Directors go online to hunt for new faces
Actors queuing up for hours outside studios for auditions and directors waiting for days together to find that perfect face for their lead roles might soon be a thing of the past. Directors and producers are changing the way they scout for fresh talent and social networking sites (SNSes) like Orkut, Facebook and YouTube are ideal hunting grounds.
Talented actors and beautiful faces can now be found with the click of a mouse. Director Rajan Shahi of popular shows like Bidaai, Chand Chupa Badal Mein and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai has made these sites his best friend. "These sites are a big help. Today, so many people are interested in acting and want to showcase their talent. The conventional way of taking auditions was stressful and time consuming," he says.
Shahi's shows have have had a good mix of new faces as well as seasoned actors. He says, "We look up these sites because of time constraints. The pace at which we work, it gets difficult to look for people. I have instructed my creative team to reach out to young talent through these SNSes."
Shahi has set the trend for other directors to follow.
Recently he saw a video of Neha Sargam on YouTube and took her on as the main lead in Chand Chupa... Says Neha, "I got a call from Rajan for a lead role. He saw my Indian Idol audition video on YouTube and chose me for the show. I was selected without having to audition." Neha's not the only one. Actresses like Amrita Puri, who made her debut in the Sonam Kapoor starrer Aisha was also found via a SNS. Amrita says, "I mailed my pictures after seeing an ad on Facebook. I got a call from Amita Saigal, who was doing the casting of the film Aisha. I gave a screen test and was selected."
Soap queen Ekta Kapoor has also started a site by the name of hoonur.com that gives young talents a direction to pursue their dream. Ekta reportedly also approached many new faces through her FB account by looking at their profile and pictures.
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/supplementary/directors-go-online-hunt-new-faces-640
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