Meet Casting Director Shruti Mahajan

Meet Casting Director
Shruti Mahajan

Shruti Mahajan, one of India’s most respected casting directors, had really no intention or plans to step into the glamour and glitzy world. 

Speaking to the media she said that she had sleepwalked through this journey and never imagined she would be part of the dazzling world of glamour and neons. She hails from a conservative, middle-class family where education was everything. Her ather was an IAS officer, and there wasn’t space for dreaming about films.” But she knew she wasn’t cut out for a
“9 to 5 gig”. 

Mahajan, along with actor Fatima Sana Shaikh, director Ashwini Iyer Tiwari, and filmmaker Neha Parti Matiyani, recently attended an event organised by the RPSG Media Group and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), in New Delhi.

The programme was based on showcasing women’s role in the Indian film industry. 
A graduate of Lady Shri Ram College, Mahajan worked in the corporate world before making the decision to quit it. She took a sabbatical to raise her daughter. But once she grew up a little, she realised she needed to emerge who she truly was.That paved her way to set foot to the Mecca of Hindi films, ‘Bollywood’ Mumbai, where she started assisting casting director Shanoo Sharma at Yash Raj Films.

Mahajan has not been to a film-school. Recalling her early days in the industry, she pointed out how casting wasn’t seen as a dedicated profession. “There were just two or three names you could count on your fingers. There was no formal training, and it (casting) was only established on your instincts. So, you either have it or you don’t.” 

Over the past decade, however, Mahajan has noticed a shift in how casting directors are perceived. With the rise of streaming platforms and a growing appetite for fresh stories, casting has turned out to be a necessity how stories are told. For Mahajan, good casting, means finding someone who brings life, layers, and honesty to the role.
She also went on to stress that casting decisions are enhancingly bringing up a transformation in representation. “From body types to regional and linguistic diversity, the industry is emerging more inclusive,” she cited movies like Gangubai Kathiawadi and Laapataa Ladies, which she has also worked for. “But still have a long way to go. We continue to glorify toxic love and other themes not suitable for society.
However, the rising viewership for such content is also equally responsible for its popularity. Hence, the change has to come from the audience too, she expressed. 
Breaking the glass ceiling 

Mahajan’s most recent project was, the Sanjay Leela Bhansali directorial”Heeramandi” in which she worked with popular Indian film director and screenwriter, Sanjay Leela Bhansali. She added that “It was the biggest high of her career,” she says. he movie casting, however, did not go as she had expected. “Even though the women were ready to play side characters, the real challenge was casting the men. According to Mahajan, Bollywood is not free of patriarchy. “Many male actors hesitate to be part of a female-led story.
Other movies that Mahajan took up as a casting director are Padmaavat, Pad Man, and Parmanu:
The Story of Pokhran. Mahajan remembers the first time when her parents saw her name on the big screen. “They didn’t always understand what she was doing. For them, it was like, ‘Doesn’t the director do the casting?’ But when they saw ‘Shruti Mahajan – Casting Director’ in the credits, I knew they understood. That moment was everything.”

News Edit KV Raman