Mukesh Chhabra: People are beginning to respect the job only now

Clocking in 100 films as casting director, Mukesh Chhabra says finding talent is a more meaningful process today

In what may best be termed as a co-incidence, Mukesh Chhabra is set to mark his directorial debut, close on the heels of clocking in 100 films as casting director in Bollywood. Having reached his century with Anurag Kashyap's recent release, Manmarziyaan, Chhabra talks about the film-making process that got little recognition when he started off.

"People are beginning to respect the job only now. It is no longer about hiring the next available person. Casting, today, is about finding a talent that matches a story. The artiste must have the required look, attitude and dialect. Today, characters are more important than actors. Gone are the days when people would ask kaun kiska beta hai," Chhabra tells mid-day.

Little did he know that the process of finding faces for films would eventually help him find a storyteller in himself. Talking about associating with industry masterminds like Imtiaz Ali, Rajkumar Hirani and Aamir Khan, he says, "When you work with such minds and brainstorm on ideas, you can hone your skill. We'd read a script 10 times, looking at it with a fresh perspective each time."

Chhabra says working on his film, Kizie Aur Manny - the recreated version of John Green's bestseller, The Fault In Our Stars - has been life-altering. "I am able to visualise things as a whole. I had to give the film my own language, without getting influenced by the stalwarts that I was working with. It was a process of finding myself and my voice. It is a big responsibility to give a fresh touch to a well-loved story," says the director, who will wrap up the shoot following a 10-day schedule in Mumbai.

A still from Manmarziyaan

The face of his film is close pal Sushant Singh Rajput. Having previously dismissed suggestions that his leading lady Sanjana Sanghi had grown uncomfortable with Rajput's "friendly" nature, Chhabra reiterates that all was well on his sets. "Such malicious things can't affect the bond we all shared."

Also Read: Sacred Games: Casting director Mukesh Chhabra says 'no market pressure'

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!