Casting as craft: Mukesh Chhabra’s opening session
Mukesh Chhabra, known for his casting work in films such as Dangal, Gangs of Wasseypur and Bajrangi Bhaijaan, framed casting as an artistic and empathetic discipline. He explained how effective casting bridges a director’s vision and an actor’s inner life, stressing that the process demands psychological insight, intuition and sustained observation.
Chhabra walked students through practical steps from character breakdowns to audition dynamics and emphasised that great casting often emerges from listening to the actor as much as reading them. He urged aspiring filmmakers to treat each role, however small, as essential to the film’s emotional architecture.
Students respond: practical lessons and career guidance
The session involved lively interaction. Students questioned Chhabra on topics ranging from audition preparation to the ethics of representation. Chhabra’s responses blended tradecraft and mentorship: he shared real-world anecdotes, offered frameworks for evaluating raw talent and provided actionable advice on building a career in casting and production.
For many attendees from SRFTI, FTII Pune and the newly established FTII Itanagar, the masterclass was an opportunity to translate classroom theory into industry practice and understand how casting decisions shape storytelling.
Masterclass Series: scope and intent
The IFFI Masterclass Series is designed to run through November 27 and bring senior practitioners into sustained dialogue with emerging talent. Upcoming sessions will cover directing, screenwriting, cinematography, sound design, production management and other technical and creative skills. The format prioritises hands-on learning, portfolio reviews and interactive demonstrations over lecture-style delivery.
Festival organisers say the series is part of IFFI’s ongoing effort to build professional pathways for students from national film institutes and to strengthen peer networks among future film-makers across India.
Why masterclasses matter
Masterclasses at festivals offer rare proximity to industry leaders and allow students to test concepts under expert scrutiny. For an ecosystem where informal mentorship often determines opportunity, structured interactions like these democratise access to tacit knowledge how casting decisions are made, how scenes are blocked, how sound design informs emotion and help students make more confident creative choices.
IFFI’s role in nurturing talent
Now in its 56th edition, IFFI has increasingly foregrounded education and industry incubation alongside its international competition and restored classics programmes. The Masterclass Series complements the WAVES Film Bazaar and market interactions, creating a festival environment where ideas, deals and talent development occur in the same space.
Voices from the series
Several participants described the inaugural session as “eye-opening” and “practically helpful.” Faculty from the three institutes noted that the masterclasses would help students refine audition techniques, casting vision and collaborative workflows — skills that cross over to directing, acting and production roles.
Next stages
Over the coming days, the Masterclass Series will host workshops, portfolio clinics and collaborative labs. Students will gain exposure to both creative decision-making and the business realities of filmmaking, preparing them to enter a competitive industry with stronger craft foundations.
For more information on IFFI and the Masterclass Series, see the official IFFI website and related Press Information Bureau releases.
