Behind the Lens Ketchup Talks

#BehindTheLens: "I do fight a lot for the actors I believe in." - Nikita Grover, casting director

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Sakshi Sharma
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Nikita Grover casting director

In this tell-all interview, Nikita Grover, the casting director of shows like Paatal Lok and Kohrra, talks about the nitty-gritties of casting for such dense narratives, the duality of being a casting director, and the harsh realities of the profession!

If actors become the make-or-break of a show, the vessels through whom we experience the world of a film or series, then casting directors are the backbone behind those performances. They are the ones who find the right actor for the right role. While their job is to serve the project and ensure the story comes alive onscreen with faces that fit as seamlessly as water in a glass, in India, that job can be particularly dicey. As most projects are greenlit with lead actors already finalised, often reducing the casting director’s role to building the supporting ensemble around them. And even within that space, a name like Nikita Grover stands out, despite having only a few projects under her belt. Especially after casting shows like Kohrra and Paatal Lok, it’s clear that she has a sharp instinct and an eye for bringing characters written on paper to life. Her discoveries are becoming exceptional and increasingly noticeable. But how does she do it? How does she find a cast so rooted that you forget you’re watching a show? How does she navigate an industry where recommendations never stop and sometimes even threaten to overtake her role? And how does she deal with the heartbreak that inevitably comes with a profession where fulfilling some dreams often means shattering others? We had a chat with her to understand all of this from her! 

Also Read: #KetchupTalks: "The exploration of broken people within broken systems is endlessly fascinating to me"- Sudip Sharma

Here's what she had to say!

When you take on dense shows like Kohrra and Paatal Lok, how do you approach casting so that the characters feel real rather than performative? Do you ever cast non-actors or real people?

I do cast non-actors and real people wherever possible because that lived-in quality can’t be faked. In Kohrra Season 1, the two transgender characters were played by non-actors. Similarly, in Paatal Lok 2, most of the people from Nagaland were non-actors. That was a deliberate choice to retain authenticity, and I’m fortunate that Sudip Sharma gives me the creative freedom to explore that space. If I feel a non-actor can pull something off truthfully, he’s open to it. Especially with children, I prefer non-actors. For instance, Guddu in Paatal Lok 2 wasn’t a trained actor; I found him through an NGO. That’s generally the approach I lean towards in finding faces that carry the world within them rather than performing it.

Even when casting professional actors, the process is very detailed. We start with a full table read where all departments sit together, and Sudip reads the script aloud. That helps us understand the tone, the rhythm of the dialogues, and how the characters breathe in his head. After that, my team and I spend weeks brainstorming, shortlisting, and constantly discussing options with him. He often has certain actors in mind while writing like Suvinder Vicky was always in his head while writing Kohrra, so that collaboration was organic. Similarly, director Randeep Jha had previously worked with Barun Sobti on Halahal, and he recommended him for the show. As we met him, things aligned beautifully, and that’s how it came together. So it’s a mix of instinct, collaboration, detailed reading, and sometimes, discovering magic in the most unexpected places.

Do you think region-specific content often leads to stereotyping in casting, especially since actors become the face of that world onscreen? How do you consciously challenge that while casting as you did with Pradhuman Singh Mall?

For me, it starts with believing in actors beyond what the industry has boxed them into. Pradhuman Singh Mall has always been one of my favourite actors. I’d seen him audition countless times and never understood why he wasn’t getting through projects. He’s incredibly gifted. At one point, he even stepped away from acting and moved into writing, which made me genuinely sad. With Kohrra 2, casting him was on my wish list. In fact, his was the very first audition of the season. I could completely see him in this world, and I told Sudip very clearly that we needed him in the show. I like fighting for actors I believe in, and I’m grateful that Sudip respects that conviction.

At the same time, we were extremely intentional about geography. Characters like Sam(Ranvijay Singh) and Preet(Poja Bhamrrah) couldn’t be cast from Punjab because their journeys required them to feel urban, shaped by cities or foreign exposure. Their speech, their English, and their body language had to reflect that. So for those roles, we cast out of Mumbai. But for the rest of the world, just like in Season 1, I was clear that we had to go back to Punjab. Yes, there are Punjabi-speaking actors in cities, but I'm Punjabi myself, and when you move to a metro, your dialect softens, grooming changes, and mannerisms shift. That polish comes naturally; it wasn’t what this show needed. We wanted the soil to remain on them as Aujla has it! That raw, rooted authenticity, the kind that comes from actually belonging to that place, was essential to keeping Kohrra truthful rather than stereotypical.

It’s interesting to note this because even when you cast urban youngsters like those singing the rap versus the NRI returns, there seems to be a deliberate play between known and unknown faces. Is that intentional?

You know I’m one of those youngsters singing the rap! And yes, it is intentional. The unknown faces bring a certain rawness; they feel unapologetically Punjabi. They don’t carry any baggage, and that makes them look very real and rooted. On the other hand, slightly more polished or recognisable faces naturally fit characters like the NRI returns. That subtle contrast helps build the world without us having to over-explain it.

You mentioned about Pradhuman Singh Mall, have there been times when you loved an audition, but the actor ultimately couldn’t be cast? How do you navigate the emotional side of rejecting someone?

Honestly, there’s heartbreak almost every day. There are so many actors whose auditions feel like this one is going to make it, only for it not to happen. I have a long list of favourite actors I deeply admire and want to see succeed. But as a casting director, you carry this strange dual responsibility. On one hand, you help fulfil dreams. On the other hand, you end up crashing them. That’s an inevitable part of the job. There’s no real way to soften it or escape it. You’re sad about it for a day, sometimes more and then you have to move forward. You have to learn to sit with the fact that you will break hearts. That said, I do fight a lot for the actors I believe in. I push, I argue, I advocate, and I’m fortunate that Sudip gives me the space to do that; he listens, and that collaboration means a lot to me. I often joke with him that he’s the only one in the industry giving me work because I haven’t worked with anyone else in so long. 

