MUMBAI : Television had always been the grandest of mediums and has been the audience’s go-to for entertainment. The entertainment landscape has changed a lot over the years. 

Now, audiences want fresh tales of love and drama and there is a new barrage of actors taking over TV shows. While the longevity of shows has gone out, the entry of new-age thinkers has definitely helped to tell the stories of hope and entertainment to the audiences.

To create a successful project, actors, actresses, casting directors, producers, directors, and everyone else works together as a team.

Among all of these, casting directors are essential for developing new talent and identifying the right actor for a part.

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Many casting directors have achieved success in this industry through their talent and dedication. Surraj Mahajan is the casting director responsible for creating the perfect ensemble for a lot of your favourite shows, the recent being Dil Diyan Gallan on Sab TV.

TellyChakkar got in touch with the casting director to talk about his process, his journey and more.

When aksed about how he got started in this field of casting, he reflected and said, “A casting director’s job is a thankless one. In 2015, I joined the casting team of Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai and I was an intern there. I learned a lot from the casting director, especially how we identify and understand the actors, and when an actor approaches us, we look at their body language and understand the kind of the potential they have. Later, I became an associate there and from that, I became a casting director, so he has been very supportive in that journey in case of guidance”.

But that’s not it. Like many who come to the city of dreams, Surraj too had dreams of becoming an actor, but changed his route, talking about which he said, “ I came to Mumbai to act and I did get that opportunity but did not work out. I realized my potential because acting is a very difficult job, which a lot of people underestimate and they just presume that if they come to Mumbai they can just become actors. Like Pratik Gandhi rightly said, people see the overnight success but they don’t see the years that go into making it real. So, people don’t understand that overnight success is not a thing that happens all the time, one has to work for it and people have to polish their skills. This is an art form and for art, one should always do something different and new, especially if you want to do something different as an actor. You need to have that x-factor and this is what I have learned. One should realize their potential and not force things. That is one thing that I realized early, that acting was not my cup of tea. But, I was rather good at understanding and judging people. So, when I chose this field, I went through a rite of passage of an intern to associate to casting director and in this journey, I met a lot of people who do ask me for advice and what they should do. But, they don’t always listen, and we also face challenges day in and day out but such is the job”.

Surraj has been a very active and influential part of the entertainment world and for shows.

Stay tuned to TellyChakkar for more updates!

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