Gangs Of Wasseypur Casting Took A Year; 384 Actors Were Cast: Mukesh Chhabra [Watch Interview]

Bollywood's most well-known casting director Mukesh Chhabra has cast actors to some of the most iconic films including Dangal, Gangs of Wassepur, Kai Po Che!, Queen, and so on. In an exclusive video interview with Filmibeat Managing Editor Shweta Parande in Mumbai, the much sought after casting director spoke about the challenging yet rewarding process of casting for the cult film Gangs Of Wasseypur.

When asked about the casting process for Gangs of Wasseypur, a film which became famous for its gripping characters, Mukesh Chhabra told Filmibeat that people began to understand and take seriously the job of casting, after Gangs of Wasseypur. Although he knew he was collaborating with filmmaker Anurag Kashyap on the film, he never thought the film would get the response that he did. Mukesh stated that they had to cast 384 actors in the film which took approximately one year to do.

He further revealed that their only target was to present as many new faces as possible as they wanted to create the world of Wasseypur with fresh faces. Finally, when the film released and the results of their hard work were overwhelming. Mukesh credits the film for the respect and recognition that the process of casting receives today. He claims the film was a big turning point in all their careers.

Gangs of Wasseypur received not only love from audiences, but also much critical acclaim, and was even presented on the world stage at the 65th Cannes Film Festival. Regarding this, Mukesh said that when a film gets so much love, everyone involved with the film, from its writers, directors, casting directors to technicians, also gets showered with love.

Chhabra is grateful for the huge role that Gangs of Wasseypur has played in his life, and declares it will be a film that people will talk about for a long time. In the interview, he also talked about his journey to becoming one of the most successful casting directors in Bollywood, as also his expansion plans, while giving some tips to aspiring actors.

Watch the interview of Mukesh Chhabra here:

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