MUMBAI, Feb 18: Veteran actor Shabana Azmi on Tuesday said the growing prominence of casting directors in the Hindi film industry has led to a sea of change, allowing more “fascinating faces” to be cast in authentic roles. The actor, who completed five decades in cinema last year, was speaking at the trailer launch event of her Netflix thriller drama series “Dabba Cartel”.
Directed by Hitesh Bhatia, the show follows five ordinary women and how their low-key dabba service spirals into an unexpected venture: a high-stakes drug delivery operation.
Asked what changes she had seen in her 50-year career in films, Azmi said: “For me, the advent of the casting director has brought a huge change… Look what the casting director has done. They have freed Hindi cinema from stock characters.
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“So, we have got the most fascinating faces which are authentic. And what that does also to mainstream actors is when you are surrounded by authentic characters, you also start sort of pulling up your socks.”
A more realistic portrayal of characters today is also a welcome change, according to the multiple National Award winner.
“One of my favourite examples is Rishi Kapoor in ‘Karz’. It was such a huge hit. But you can see that he’s not playing the guitar, he’s just drumming it. He’s not doing anything with the chords. Today, it is impossible. I don’t think any actor could get away and I don’t think that any actor would think it is okay.”
“The actor would take on the challenge and learn. This, in itself, is growth of actors all around and the fact that we are now taking many more interesting faces and that the stories don’t have to be only about a pretty boy and a pretty girl. That’s brought a huge change both for men and for women,” she added.
Azmi, star of films such as “Ankur”, “Nishant”, “Godmother”, and “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani”, said she is grateful for still being able to do the kind of work she enjoys doing.
“I happened to be at the right place at the right time. The fact that I’m working with younger actors who are bringing in completely different sensibilities from mine is always exciting. Most of the young actors come with trepidation that, ‘What will happen next?’ They realise soon that there’s nothing like that and they become so comfortable that I have to remind them, ‘I’m your senior, behave yourself’,” she quipped.
Set in the Mumbai suburbs of Thane, “Dabba Cartel” marks the first series collaboration between Netflix and Excel Entertainment.
Working on “Dabba Cartel” was a ‘ghar ka maamla’ (home affair) for Azmi as the show is produced by her stepson Farhan Akhtar and created by stepdaughter-in-law Shibani Akhtar.
“Dekhiye, ghar ka maamla hai. Bahu ne hukm diya, beta produce kar raha tha. Meri aukaat main naa bolun?” she said. At the event, the veteran actor said she tried to remove South star Jyotika, who also stars in “Dabba Cartel”, from the series but the producers stuck to their guns.”I have to make a confession. I tried to remove two girls from this (show). One is Jyotika. She doesn’t know this, but I said this.
“It’s really creditable to these guys who said, ‘You can do what you want. We are not going to replace her.’ And, I am grateful that you (pointing to Jyotika) played it. It was my mistake. It would have robbed me of the pleasure of working with you,” she said. (PTI)
