How OTT gets its actors right: From Scoop to The Family Man, casting directors open up on getting the right fit

As better stories and characters were created, it organically led to the demand for talented actors who could do justice to these parts with their craft. Casting Director Anmol Ahuja who is the co-founder of Casting Bay says, “It is only because someone wrote a character like Hathiram Chaudhary or Kaleen Bhaiyya that we even got the chance to cast Jaideep Ahlawat or Pankaj Tripathi who went on to give us breakthrough performances in these roles. The script remains the foundation and we always look for actors who will do justice to a particular character.”

Anmol, whose company has worked on shows and films like Paatal Lok, Mirzapur, Bulbbul and Panchayat, has seen streaming content evolve from well-written but small-budget shows like Permanent Roommates and Pitchers to the present day where big budgets and bigger stars are making their way to OTT platforms.

He shares that when they began working with TVF (The Viral Fever), who made some of the earliest ‘web series’ in India, budgets were very limited so there was no question of getting a big star or an established actor. However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because it gave talented but struggling actors an opportunity to play well-written parts.

Citing the example of films like Black Friday which starred the then relatively unknown Kay Kay Menon and Pawan Malhotra, Anmol says, “There was never a dearth of talent, just the dearth of opportunity. OTT platforms filled that gap for actors who were struggling or doing theatre till they found roles in films.”

Casting Director Shruti Mahajan, who has worked on shows like Bombay Begums and Ashram, says that she and other casting professionals are an important bridge between content creators and actors looking for opportunities. “Today there are actors who have become household names and OTT ‘stars’ in their own right because they are talented artists who audiences have appreciated,” she says while talking about how streaming platforms have reduced the scarcity of opportunities for actors.

Having the relative freedom to make unusual casting choices has also opened new avenues for actors who weren’t getting the right roles in films. Shruti shares how Pooja Bhatt and Bobby Deol were both delighted to be offered challenging roles in Bombay Begums and Ashram even after decades in the business. For many actors, OTT platforms also serve as a stepping stone to getting cast in films or bigger-budget shows. Anmol says, “A director may come across a performance months after the show drops and feel that a particular actor will be great for a role in a film or another web series that he/she is working on.”

While OTT platforms don’t have the pressure of an immediate box office, it’s not as if they are exempted from criticism or failure. Viewers these days are very vocal about what or who they enjoyed watching, and the feedback on social media or comments on YouTube serve as an important feedback mechanism for makers and casting directors both.

But a positive outcome of having a demanding audience and passionate content creators is the commitment to inclusivity, realism and representation while casting actors. In Family Man, actors from across India were cast to play Kashmiri, Malyali and Tamilian characters with authenticity on the show. Director Suresh Triveni insisted on finding a child actor with cerebral palsy to play Vidya Balan’s onscreen son who has the same condition. In Pataal Lok, the character of Cheeni, a Manipuri trans woman, was played by a transgender actor, Mairembam Ronaldo Singh who was part of a Manipuri theatre group. Speaking about the effort it took to find an actor for a role like Cheeni, Abhishek Banerjee, co-founder of Casting Bay and an acclaimed actor said in an earlier interview, “The responsibility of casting directors is not to cast only people who are working, or whoever is visible or is in your circle. Their job is to find actors…”

With theatrical releases still finding their groove after the pandemic, OTT platforms have started drawing the interest of well-known Bollywood actors as well. The most recent examples are Shahid Kapoor who made his OTT debut with Farzi, and Sonakshi Sinha who was the protagonist of Dahaad.While some react to this development with wariness, Anmol feels that simply having a Bollywood star cannot guarantee success.

However, he feels there are many advantages of having a show with a big star. Fans may take up subscriptions to watch their favourite star’s show, and also end up watching other programs on the platform that are well-made but not as high profile. One can only hope that the commitment to finding the right talent continues and we see many more breakthrough performances in the years to come.