Asad Sheikh the talented Casting Director who has had a fruitful journey in TV and web talks about the challenges faced at work during the pandemic phase. He also talks about being happy when he brings the new talents to notice and shows them the path ahead.
Says Asad, “I have had a fruitful year in 2021. My shows Hero Gaayab Mode On was on air and Nima Denzongpa is going on as of now. I am working on a few upcoming projects. Apart from this, I have completed a few web shows and am looking forward to a good year in 2022.”
Talking about the challenges faced during the lockdown, Asad explains, “Working from home was a big challenge. Everything was happening digitally and it was new to us. But we did manage to accommodate and change the mode of work with actors sending in the self-audition reels.”
“While casting, the genre of the show and the characterizations need to be understood to get into a smooth casting process. Approaching only the artists who fit well into the character is what I aim at even in the first stage of audition,” he adds.
Asad who has cast for both the TV and web mediums explains to us that the working pattern is very different in both cases. “TV is a long format while the web stories are shorter/ broken down into seasons. In web series, actors who have the experience of theatre and TV commercials are preferred more.”
Asad talks about the talents that he has hand-picked for his projects, “Kanika Mann will be making her digital debut in 2022. Geetika Mahendru, Harshit Sidhwani, Shaad Grover, and recently Raghav Thakur have been my finds.”
Talking about the challenge of grooming the newcomers, Asad states “A lot of patience and perseverance is required to deal with the new talent. Some a really talented and do not work like freshers at all. With proper workshops, their acting skills get groomed. Having said this, a basic level of talent is required in a fresher so that we can convince the producers and directors to take him on the cast list. It is indeed exciting to work with new talents.”
Presently, Asad is working on a few Endemol Shine projects, and will also direct music albums in the near future.