme producers Filmfare, Screen, Madhuri etc mein se actors ke photo kaat ke chipka dete the. And while casting for a film, the directors and his assistants used to go through the pictures in the file and decide on the casting. And we strugglers used to also go and submit our pictures which used to also make it to the files. We used to even regularly and go and meet the producers. Issi bahane chai peene ko mil jaati thi aur khaane ko kuch mil jaata tha. Abhi producer aur director itne bade ho gaye hai ki aap imagine nahi kar sakte. Earlier, the producers and directors used to have tiny offices. These offices would not even have a washroom. Uske liye main building mein jaana padta tha. Even the biggest of filmmakers had such offices. The biggest office then was of Rajshri Productions. They had 2 floors in Prabhadevi. Still, I used to go there every week and have chai with Gupta ji.”

Sharat Saxena continued, “These producers used to cast themselves. But ab producers itne bade ho gaye hai ki unke paas ek do floor ki office toh hai hi, woh bhi badi badi buildings mein. They also have money to spend. They don’t want to be bothered with going through a file and casting people. So they entrust the job to casting directors. And let me make it clear, the casting directors do a very good job. They bring in new actors and give a chance to strugglers. These strugglers are such that they say "Humko paisa mat dijiye. Humko sirf kaam dijiye". There are actors nowadays who are working only for ‘taxi money’ (conveyance). So they are casting the film brilliantly.”

Sharat Saxena then opined, “Mukesh Chhabra, who did the casting for Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012), did an amazing job. So I am not saying these people are at fault. But iss system ka natija yeh hua hai ki jo purane actors hai hamare jaise, they have been rendered jobless for the simple reason that professional actors like us charge money. And because we charge a lot of money, they’d rather not take us. So it becomes economically viable for the producers. The filmmakers give money to the casting directors but save money on the cast. The lead actors and actress are decided by the producers. But the rest of the casting is a tedious process and that is done by the casting directors. They are doing their job well but that personal interaction that used to happen before with the filmmakers has stopped. The casting directors take the audition video and show it to the producers.”

Sharat Saxena makes it clear that even he has benefited through this system, “Mukesh Chhabra had cast me in Hasee Toh Phasee (2014) and Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015). So they have also given me work. In Hasee Toh Phasee, I had to audition but Bajrangi Bhaijaan mein audition nahi dena pada tha. It becomes a little tedious sometimes when you are asked to come and give an audition. Par hum jab hazaaron logon ke saamne khade hoke scene kar sakte hai toh fir ek chote se audition dene mein kya takleef hai. Some senior actors, however, get offended. They reason that they have a vast body of work and still they are made to audition. But mujhe aise bura nahi lagta.”

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Sharat Saxena speaks about his SHOCKING injury on the set of Aaj Ka Goonda Raj; he says, “I could not lift anything from my left hand. It had become totally USELESS”