There’s something uniquely different about casting director Paragg Mehta – I don’t know whether it’s his humility – he has done the casting for some of the biggest banners, films, OTT and top-notch directors, yet he is extremely grounded and humble. Or it is his ‘compassion’ – the way Paragg understands his actor’s psyche and zone. …But whatever it is, Paragg is undoubtedly one of the most talented and successful casting directors in the industry. In an exclusive interview, the charismatic Paragg Mehta talks to Sumita Chakraborty about his eventful journey as a casting director, the projects he’s done, challenges and tactics, and much more…
Paragg, you’ve been around for some time in the Hindi film industry, how has the journey been?
The journey’s been interesting – of course, there have been challenges and ups ‘n’ downs too but all in all, it’s been a learning experience. I am from Mumbai but I had no connections with the film industry. In fact, I am actually a botanist, after which I did my Mass Communication in journalism. After I passed out, I was supposed to go to Singapore to do horticulture as I had got a distinction in my last year. My professor, who knew of my love for theatre – I was very involved in plays and theatre in college – however, advised me that before I make a decision, why don’t I give myself a year to discover what I really wanted. And I thought, why not? So I took that chance and I started working in plays etc – I did all sorts of work in the entertainment world – from working on reality shows backstage to writing too. It was at this point, I decided to go to a prominent film and acting school where I met my mentor Benjamin Gilani. He and another professor Som Nath encouraged me to learn acting first so that I can then communicate with an actor more clearly. I was at the institution for a year and then I joined Yash Raj Films and worked with casting director Shanu Sharma for two to three years. After that, I met Sandeep Singh and Sanjay Leela Bhansali – and I did the casting for so many of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films from ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’, ‘Mary Kom’ to ‘Bajirao Mastani’… After that, I got a surge of creativity and wanted to write, direct and produce good content. So I produced a Marathi film ‘Parinati with Sonali Kulkarni and Amruta Subhash – this is still not released.
Santosh Sivan sir at that point gave me a sound bit of advice – he told me not to be in a hurry to do everything. It was then he offered me a film. After that, I got Sanjay Dutt’s comeback film ‘Bhoomi’ and after that, there was no looking back. I’ve done so many films and OTT webseries – each one was more challenging than the other but I persisted. Legend Studios gave me the initial break but after that I did a lot of work. Life has been super kind to me and my hard work and dedication is being aprpeciated.
What about the challenges – did you have any hiccups in your casting journey?
Of course! Casting is a verydifficult job. The writer writes, the director visualises … and then we come into the picture. It’s the casting director’s job to realise the director’s vision through the casting. You need to be very patient and find the right actors so that you can realise the director’s faith in you. So it is a challenge and it is tough but I love my job so it doesn’t feel like a challenge.
You have been praised for your ‘on point’ casting many times example the latest being ‘Janhit Mein Jaari’. Critics have praised your ‘on point’ casting in this film…
Yes, I have been told this a lot especially for Janhit Mein Jaari that our casting was ‘on point’. We cast a new actor Anud Singh Dhaka who proved to be a fantastic actor. Later he told me that he had come to me during the time I was casting for ‘Lipstick Under My Burkha’ but he was so nervous that he couldn’t deliver during the auditions. But this time, he was perfect for the character. Everybody is praising me for my ‘on point’ casting for this film but I would give the credit to the director Jai Basantu Singh. He pushed me to the wall literally as he was so very particular about every aspect. He kept on rejecting people left, right and centre but I didn’t give up. It was difficult and stressful but I enjoyed this. Today, I’m so pleased looking at my cast whether it is Anud, Vijay Raaz, Paritosh Tripathi, Tinnu Anand… everyone. I call them the jewels of the film.
Casting for Red Chillies Betaal too was a big challenge. It was my first fiction, horror thriller and I had to follow the vision of the directors Patrick Graham and Nikhil Mahajan Betaal was a big challenge for me. We travelled to many villages in different parts of India, keeping the nuances of all the characters in mind, and auditioned as many artistes as we could until we got it right and did full justice to the script. Even the series Lakhon Mein Ek Season 2, the casting was very good. I also think we had a fantastic cast for Chopstick and Mumbaikar. In Gaddar 2 too, we pushed senior director Anil Sharma as we tried to amalgamate the past and the present actors and the result is fantastic.
How do you cast the ‘perfect actor’? So many actors are bad in auditions – supposedly, Nawazuddin has failed several auditions – so how do tackle finding the right actor in a scenario like this?
Yes, I agree, at times actors get nervous and mess up auditions – it depends on which zone or emotional and psychological space they are in. There are so many actors – some are good at a particular genre, others in something else. We understand that so we keep testing them. What I’ve done is hit on a formula where in I get actors to register first. Then we call them and make them comfortable over coffee and tea during which, we take an introduction which is actually very important because that’s when we get into the actor’s psyche and understand them better. See, directors too know they won’t get 100 percent of what they are looking for in an actor’s audition but they check for at least 70 percent to get one glimpse of what they are looking for. A casting director’s job is a specialised one. It’s not only about looking at the data base – it’s actually a human psychological process. We have to understand where the actor is coming from…what space they are in. Casting directors are not God but we are here to help both the directors and the actors. It’s an organic process of choosing the right actors. I also do a workshop for actors called The Audition Bible Workshop where I teach and groom actors. It’s a different way of learning. I do this every year and this, I believe, can really help actors.
Abroad, casting directors are recognised and given importance but is it the same in India?
Yes, we are struggling still but thankfully, things are changing. Thanks to Mukesh Chhabra and others, people understand that a casting director’s job is a specialised one. It is a job to contribute to the director’s vision. That’s what I do – I contribute my expertise to the director. People have started noting the cast these days. And with the rise of the OTT platforms, more content is flowing and our roles are acknowledged and we have started getting credit too.
Which are the actors, directors and producers who you believe are also responsible for your success?
There are so many… From Omung Kumar and Sanjay Leela Bhansali, I learnt to be a perfectionist. Santosh Sivan too is very realistic though he too is a perfectionist. He keeps telling me I think differently. There are so many projects I’ve done – so many I’ve been signed on… I think all of them have moulded me as a casting director.
Lastly, when you look back at your journey, is there anything you want to change?
I feel the industry should become more compassionate. Business is part of it but we should be more compassionate. Also the industry should be more organised and casting directors should get their due.
