Parag Chadha Reveals Details About Vikram Bhatt’s 1920, Opens Up on Balancing His Two Passions – ‘Acting and Casting’ (LatestLY Exclusive)

Parag Chadha has come a long way in his career as a Casting Director and an actor. He has cast of a plethora of upbeat projects and is currently associated with the legendary filmmaker Vikram Bhatt for expanding the 1920 franchise with 1920: Horrors Of The Heart. In an exclusive conversation with LatestLY, Parag spills beans about casting for horror films and how he manages to balance his two passions – acting and casting. Rahul Dev Comes on Board for Vikram Bhatt’s 1920: Horror of the Hearts! (EXCLUSIVE).

How different is casting for films compared to OTT?

1920 is already a successful franchise. Your responsibility doubles up and so does the pressure. It is always a challenge doing a horror genre because you need actors to understand and be convinced about what they are doing. Fortunately, we have Vikram Bhatt Sir who is a veteran, Mahesh Bhatt ji who has written 1920 along with Vikram Sir and these are legends of our industry who people look forward to working with. It does take the load off but having said that, it is quite a responsibility to make sure everything runs smooth and perfectly.

You have cast for 1920 too. What factors did you keep in mind while casting?

I think it is pretty similar when it comes to casting for an OTT and a feature film because the schooling of directors on both the mediums is the same. You are required to bring in a good actor to play a defined and challenging character and this works across both the mediums. The good part is that on both the mediums we have creative liberty to put forward our views on who fits the brief well. So we are given ample of credit and recognition across both the mediums.

What was the most challenging while casting for this film?

The challenge as I said is the horror genre. It is not as popular as crime or comedy as compared to other countries. So to convince an actor to play the part with full conviction is a different story altogether. But when you go to an established actor with a script, horror is a genre which they are not entirely convinced about, so that becomes a challenge. Other than that, the script is beautiful and we have got another young director in the form of Krishna Bhatt, so there is a very young and energetic feel to the whole film. Danish Pandor Roped In Opposite Avika Gor for Vikram Bhatt’s Upcoming Film 1920: Horrors of the Heart! (EXCLUSIVE).

Which genre takes your interest in terms of casting?

I personally love comedy so that is the space I enjoy casting and I love action thrillers too. I am working on one titled Khilone which Vikram Bhatt sir is directing. It is going to be a power-packed women oriented story. We will put out more details when we can but as of now I can only say that I am enjoying working on a film like Khilone.

You have come a long way in your career. Any particular career aspiration which you want to achieve in the near future?

I don’t know if I have come that far. There is still a lot of progress to be made but yes I do feel I am in a better space than what I was yesterday. I am learning everyday and working with new people. I am understanding new ideologies and cultures of our industry so it’s intriguing.  I am also a person who is very passionate about acting as well so my only ambition is to balance out both the mediums and do quality work in the future.

Well said Parag! Keep reading LatestLY for more information on the entertainment industry, your favourite TV and OTT shows along with interesting details on your jewel in the crown celebrities.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 10, 2022 04:10 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).