Do you think it’s because you fight so hard for your actors?

Might be. I fight with producers, too. If an actor is charging slightly more than what we’ve budgeted, I’ll still push for them as I genuinely believe in fighting for my actors. A lot of people say that as a casting director, you should align yourself with the producer because they’re the ones who’ll keep giving you work. But for me, it’s the opposite. I’m always asking - why isn’t my actor getting this opportunity? Why are we not considering this person? Why can’t we stretch the budget? Whether it’s about money or anything else, I will argue my case. It’s not easy and a hard journey. You’re constantly negotiating, convincing, pushing. But there are small wins that make it worth it. When someone like Pradhuman finally gets that visibility and acclaim, the next fight becomes a little easier. This season, even Prayrag Mehta, despite having limited screen time, really stood out and received so much appreciation. When that happens, your work is noticed too. I’m really glad I fight for my actors because what they deliver on screen is completely worth it. And it builds trust. Sudip knows that if I’m fighting for someone, I truly believe they’re going to kill it.

Like you mentioned Prayrak Mehta, have you ever cast someone across your filmography, who felt like a truly special discovery, someone you were especially proud of?

Oh God, so many. I can’t even begin to list them. Even my one-scene actors feel special to me. But someone very special would be Golu from Paatal Lok Season 2. The way I met him, the way I auditioned him and then auditioned him again, it was such a journey. He comes from a family that had absolutely no idea about this world. I would personally pick him up from his home, take him to the set, make sure he was comfortable during the shoot, and drop him back home. I took full responsibility for him. In Nagaland, the process itself was an adventure. I’ve literally picked up people from the streets. I even made visiting cards introducing myself, something I’ve never done before and distributed them around, telling people, “If you want to act, come audition.” Most of the cast in Paatal Lok Season 2 are non-actors; of course, they then had workshops and were trained, but still, for me, it is a huge discovery. Finding real people, bringing them into this world, and seeing them shine on screen, that’s incredibly fulfilling.

With a diverse lineup including Bhediya, Tandav, Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, apart from Kohrra and Paatal Lok, how does casting differ across projects? Is it true that many projects are greenlit with lead actors already attached, leaving casting directors to focus mainly on supporting roles?

Yes, that’s often true. Many projects are greenlit with lead actors already attached. In Bhediya,Varun (Dhawan) and Abhishek Banerjee were already locked. My job was to cast the third friend and then build out the rest of the ensemble, much of which was done locally to maintain authenticity. Similarly, with Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, Arjun (Kapoor) and Parineeti (Chopra) were always attached to the project. So the focus was on casting the supporting characters. Tandav was a very different experience. Many actors were already finalised, or at least discussions were centred around specific names. We didn’t hold an extensive audition process for several parts because established actors were already in discussions. It became less about discovering new faces and more about evaluating suggested names and aligning internally. A lot of this is shaped by relationships and networks, friends of the director or producers, and recommendations naturally move within those circles. So the casting process really changes from project to project. Shows like Kohrra and Paatal Lok require deep auditioning and discovery to build an authentic world. Bigger, studio-backed projects often come with key faces attached, and the casting director’s role shifts to strengthening the ensemble and ensuring the world still feels cohesive.

Do you feel like industry recommendations and pressure are just part of the barter you’ve accepted in this job, even when it sometimes feels like it overtakes your role as a casting director? 

I haven’t completely accepted that, and I don’t think I ever will. When I get messages saying someone has been “recommended,” it does make me uncomfortable because, ideally, I want to see everyone as equal. That’s how I believe casting should work - you audition, you’re right for the part, you get it. But does it always function that way in the industry? No! And I’m still learning how to navigate that reality. I feel very lucky to be working consistently with Sudip because, with us, the rule is clear - you’re in only if you nail the audition, and when even Ranvijay has to audition, then everyone has to. There’s no other way, and that clarity protects the process a lot. That said, success doesn’t mean the struggle disappears. With every new project, there’s a new kind of challenge, since it’s always a bit of give-and-take. There are still fights, even on another film Sudip produced, we had to push really hard for an actor we believed in. If something is genuinely good, it will eventually happen, but you can’t fight for something average. If I’m fighting, it has to be for the best, and that’s never easy. The fight just changes shape, it never really ends.

Are there any common myths about casting that you’d like to debunk? 

I don’t think there’s a big public myth about casting directors in general discourse, but there is a major misconception among actors, and that’s the idea that I intentionally rejected: that I personally rejected them or didn’t “lock” them for a part. The truth is, I can’t lock anyone for a role on my own. It’s not entirely in my hands. Decisions come from multiple levels - directors, producers, platforms, so when an actor doesn’t get a part, it’s not a personal rejection from me. I’m not sitting there deciding someone shouldn’t work. It’s a collaborative decision-making process that involves more than one person.

And if you could change one thing about the casting process in the industry, what would it be?

Casting directors are not meeting actors. Companies have become so large that there are multiple assistants or associates, and often actors never actually meet the casting director. I really don’t like that. It bothers me when actors tell me, “This is the first time we’re meeting a casting director. Otherwise, we only meet assistants.” That’s not how I believe it should work. Which is why I consciously organise meet-and-greets. I meet actors online, I call them in, I even put out open invites saying, “Come say hi. If you have questions, ask.” It’s part of my job. If I’m not meeting actors, I don’t think I’m doing my job properly. Casting is about people. If you remove that human interaction, the process loses something essential, no?

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kohrra Kohrra 2 paatal lok Paatal Lok 2 Sudip Sharma