How is casting done for big Bollywood films? Know the complete inside story of actor’s selection

How Bollywood Films Casting Process Works: Whenever a film becomes a hit at the box office, people often praise its story, songs or star cast. But very few people know that making the perfect selection for a film is also one of the biggest reasons for its success. Many times even a great story is not liked by the audience due to wrong casting. At the same time, even a normal story becomes a superhit because of the right casting. That is why today the entire casting system in Bollywood has become more professional and systematic than ever before. Now mere contact or recommendation is not enough for a big role, rather an artist is selected only after several rounds of investigation and tests. Know about casting in detail in this explainer-

What are the responsibilities of a casting director?

Today, the role of casting director is very important for any big film. However, it was not so earlier. Till the 1990s, in most of the films, directors and producers used to cast only the actors they knew. But with time casting director became a separate profession. Today casting directors like Mukesh Chhabra, Sanu Sharma and Nandini Srikanth do casting for films. The work of his team is not only to find new artists, but also to see which artist will be most suitable for which character. A lot of budget is spent on the casting of many films.

When does casting preparation start?

After the story of the film is finalized, its script is given to the casting director. After this, separate profiles are prepared for each role. In this profile, things like the character’s age, height, manner of speaking, dress language and background are written. On the basis of this, it is decided who will be cast for the role. If there is a secret of a big film, then the information about it is not made public. In such cases, only a few brilliant artists or talent agencies are asked for casting.

How is casting done among thousands of people?

Today, big casting agencies have digital records of thousands of artists. In this, many skills are recorded including the artist’s photo, video, age, height, language information. Suppose a film requires a 25 year old artist who knows horse riding and knows how to speak Punjabi along with Hindi. The casting team searches its database on this basis and shortlists a few hundred people out of thousands of artists. After this the artists are asked for their slate video. In this they have to tell their name, age, profile and language in front of the camera. Due to which the casting team tries to know how fit he is for that character.

What is a self-tape audition?

There has been a lot of change in the audition process of Bollywood after Corona virus. Earlier, artists had to stand in queues outside the casting director’s office for hours, but now the initial auditions are mostly online. Some part of the script is sent to the shortlisted artists. Which helps him to understand his character. This is called ‘sides’. After this, the artist prepares a demo of acting in the background and sends it to his home. This is called self-tape. In this video, the casting team checks the actor’s acting, voice, way of speaking dialogues and his presence on camera. Similarly, many such videos come to him. After which he takes his decision.

The real audition takes place in the studio

If an artist is selected after the self-tape, then he is called to the studio for audition. Here the casting director and his team audition artists. The same scene is done in many ways. Sometimes in anger, sometimes emotionally and sometimes in a normal manner. Its purpose is not only to see the acting, but also to see how quickly the artist is able to understand the director’s words and whether he can make changes in his acting accordingly or not.

Why are look test and screen test important?

Even after good acting, the selection of an artist is not decided. After this there is look test and screen test. For this, the artist is dressed in the film’s costume and make-up is done. Moreover, it is shot in front of the camera in real lighting, like it would be used in a film. Many times an artist is good at acting, but if his face does not match or does not fit with that character, then he is thrown out. Actually, for many big films it is very important that the look be according to the story.

Chemistry between hero and heroine is also important

If romance or relationship has to be shown in the film, then chemistry test is also done. Suppose an actress has already been selected and three artists are left for the hero. In such a situation, all three are made to do separate scenes with the actress. The director and producer of the film see how the two look together on screen for their film. Many times very good actors are not included in the film just because their screen chemistry with other actors does not seem natural.

How many days does casting for big films take?

Let us tell you that casting for big films takes a lot of time. Sometimes casting takes several months. Its most famous example is Dangal. In this film, auditions were held for about eight months for the childhood and adult characters of Geeta and Babita Phogat. During this period, more than 11 thousand girls were auditioned, only then the casting process was completed. There are many examples of such films, not Dangal. Whose casting took a lot of time. Apart from this, audience of theater artists from all over the country was taken even for small roles in big films like Ramayana. Whereas in Jawan, an actor was chosen for the role of villain who would not look weak in front of Shahrukh Khan on screen.

Also read: Explainer: Do you know which was the first expensive film of Bollywood? If not, find out today