MUMBAI: There are a lot of popular faces who enter the industry to make it big and after a long struggle, there are quite a few who make it to the top. Among the few which we mention is Manoj Ramola, who is currently a Casting Director at Village Boy Telefilms.

In an exclusive conversation with Manoj, we learnt in depth about his journey in the industry…

Take a look:

How was your journey before entering this industry?

I'm from Uttarakhand, and I was involved in drama. Once I was in college, I got some clarity on casting. I worked as a casting director in Mumbai from 2010. I worked in Savdhaan India, Rowdy Rathore and several advertisements. I wrote a book in 2012, which was launched in 2015 by Late. Om Puri. It was the first book based on casting direction and I got a very positive response.

Many casting directors were initially actors but acting didn't work out for them, so was that your case as well?

As I told you earlier I was in drama, so I had worked on script writing, direction and acting. But when I actually worked as an assistant in a production, I realised that I'm inclined towards this field of casting. Due to this clarity, I got to write my book as well.

Casting directors don't get much personal time, how do you maintain the balance?

As you know, casting directors don't have any specific working hours. At a time, we tend to work on several projects at a time. I try to give my personal attention on every work/project I do.

Any challenges that you have faced while casting?

Casting is a new term in India, most of the people in this industry doesn't know exactly what a 'casting director' actually does. So whenever I meet a new producer, they ask me which actors do I have in hand, which doesn't make sense! I don't have actors in my pocket, I'll have to know the script and character before doing my work and accordingly cast someone based on it. The people who know about what a casting director's work is, their shows turn out to be great because correct minds have worked behind it.

What are your views on actor's tantrums? And how do you deal with it?

It depends on their previous work as well, the root of the problem should be identified and understood.

What would you advise to upcoming emerging casting directors?

I would suggest them to know their work in depth. If you think that you have plenty contacts of various actors and that's enough, you're totally wrong because that's not what casting is about. If you seriously want to work in this field, an in-depth study regarding filmmaking and casting is very essential.