EXCLUSIVE: 'It Was Very Difficult To Portray Nirbhaya Case On Screen', Says 'Delhi Crime' Casting Director Mukesh Chhabra

Mukesh Chhabra, who directed Sushant Singh Rajput's last film 'Dil Bechara', opened up on the struggle the team of 'Delhi Crime' had to face while portraying a sensitive issue on screen.

Kolkata: Web series “Delhi Crime”, based on Delhi Nirbhaya case, has recently been awarded the prestigious international Emmy Award, making it the first Indian web series to win this laurel. Mukesh Chhabra, the Casting Director of “Delhi Crime” is ecstatic to win this international acclaim. In an exclusive telephonic chat with ABP LIVE, the “Dil Bechara” director opens up about the struggle they had to face to portray such a sensitive issue on screen and how significant this Emmy Award means to him and the team. “Nirbhaya case was a super sensitive issue. The whole country became topsy-turvy after the incident. People haven’t seen such cruelty in recent times. So it was very difficult for us to portray the whole episode on screen,” Mukesh said in an exclusive telephonic conversation with ABP LIVE. He added, “It was really very challenging to reconstruct the entire incident. And if you think about the mental aspect, it was very disturbing too. People don’t want to reiterate the fact. We have had to feel the sentiment of the victim’s family. It was very disturbing to talk to them about the incident. I would say it was the most the challenging work in my career so far.” Was there any fear of being criticized, provided the fact that a slight diversion from the reality might lead to mass anger? “We always remembered how sensitive the issue was. Director Richie Mehta wrote the script in such a way that ensured the entire incident wasn’t distorted. We didn’t want to hurt anybody’s sentiment. It was not easy to portray the whole incident with due respect to everyone concerned. But we did that successfully and the credit must go to the Director,” said Mukesh. “Delhi Crime” was released in 2019. The miscreants of the Nirbhaya case got severe punishment, 4 of the convicts got hanged. But still frequent cases of rape makes the news headlines. Mukesh is still hopeful that, the scenario will change. Women of our country will feel safe. “Be it cinema or web series, everywhere we can see the reflection of the contemporary society. In our film we raised an issue and gave a message for all. Entire change is not possible in a day or two. But the positive side is, things are improving gradually. And audio visual media is playing a significant role behind this,” said Mukesh. He further added, “I am very glad as Delhi Crime got this prestigious Emmy Award. I received plenty of phone calls throughout the day, congratulating for this acclaim. I got a number of job offers as well. Everybody dreams that his or her work gets international repute.”

Mukesh was the casting director for movies of different genres, be it so called masala movie like Chennai Express or cinema based on true facts like Dangal. He shares about his approach while casting for the web series. Mukesh said, “I had to study a lot, went through thorough research work, had to keep in mind the thought process of the victim’s family, the mindset of the investigating officer. We analysed works of a number of actors before taking the final call. Perfection in casting is a must to attract the interest of common people.”

Mukesh directed “Dil Bechara”, the last film of Sushant Singh Rajput. He was very close to the dead actor. “Everyday I remember Sushant, miss him badly. My first work as a director was with him. I involve myself in work throughout the day so that I don’t get morose. Whenever I surf social media, I see Sushant’s pictures, his songs, news... It was a blow for us,” said Mukesh. He added, “Sushant’s death was a big loss for the industry. In 2020, we lost Rishi sir (Kapoor), Irfan Bhai (Khan), Asif (Basra) as well. All these are great loss for the film industry.”

Mukesh played some small but significant roles in films like Rang De Basanti, Kaminey, Chillar Party etc. So when are we going to see actor Mukesh Chhabra again? “Acting is my hobby. But I don’t want to take it as a profession. I am concentrating on direction as of now. But if I get any vibrant character to play, I will definitely do it,” Mukesh finished with a positive note.