MUMBAI: Lucky Gautam left the comforts of his home in Gwalior to fulfil his dream of working in showbiz and arrived in Mumbai a few years back. He got an opportunity to assist a film shoot where he was asked to audition some actors. His work got noticed and landed his first opportunity as a casting director for the TV show Jai Jai Jai Bajrang Bali. Since then there has been no looking back.

“Jai Jai Jai Bajrang Bali was my first big break and that too with a channel like Sahara One, so it was special. I also did many ads with Amitabh Bachchan, Sharman Joshi, Shilpa Shetty, among others. I have also worked with Ram Gopal Varma. There are many who come here every day with the wish of joining the industry like me but not everyone gets opportunities or at times does not make the cut. So I feel blessed to say the least,” says Gautam, who has worked for projects such as Cold Lassi Aur Chicken Masala and Illegal 2. He was also the casting director for music videos Tere Mere Darmiyaan, Dil Fakeera and Aadatein.

The job of a casting director is tough in more ways the one. Getting the best talent on board and that too within a certain budget and then making sure that work happens smoothly is no way a cake walk.

So what are the must-have qualities of a good casting director? “One should be open to all sorts of talent and be very down to earth. Our livelihood is dependent on each other and by that, I mean actor and casting director. So that bond is special and must be nurtured for better results. Secondly, a casting director needs to have an eye for talent. There are many people who come into casting but they don’t really know what to do and how to do it. You need to know about the project, understand the vision of the makers that is writer, director, and producer, and then decide what kind of actors you want to work with,” explains Gautam, who is now busy with his upcoming projects.