Mukesh Chhabra is one of the most popular casting directors in the film industry. In a new episode of Pinkvilla’s podcast, he revealed the casting process with different filmmakers. He discussed how he fought with Hansal Mehta a lot, how Imtiaz Ali gave back stories, and how Rajkumar Hirani was very specific about his demands.
Mukesh Chhabra on casting process of Hansal Mehta, Imtiaz Ali, and Rajkumar Hirani
In an exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, Mukesh Chhabra disclosed the character brief he received from Hansal Mehta for the casting process. He said, “Hum dono ek dusre ko bahut zyada kaam ki respect karte hai, pyaar karte hai, ladte hai, jhagadte hai (We both respect each other very much, love each other, fight and quarrel).”
Talking about their equation, Chhabra continued, “Sabse zyada ladaiyan kisi se hoti hongi woh Hansal sir se hi hoti hain meri. Aur unka brief hota hai ki ‘Tune dekh liya na.’ Aur woh jo bolte hai na tune dekh liya woh jo pressure hota hai na bahut zyada tension wala hota hai. (The most fights I would have had with anyone would have been with Hansal sir. And his brief is ‘You have seen it na.’ And when he says that, you feel a lot of tension).”
He added that Hansal Mehta never gave him a direct brief and asked him to think differently and uniquely.
Watch the full interview here!
Coming to Imtiaz Ali, Mukesh Chhabra stated, “Imtiaz Ali jo bhi brief dete hai na uske andar bahut zyada mohabbat hoti hai. Woh ek chahe chota sa bhi role ho na uski bhi ek bahut pyaari kahani batate hain (Whatever brief Imtiaz Ali gives, there is a lot of love in it. Even if it is a small role, he tells a very lovely story about it).”
He said that Imtiaz would give him a detailed back story of a character even if he has one scene.
About Rajkumar Hirani, Mukesh Chhabra revealed, “Raju sir ka bahut specific brief hota hai. Unka ek dimag mein picture banta hai ki itni uski height hoti hog, glasses lagata hoga.. unka physical description bahut clear hota hai (Raju sir has a very specific brief. He has a picture in his mind that he must be of this height, must be wearing glasses.. His physical description is very clear).”
Chhabra further said that the filmmaker would give him an exact physical description according to which the casting happened.
