Quirky side of Karisma

Bringing Kapoor back to the screen after five years, Murder Mubarak casting director Panchami says filmmaker Homi required actors who could add whimsy to their roles

Casting director Panchami Ghavri has a soft spot for the ’90s leading ladies, having grown up on their films. To her, nothing can be better than seeing these actors take on new roles that tap into their potential. She points to Raveena Tandon, as an example, who led the recent web series, Karmma Calling. Ghavri is equally excited about her next, Murder Mubarak, in which Karisma Kapoor returns to the screen five years after Mentalhood (2019). 

The casting director says that Kapoor was on top of her mind for the project, with director Homi Adajania giving her a pointed brief—rope in a diverse cast. “My brief was to get an eclectic cast, actors who can bring something of their own to the table, add quirks to their characters and think on their feet. Karisma was among the first few suggestions I had made for the character. I wanted to find something fun for her; I knew she was looking for something good. She heard the narration and it was on,” smiles Ghavri, aware that the cast—Vijay Varma, Sara Ali Khan, Dimple Kapadia, Pankaj Tripathi and Sanjay Kapoor— has piqued curiosity around the film. 

She has also done the casting for The Crew, which stars Tabu, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Kriti Sanon and Diljit Dosanjh. But she takes little credit for bringing three of today’s talented leading ladies together. “It was all Rhea Kapoor [producer]! She wanted a powerful female lead cast and made it happen. What we managed to crack together was Diljit’s casting. There is a high to our line of work. There is nothing more priceless than making that call to an actor and telling them, ‘You’re on.’”

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