In the world of Indian cinema, only a few casting directors have the keen eye and innate ability to bring characters to life like Panchami Ghavri. Renowned for her meticulous attention to detail and her knack for spotting raw talent, Ghavri has been instrumental in shaping some of Bollywood’s most memorable films and characters. From discovering fresh faces to perfecting ensemble casts, her contributions have been pivotal in the success of numerous iconic movies. With a portfolio that boasts critically acclaimed projects and a deep-rooted passion for storytelling, Ghavri continues to push the boundaries of casting, creating authentic and compelling cinematic experiences. Her most recent project, “Mr. and Mrs. Mahi,” showcases her talent and commitment as she successfully handles the unique challenges of fusing drama and sports on screen.
While the casting for Mr. and Mrs. Mahi started in September 2021, Ghavri commended Sharma’s commitment to clear and concise direction. “Sharan has been the captain of this ship ever since. One of his greatest strengths is how clear he is of what he wants as a director. As a casting director, it’s great to work with a director who has so much clarity! Sharan is also one of the few directors who met each and every actor in person before the shoot. He really went out of his way to build a rapport with each actor. He also gave a lot of time and direction to us as a casting department. I had one of my finest experiences working with him.”
Check out what Panchami has to say about this film,
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Panchami who has a personal connection to cricket through her father, former cricketer Karsan Ghavri, felt an immediate excitement upon hearing about the film. She says, “I’ve known Sharan Sharma for a long time, and the intention to work together was always there, so the minute we met and he told me about ‘Mr. and Mrs. Mahi,’ it was very exciting for me from the word go! The script is fantastic and centers around cricket, a sport that’s always been close to my heart because of my father, and then I simply jumped on the opportunity to be a part of this film.”
For Panchami Ghavri, working with Dharma Production, where she has spent over eight years, felt like home. Reflecting on the casting process, she shared, “We had a lot of fun during the casting of ‘Mr. & Mrs. Mahi.’ I think the process has been very memorable. Finding quick and funny moments during tests, watching tests with Sharan in the office—we may have had some tough times, but in my memory, they are all good ones, and I’m really happy with the way that the casting has come out. This is also another reality; often people think that PGC does mostly urban castings. And casting directors often get stuck in stereotypes. Sharan gave me the chance to explore a different setting that’s not urban, and I really enjoyed the experience.”
Ghavri added, “Every film is different, but I think the challenge was to find the remaining players, they needed to know how to play cricket professionally and also know how to act. Sharan was keen not to cheat any shots whether it was for Jhanvi or the remaining players. So for this particular film, a part of the audition would also be to send a video of them playing cricket. Often we also made some freshers who were professional cricket players act! Which is always challenging.”
On the work front, Ghavri has many projects lined up in her kitty. Panchami is thrilled about her next, ‘Call Me Bae’ starring Ananya Pandey, ‘The Untold Story of C Sankaran Nair’ with Akshay Kumar, Kayoze Irani’s film ‘SarZameen’ with Ibrahim Ali as the main lead; and Maddock Films, ‘Shiddat 2’ starring Sunny Kaushal and Wamiqa Gabbi
