Ajeet Vishwakarma, a Casting Director in Bollywood for TV shows, Feature Films, and print shoots, is in the news again. This time, it is for his upcoming movie 'Ye Mard Bechara' released on 19th Nov 2021. Ajeet has been in Bollywood for years now and is part of many top-notch production houses. He has several films to his credit as one of the ace casting directors in Bollywood.
1. Ajeet, tell us about your latest project ‘Ye Mard Bechara’?
There is something special about this film. It is not necessary to have a lot of money or get a big star cast to make a good film. The most interesting thing about this film is that the director has shot it very beautifully. In today's era, the audience needs a good story and this is one such movie Ye Mard Bechara. Of course, this is the director's first film. But Annup Thapa knows very well what to serve. At the same time, I had a different role as a casting director. The film was released extensively all over India on 19th November and the film was successful to a great extent in winning the hearts of the audience. This film has IMDb ratings of 9.6/10 which is considered very good. This film has received good reviews on social media platforms.
2. How did you land up with this project and what made you choose to be a part of this?
There are always some very special things to be associated with a good project. I met producer Shivam Aggarwal in the initial phase of the film and he discussed with me about the project. Then according to the director, I did my job as a casting director responsibly, which is seen on screen today all over the country.
3. What was the most challenging aspect of this project from the view of a Casting director?
Difficulties are always there when you do something good. Challenges were definitely there but I think my job is to take on challenges. At the same time, I thank my director Anup Thapa for believing in me. Mr. Thapa was into theatres earlier and his experience of character designing makes him very particular about what sort of actors he wants. And this eventually made my job a little easy and things happened very smoothly.
4. It seems to be a comedy movie meant for entertainment. Any message behind the theme of this movie?
It's a light-hearted comedy movie made for entertainment purposes where the hero is being hammered mentally by society and family to have a mustache as it symbolizes manhood. But the story justifies that you become a man with your actions and not with your masculinity or thick voice or mustache.
5. Would you like to mention any memorable incident attached to the project ‘Ye Mard Bechara’?
In the initial stage, a lot of problems arose. There were a lot of challenges in casting as well. But the Director and Producer were very supportive. They believed in me and I was motivated to give my best. And after I was done with my job, the producer got very impressed with me and gifted me a brand new mobile phone. And I think that was the most memorable incident for me.
5. You are now a Producer as well. You also co-produced a movie ‘Vardi Ko Salam’. Tell us something about that experience.
I am working as a casting director for 8 successful years in the industry. And everyone has got a bigger goal to achieve. For me, it's filmmaking because it's not just casting but also, I enjoy the entire pipeline process of making a cinema. Short Film Vardi ko Salaam was my first step towards that goal which you can watch on Hotstar. And apart from that few more production ventures are about to get released.
6. You must be juggling between being a producer and a casting director. Any comments.
It's all about how you balance them both. Casting is something, I have to give special attention to. The production of a movie deals with creating a healthy atmosphere for the entire team, hiring the best professionals for the job. It requires good management skills and I feel I am good at that. Rest, I am learning.
7. You must be working on a number of projects. What is next after ‘Ye Mard Bechara’, maybe just a glimpse?
One of my films which is my first feature film by God's grace, named, 'Let's Fly with my Paper Rocket', is beautifully written and directed by Abhijeet Sahoo. This film is almost ready and will get released very soon on the OTTs. Apart from that few other short films are also ready for release. So, fingers crossed, I am really hoping for the best.
- Interviewed and posted by CB Admin
