Actors are 70-80 per cent of the film

Vandana Ramnani interviews Uma da Cunha, a leading casting director in India.

How did it all begin?

My career led to my working in the film society movement and attending film festivals. I received my first assignment as a casting person from a foreign director at one of these film festivals. It was way back in the mid-’70s that British producers/directors such as Euan Lloyd (Sea Wolves), shot in India, and approached me for the casting of Indian actors.

Ever since, I’ve undertaken assignments for leading directors such as Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding, Kamasutra), Deepa Mehta (Earth and Water), Jane Campion (Holy Smoke), Aamir Khan (the British extras in Lagaan) and Dev Benegal (English August), among others.

Is casting a profession?

Unfortunately, no. One can't make a living out of casting. It’s not a regular job. Work comes sporadically. Being selective, one gets to cast for just one or two films a year. There is the need to have an ancillary, steady income. Casting for me is a personal equation with the director and screenplay writer. I prefer to work for small films and small units. I do them because I love the challenge.

What’s your advice to youngsters?

They need to love the process of acting and realise it needs fine observation and training in voice and body language. It has often been noted that actors are 70-80 per cent of the film. A casting director has to make an assessment of how the actor blends into the role. To be knowledgeable in this field, one has to constantly watch films and theatre, know the many nuances of acting and also meet the actors. Casting directors are paid for by the production company of the film.

There are no formal institutes that teach you how to become a casting director. One gets hands-on-training by working in a production unit.

What are the challenges in this field?

The most difficult part about casting is finding child actors and teenage actors. It’s easier abroad as theatre is a part of the curriculum abroad, and there are people who represent child actors.

In India, one can find young acting talent by visiting schools or by consulting NGOs working with children, especially street children. It’s a great feeling when you find an actor, cast him/her for his/her first major role, as was the case with Rahul Bose and his eye-catching performance in English August. Another example is that of the Bangladeshi housewife in the film Brick Lane, the street which is the location for Monica Ali’s eponymousbook.

The director and I auditioned over 30 girls over a week before zeroing in on Tannishtha Chatterjee, which has led to her becoming a sought-after actress in the UK. One key role can place an actor on the path of a larger, more fulfilling career.


Author: HT Horizons

Date: 6th April, 2010

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