‘If Rajinikanth were starting today, his profile might not even be forwarded’: Inaamulhaq slams casting directors for being biased

Inaamulhaq claimed that a major casting scam is unfolding in the industry, where opportunities are mostly given to those who are close to casting directors.

By: Entertainment Desk

Mumbai | October 3, 2025 05:58 PM IST

3 min read

Inaamulhaq claims that in today's times, someone like Rajinikanth might not even be given a chance by casting directors.

Inaamulhaq reveals that the current casting landscape in Bollywood is highly gated and lacks transparency.

One of the most gifted yet persistently underrated actors working in contemporary Indian cinema today is none other than Inaamulhaq. Known for his powerful performances in acclaimed films such as Filmistaan, Firaaq, Airlift, and Jolly LLB 2, Inaamulhaq has long been a critical favorite. But despite his immense talent, the industry has often failed to fully harness his potential. In a recent interview with Digital Commentary, the actor opened up about how the industry continues to overlook him, so much so that many still refer to him as “Akshay Kumar’s co-actor” due to their frequent collaborations. In the same interview, Inaamulhaq went on to highlight a far more systemic issue: the lack of transparency and accessibility in Bollywood’s casting landscape.

“I see a lot of outsiders, and you can genuinely feel their frustration. Many of them live in Versova, I live there too, and whenever I meet them, there’s a visible sadness. This sadness mostly stems from the unfair practices of casting agencies. I feel directors need to take more responsibility. They comfortably sit in their air-conditioned offices, receive a shortlist of 10 actors, and make their decisions based on that. But my question is, who are these 10 actors being shortlisted? Isn’t it possible they’re simply the ones who are close to the casting directors? Can we really say that the process is genuine? What’s stopping these lists from being manipulated?”

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Inaamulhaq reminisced about a time when the industry was more open, when actors had the freedom to simply walk into auditions, a system that allowed genuine talent to be discovered, often serendipitously. “Earlier, there used to be this freedom, to just walk in. Casting departments were in-house. If a director happened to notice someone during such an audition, it could change everything. Subhash Ghai discovered Jackie Shroff this way. Rajinikanth was a bus conductor when someone spotted him, and today, he’s a legend. But in today’s environment, if someone like Rajinikanth were starting out, a casting director might not even forward his profile. So instead of blaming casting directors alone, I want to tell the directors and producers: please bring back in-house casting. You’re lagging behind, and that’s why we keep seeing the same 10 to 12 faces on screen.”

He further added that India is not lacking in talent, the proof, he says, is right in front of us every day. “Just open Instagram. You’ll see countless talented people doing incredible work on reels. Even you scroll through them daily. So it’s not that we don’t have talent. Then why is it that we keep seeing the same handful of actors in every project?”

Inaamulhaq was last seen in the 2023 film Pippa.

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