Vishal Sharma moved from Delhi to Mumbai, the City of Dreams with a belief that ‘one can get successful if he can help himself’. According to him, you need to set a goal for yourself, but cannot afford to waste time in striving only for that. The wiser option will be to streamline yourself in such a way that you are settled with an alternative career, and then struggle to achieve your goals. Vishal is the ‘perfect’ example of what he preaches. The man aims to become an actor one day, but is now establishing his career and is on a learning process as a Casting Director. He presently works with Rose Audio Visuals Pvt. Ltd. and has been the backbone of the excellent casting in the recently launched show on Sony TV, Kehta Hai Dil… Jee Le Zara. In a hearty chat with Tellychakkar.com for our ‘Behind the Lens’ segment, Vishal talks about his journey in the entertainment industry and on his future plans.. Tell us about your initial days in Mumbai… I was doing theatre in Delhi when I decided to move to Mumbai in the year 2010 to kick-start my struggle towards achieving my dreams. The first break I got as an actor was in Tere Liye wherein I played the role of Sushmit, friend of Rajat Tokas’ character. I then went on to be part of CID, Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai where I played the role of Yash, friend to Ashish Kapoor’s character. It was in 2011 that I started my career in casting as the Associate Creative Director for Khamoshiyaan. I have also been associated with Walkwater Media’s Pratigya, for three months. I then joined Entertainment Hub and cast for their shows Haunted Nights and Piya Ka Ghar Pyaara Lage for eight months. I then moved to Rose Movies and you can say that Jee Le Zara has been my first big show as a Casting Director. Why did you decide to move away from acting and take up casting as your profession? Acting is a struggle and I had the main task before me to settle in Mumbai. Yes, my bigger goal in life is to become an actor and gain fame. But after getting into casting, I have learnt a lot that will help me in future as an actor. Jee Le Zara happens to be my first big show, and I am lucky to have got to cast for such a show in just a year’s span of getting into casting. Tell us about Jee Le Zara. How did you go about your work? At the age of 25, I feel I had a big opportunity before me when I started working on Jee Le Zara. The Producers Shrishti M’am (Arya) and Goldie Sir (Behl) believed in me. And trust me, this will be a big show for Sony TV as it has the best of casting. I have worked very hard on it, and await to see the results. You are the man who brought back Sangeeta Ghosh to the television screens. (smiles). We had auditioned nearly 60-70 faces, all known, semi-known and new faces for the role of Saachi. And in a discussion that happened with the Producers, we talked about Sangeeta Ghosh being an option and we were glad that she fitted the bill to the ‘T’. We needed a face that had the innocence, yet would be the strong and confident 35 years old girl and Sangeeta showed the same on her face when we met her for the first time. We needed someone who could carry the show on her shoulders, and we got that attribute in Sangeeta. And this came after we had tried quite a lot of faces like Ragini Khanna, Raageshwari, Ashima Bhalla, Shilpa Anand to name a few. Tell us about the manner in which you finalized Ruslaan Mumtaz? I had met Ruslaan when I was working for Entertainment Hub for the movie Veerana. I had a very clear picture of the guy in my mind, and when we were casting for Dhruv, I felt he was perfect for the character. When I initially gave him a call, he had refused the offer as he was finalized for a show of Shakuntalam Telefilms. However, when I got to know that the show was delayed, I called him again and asked him to audition for this role. And rest is what you see as he was what we wanted. We had other options like Mohit Malhotra and Kunal Verma, but Ruslaan had the perfect age that we wanted. So what are your expectations from Jee Le Zara now? The response to the casting has been great. And the concept of the show is interesting. I have struggled to put in the best of casting, and I am sure this will be a ‘dhamakedaar’ show on Sony. I feel Jee Le Zara will give me an identity in the industry. I wish and pray that we have a good run for 2-3 years. What is it that you have learnt being in this industry? I come from a family which is completely away from the entertainment world. I got to know that nobody will help you and it is for you to make your own way and walk into it. I have made my way, even though I have taken a completely different approach to life. I believe that one can be successful only if you can help yourself. I have started my struggle, made a name for myself. I have made money, settled down well in Mumbai. Mumbai is a city which gives all, but it depends on you to set the quantity with your efforts. So when do you plan to get back to acting? Well, the plan as of now is to concentrate on Jee Le Zara. I will probably want to cast for one or two more big shows. I have learnt quite a lot of acting skills by being in casting. I have to work on my body and get in good shape. Probably in a year and a half, I plan to try my luck in acting. Is there anyone who inspires you? I am my own inspiration. Of course, I have my father and then there is God. When I wanted to start work in casting, there were many who discouraged me and said I was only good at acting. But I have managed to work my way in. I always tell people who have dreams in life to do some work with which they can survive and later go in search of their dreams. There is a happiness and contentment in being satisfied and then struggling for greater heights. You would want to thank… My producers for giving me such a huge responsibility, and believing in my work. I would also like to thank Sameer Sheikh, the Head of Operations as he guided and supported me a lot. But most importantly I would like to thank grandma Gyan Devi Sharma, buaji Rani Sharma and closest friend Anjali.