Working behind the camera!

Bhumi Pednekar admits her experiences as an assistant casting director helped her “gain a lot of understanding” about acting

Not many know that before wowing critics and audiences alike with her powerful performance in Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2015), Bhumi Pednekar worked as a casting assistant at film-maker Aditya Chopra’s production house. Interestingly, Bhumi admits that “working behind the camera has helped [her craft] a lot.”

“It’s absolutely true. I used to do the casting of every film’s secondary cast. For instance, if a film had 80 characters, I was responsible for all of that. I remember once I was working on the casting for three films at the same time, and I was auditioning for every character except the lead pair,” she says.

Bhumi’s previous job involved “meeting different directors, getting to know their visions, their expectations [vis-à-vis the cast members] and their style of storytelling”. “So, at a very young age, I got exposed to different schools of filmmaking. I was the one who used to give actors their cues and would direct them too, so I gained a lot of understanding from those experiences,” she says.

Now, Bhumi readily admits that she always wanted to become an actor but she had never told this to anyone when she was working as an assistant casting director. “If I had expressed my desire, I feel people would have perceived my intention for the job in a wrong way,” says the actor, adding that there was a point when she wanted to become a director too.

“I was 17, and I was very young and confused, which is natural at that age. I remember one day, Shanoo Sharma (casting director at Chopra’s production house) came up to me and said, ‘What are you doing with direction and all? Accept the truth that you want to be an actor’ (laughs). A lot of directors would also ask me, ‘Why are you not an actor?’ But I always said no to them. Now I feel maybe I did casting for so many years because I got to also act a little (smiles),” she says.

Now, Bhumi has a suggestion for all budding actors — work behind the camera. “It makes you a better human being because you realise that it’s not just the actor, who puts in efforts for a film, but the whole crew. Also, I have been exposed to everything with regards to life experiences, and that enriches your craft,” she says.

At a very young age, I got exposed to different schools of filmmaking. I was the one who used to give actors their cues and would direct them too. BHUMI PEDNEKAR, ACTOR