‘Happy to see casting directors rewarded’
Mukesh Chhabra on the first Oscar for best casting director
Q One Battle After Another has won the first Oscar for Best Casting Director. As Hindi cinema’s foremost casting director, your reaction to this?
I’m honestly so, so happy. I’ve been manifesting this moment for years. Seeing the Academy Awards finally recognise the importance of casting directors means so much. Cassandra Kulukundis winning the first-ever Academy Award for Best Casting at the 98th Academy Awards One Battle After Another, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, is truly a historic moment for all of us in casting.
Q Shouldn’t this award be introduced in India as well?
I hope this opens people’s eyes to the value of casting and gives this profession the respect it deserves in our country as well. I hope in India too, people begin to understand and respect the work of casting directors. It’s high time we all come together and celebrate this moment. Seeing this makes me even more excited to keep dreaming, working and manifesting for my own future.