Arguably one of the most underplayed role in film making would be that of a casting director but not many know it’s perfect casting that actually brings a film together. Ever wondered what would Chak De! India look like if it wasn’t for Shah Rukh Khan playing Kabir Khan or what would Kuch Kuch Hota Hai look like if Twinkle Khanna had done Rani Mukerjee’s part Tina, as Karan Johar so rightly wanted? Weird right? It’s all the magic of casting that brings the right people in the right role.
And while the Hindi cinema buffs might only know of Mukesh Chhabra for casting, there’s another man who’s done some brilliant job at getting the right people for the right roles and that’s Casting Director Dinesh Sudarshan Soi.
Having done casting in more than 200 films (Bollywood, Pollywood, Marathi & South), Dinesh Soi just completed producer Pradeep Rangwani’s Red Affair as a project whose casting comprises of Arbaaz Khan, Manjari Fadnis, Ashmit Patel, Maheck Chahal, Mukul Dev and many other noticeable characters.
Hailing from the solid educational background, Dinesh owes his journey in film industry to destiny. “I was an academically inclined man and as cliched as it may sound, films happened luck by chance,” says Dinesh who’s journey from Mohali to Mumbai happened incidentally & interestingly.
Being academically ACCA (I) UK, M.Com from Panjab University, and MBA in Marketing from Symbiosis Pune, he was a Professor at Mohali, Punjab. He casually participated in Mr. North India contest in 2007 and won it, followed by a number of good assignments. Being crazy for movies since his childhood, opportunity had started knocking his door now.
Lights, Camera & Action had always attracted him, he took a call and moved to Mumbai in 2008. Once a Professor, switched on to actor and played the role of Jugnu in Star Plus’ popular show Mann Ki Aawaz Pratigya. But soon realizing that he could achieve much more by becoming a Casting Director, formed his own Casting Company at a very young age.
