‘Bollywood casting is more about names than who fits the part’
While there is a lot of chatter about how roles for women are improving in Bollywood, many feel that there is still a lot of gap in terms of casting. Actor Palomi Ghosh is one of them, who feels that casting does tend to be myopic and it is done on the basis of other aspects, and not according to who is best suited for the role.
“Honestly, I do feel like there are times when certain crucial parts do get cast on the basis of what the name is. I realised there are a lot of factors to that. There’s a commerce angle in terms of who will bring in the crowds. Now there’s a new thing, which is how present one is on social media and what kind of following an actor has. That has started hugely influencing parts that are cast,” she says.
Palomi, who is riding high on the success of back-to-back web projects — Typewriter and Mission Over Mars — however, is optimistic. She feels there are still people in the industry whose endeavour is to make good projects with deserving actors.
“I wish that number grows and people take chances with people who fit the role. I hope that they make their story the hero and see what comes out of that. I understand that change can be uncomfortable. So many people resist change and they go the tried-and-tested way,” shares the actor.
Palomi herself has never chased roles or directors in Bollywood. One can even say that her career has been unconventional — she started her film career with a lowbudget Konkani film Nachomia Kumpasar (2015) and has been part of films such as Mukti Bhawan (2017), besides doing playback singing in Helicopter Eela (2018).
Content with her journey so far, Palomi has made it a point to take up projects that resonate with her. “Great projects have come to me and I’m learning every day. Maybe one day I’ll know what road to chase but I can’t complain. I have worked with some fantastic directors,” she
concludes.