Casting Director Sanjeev Maurya who has worked for projects like Netflix’s Trial By Fire, The White Tiger, A Suitable Boy, Extraction, opens up on challenges of casting for his new show Class on Netflix, helmed by director Ashim Ahluwalia, a remake of Spanish hit series Elite.
Talking about the challenges of getting the right cast for Class, Sanjeev says, "It was challenging to a great level, to find the performers, at par with the original series. Though looks and personality was an important priority for this project, since Ashim was very particular about the look and persona these performers should bring to the character. Eventually we had to look out for people relatable to the characters to some point."
Maurya mentions that it was a conscious decision to cast newcomers and not any established actors for Class which made the process more tedious. He says, "Yes, for the main cast, we were briefed from the start to not try out any of the established actors. It was pre-decided. Which obviously made the casting process quite rigorous, we tried actors as well and non actors as well, conducting virtual auditions pan India, to find the right fit."
Sharing about the difficulties of adapting a Spanish show to an Indian milieu he says, "Not exactly difficult but rather it was an interesting experience, adapting these characters to the Indian milieu. Imagining these characters with the cultural differences that exist, and understanding where they will come from if they were Indians, there was a lot of brainstorming involved. Like Balli Sekhawat’s character which was adapted to be of Haryanvi origin, I found these parallels quite interesting, Ashim had laid down the groundwork quite well."
Lastly adding about his working experience and kind of responses the show is receiving he tells, "It was fun, and also exhausting at times to be honest. We were technically three Casting Directors working on one project, so we were highly motivated to deliver the best for the project. As a modern coming of age drama, it's very hyped amongst the youngsters, something that catches their eyes."