Mukesh Chhabra on casting for 'Delhi Crime'

Mukesh Chhabra, whose Bollywood directorial debut Dil Bechara starring late actor Sushant Singh Rajput released on a streaming channel in July, is back in the spotlight as the casting director of Netflix’s award-winning series Delhi Crime, based on the Delhi police’s investigation into the 2012 Nirbhaya rape case.

Delhi Crime, which features powerhouse actors like Shefali Shah, Rajesh Tailang and Adil Hussain among others, recently bagged an International Emmy award for Best Drama, the first win of its kind for an Indian programme.

Chhabra, who has done the casting for several acclaimed films like Kai Po Che, Shahid and Gangs of Wasseypur, admitted in a chat with City Times that it felt ‘unreal’ to be part of the ‘amazing cast and crew’ of Delhi Crime. “We feel blessed that people are recognising our work. We are full of gratitude and send love to the creators who trusted us and gave us a free hand to cast.”

‘We are being appreciated’

Casting directors, like many other crew members who work on a big film/series often get sidelined when it comes to accolades. There’s no doubt that picking the right person to play a role is an integral part of any film, and Chhabra is happy that the process of casting is slowly being given the recognition it deserves, saying, “Absolutely! I think now more than ever we are being appreciated and applauded for our work.”

The process of casting for a series with such a serious and traumatic theme as Delhi Crime was obviously a tough one. Chhabra explained, “Because the incident is so sensitive, we needed to take extra care while casting. People have actually gone through this incident, so we needed to take utmost care that we keep their sentiments in mind. While auditioning and approaching actors and throughout the making of the series, me and my team comprising of Siddharth Malik and Robin Singh Rathore made sure we found the right faces and even better actors to play the roles. We made sure we gave special attention to each character.”

OTT a ‘boon’

With OTT content continuing to diversify and expand, new and emerging artists are getting a wider platform to showcase their talent. Chhabra said that OTT creating so many opportunities far and wide was a ‘boon’ and helpful to casting directors too. “We get more of a free hand to experiment with casting. Actors too are willing to take risks and are willing to play parts they have never done before. It's amazing.”

We asked Chhabra what drives him to cast actors for particular roles, as his name is associated with so many content-rich films and series. How does he see his role in the success of a project? “We are so grateful. Because half the job is done when the actor looks the part. I always trust my instincts. Casting is all about visualising an actor in a role, being very far-sighted. It's a craft. We are  just glad that we can be a small and instrumental part of making great content.”