Actor turned Casting Director, Dinesh Soi has come a long way in his 6-7 years of experience in the industry. The last time we featured him in this Behind The Lens section on Tellychakkar.com, Dinesh was working on as many as 10 TV projects of Entertainment Hub and 12 movie projects. 

Now, the man is in charge of the Casting Department as the Casting Head in the newly formed production house of Anshuman Kishore Singh and Sheena Singh, Sunshine Rise Productions. He handles the two episodic shows of the production house that are presently on air, Bhanwar on Sony Entertainment Television and Code Red on Colors. 

Here is Dinesh Soi in conversation with Tellychakkar.com yet again, this time to talk about his learning experiences in the very recent time.. 

From Entertainment Hub and shows of Sahara One, how did you make the leap to becoming the Casting Head of Sunshine Rise Productions?

Being the Casting Head, it was an awesome experience of casting for 5 new shows in the span of 20 days at The Entertainment Hub. In between I did so many projects including shows for Rashmi Sharma Telefilms. But I wanted to do something innovative with an enthusiastic team. When I got a chance to work with Mr. Anshuman Kishore Singh, who is a brand name when it comes to direction, of course my answer was ‘Yes’.

Tell us about the difficulties that one faces when you are working for a new company, which is still to find its roots in the TV industry?

Well, the major difficulty is in gaining the trust of the artists, especially because the production house is new. Usually, the payment rolls after 3-4 months, when the new production house starts getting payments from the channel. But artists demand for payment to be issued earlier, as there is always the insecurity factor hovering around, when it comes to getting their monies, that too after working for a new team.

Tell us about your producers?

Producers are Mr. Anshuman Kishore Singh and Mrs. Sheena Singh. They are really experienced and creative. Under their supervision, the shows are doing really well and the quality is being liked by the mass.

You are casting for two episodic shows – Bhanwar and Code Red. How different is it to work on an episodic series when compared to casting for daily shows?

As per me, working for episodics is much difficult than daily soaps, as every day we have to cast for a new story without any compromise. It is hectic sometimes, but the good thing is that so many artists get work in episodics. And the newcomers gain a lot through episodic stories, as they get an opportunity to prove themselves in the shorter version. This opens gates for them to be casted in daily soaps. So many good artists get discovered via episodic stories. 

What do you prefer – casting for episodics or a daily?

Both, it depends on the spare time I have. As I said, episodics are a bit hectic. I cannot take any other project outside if I am casting for an episodic.

How challenging has it been to cast for Bhanwar and Code Red. Tell us about the problems you encountered?

The stories are always very realistic. We are trying to raise a voice against crime. Sometimes artists, especially parents of the kids argue when we try to shoot realistic scenes like molestation, brutal murder etc. Even the makeup and costumes are very minimal, and sometimes not even used for certain stories or scenes. All these factors make episodic tales unique.  

You own your own company DS Creations Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. What does it do?     

The company will soon be known as a Casting Hub, where we will try to give chance to as many artists as we can.

Which has been the most appreciated episode so far in your two episodics? Why?

The ‘beggar’ and ‘Kajal Prostitute’ stories have been appreciated the most. In the beggar story, we showed the real pain of the children who are kidnapped and are forced to beg. The episodes got excellent treatment and managed to touch the souls of the masses. In the same way, Kajal story threw light on the girls who are forcefully put into prostitution.

You have had a long career in the industry. What have been your learning so far?

Learning is a never-ending process. I am enjoying it. Every day starts with new challenges and I try to accomplish it in the best way I can.  

As a casting head, is there any kind of show that you will want to cast for?

Some great shows like Balika Vadhu, which throws a great message.

What are the plans for Sunshine Rise Productions in future?

It is rising leaps and bounds. We are trying to make good stories. There lies a good future ahead for the production house.