Exclusive! Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar were the first choices for lead roles in Badhaai Do

A film's success is greatly attributed to the performances of the actors and finding the right pair of actors who can fulfill the vision of the director can be a daunting task for a casting director. But for casting directors, Shiv Chauhan and Ashish Khare, it's the challenges that come with the job that gets them going. The two are known for their casting for films and web series like Stree, Aspirants and Kota Factory.  

In an exclusive interview with OTTplay, the two, who have recently worked on casting for Badhaai Do, talk about how Rajkummar Rao and Bhumi Pednekar came on board for the upcoming rom-com, challenges they faced, their success formula and casting couch and more! Shiv and Ashish say the filmmaker Harshavardhan Kulkarni was particular about casting Rao and Pednekar for the movie. Shiv Chauhan says, "Raj was the first choice for the film. He will be seen in a never-seen avatar. One of the reasons why Raj became a part of the film is because Harshvardhan wanted him to do the role." Ashish adds that Raj has great comedy timing. "He plays the role of a young guy with a 'manly' profession but he is not. The situations he gets into are funny," he says. 

The film Badhaai Do marks the first collaboration of Rajkummar and Bhumi on the screen. Since the film deals with a fresh concept, the makers demanded a fresh pair of actors to lead the movie and hence, they say, Rao and Pednekar were finalised by the director and producers. "The actors were narrated the script and they loved it. So they came on board," says Shiv. 

The toughest character to crack was that of Bhumi's girlfriend in the movie. The casting directors travelled across the country and even to Nepal to find the right match for the role. They started the audition process in Mumbai, travelled to Delhi, the North East and then Nepal before they finalised Chum Darang for the role. Shiv says, "For Badhaai Do, we had 10 months before the start of the project and the commencement of its shooting. We completed casting in nine months, working during the lockdown. The delay was due to the pandemic. But it helped. We got more time. We went searching all over India for each and every character." 

He adds that on average, it takes about three months to cast about 50 to 60 artists for a film. The artists are shortlisted based on the requirement of the script. Ashish explains, "We read the script and hold discussions. We look at where the story is set, what kind of characters it requires, the background of these characters, specific physical attributes, if required, etc. If the character is based out of UP, we look for an actor who looks like he's from UP. We also look at the lingo and diction of the place and if the actor can deliver that." And, there is no one definite way to look for the artists who would be suitable for a particular role. Shiv says, "There is no one way. We look through our contacts. Since we have worked in theatre space across the world, we have a good network. The next step is posting the announcement for an audition on social media and groups stating our requirement." And if they are casting fresh faces or actors with lesser experience, they look at how well prepared the artist is when he comes to the audition. They check if the actor remembers his lines well and can read and understand the script when they hold reading sessions. "If an artist is more prepared, it gets easier. We can guide the person better," says Ashish. 

The job is quite challenging. And, the advent of OTT and a sudden spike in the demand for actors for new series and films haven't made their lives any easier. Shiv says the nature of their job is challenging and that's why they enjoy it the most too. "With the advent of OTT, the scope of casting has increased. Filmmakers are telling more realistic stories now and they look for realistic actors. So, we get to connect with many artists and also focus on small characters. We get to audition in detail and find good actors for even smaller roles. We also get the opportunities to cast pan-Indian actors as OTT offers more pan-Indian stories unlike earlier, when the stories were more confined to certain space," he adds. 

But the challenges differ from one project to the other. Ashish recalls and shares the example of Badhaai Do. "One of the important roles is that of Bhumi's girlfriend. We travelled even to the North East to look for an actor. Many there are not even aware of the audition process. They do have the potential but do not know how to do a recording. There are already very few actors who are fluent in Hindi and finding one among them was quite challenging," he says. 

The two have worked for successful projects like Stree, Aspirants and Kota Factory. Ask what their success formula is and Shiv says, "Our formula is an honest approach towards each project. The method to do casting differs from one project to another but we approach each of them with utmost honesty and deliver the best within the stipulated period between the start of a project and the commencement of its shoot." Many actors have been recently opening up about their casting couch experiences, however, Shiv and Ashish say they haven't heard any such experiences from their network. "We haven't heard any such experiences from the people in our circle or probably, they haven't told us. As casting directors, we do have strict rules and policies in place. We ensure that the actors who come to us feel safe in our space," says Shiv before signing off. 

Shiv Chauhan and Ashish Khare are currently working on a series directed by Rahi Anil Barve and produced by Raj & DK, a project with Maddock Films and a TVF series.