Exclusive Interviews
Super 30: Mukesh Chhabra makes a shocking revelation about the ‘super 30’ kids in the Hrithik Roshan starrer!
In an exclusive chat with CineBlitz, ace casting director Mukesh Chhabra shares his journey of casting the 30 children in Hrithik Roshan’s Super 30 and reveals some stunning facts – check out the video
Hrithik Roshan’s Super 30 has been in the news the past few months for various reasons, including the shuffle with the release date. But ever since the makers dropped the teaser, the trailer and the songs, the film has been making all the right kinds of noise. What has been grabbing most eyeballs besides Hrithik Roshan’s rustic avatar is his amazing chemistry with the 30 kids that he shares the screen space with in the Anand Kumar biopic. The film revolves around Hrithik’s character Anand Kumar, as he helps 30 under-privileged kids to prepare for the entrance exams to secure admission to India’s premium engineering institution – The Indian Institutes of Technology. Needless to say, the children play a crucial part in the film and ace casting director Mukesh Chhabra admits that casting them was no cakewalk.
Talking to us exclusively about the casting, Mukesh reveals that the real challenge was in casting 30 fresh young actors, who looked real and authentic. He says, “We wanted to cast children who came across as genuine and natural. The children in the film belong to the underprivileged classes and while casting that was our primary goal, to maintain authenticity. At no point could they come across as if they are acting.”
Hrithik Roshan and the 30 children on the poster of Super 30
And in a stunning revelation, the casting director shares that over 14,000 children were auditioned for the parts. Yes, that’s right. Over 14,000 youngsters were auditioned and over a period of six gruelling months, they were shortlisted to 1,000, then to 400 before finalising 31 children. “The process was a huge challenge. Shortlisting the final 30 from over 14,000 children was not easy at all. We auditioned all over – right from Mumbai to Patna to Jharkhand,” says Mukesh.
But the process did not end at casting the 30. Post the selection, Mukesh undertook regular workshops with the 30 kids. “See, they are all first-time actors so we had to really train them in the craft of acting. Also the film is not shot in a linear pattern, so they have to be prepared to follow the non-linear format, where the story doesn’t progress in continuation. So, we helped them understand the characters, trained them in acting and understanding the nuances of their performances in front of the camera,” adds Mukesh. Check out the video here:
Interestingly, the casting director is well-known for his casting of kids, especially Dangal, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Chillar Party and most recently Notebook. “Yes Dangal till date remains one of the most-challenging films I casted for. Super 30 follows close next,” he says. However, it’s been worth the hard-work and the efforts, since the kids are garnering high praise. “Well, I’m just happy that they are winning hearts and their chemistry with Hrithik is being appreciated so much,” beams Mukesh proudly.
Mukesh Chhabra conducting an acting workshop for Super 30
What do you think about the super casting of the 30 children in Hrithik Roshan’s Super 30? Do let us know in the comments section below. The film directed by Vikas Bahl also stars Mrunal Thakur and Pankaj Tripathi. Produced by Reliance Entertainment, Phantom Films and Sajid Nadiadwala’s Nadiadwala Grandson Entertainment, Super 30 releases on July 12. Stay tuned to CineBlitz for more such news and updates from Bollywood.
