EXCLUSIVE: Casting Director Anmol Ahuja opens up on working with star kids; recalls a superstar saying, “Treat my son like any other staff”

Anmol Ahuja is one of the well-known casting directors of Bollywood. He is the man behind casting of some popular films like The Secret Superstar, Munjya, Kalank, Mirzapur and others. In an exclusive chat with Bollywood Bubble, Anmol opens up about the casting process of star kids and shares how a known superstar urged him to treat his son like any other staff.

Anmol Ahuja on known superstar requesting him to treat his son like staff

Anmol opens up about the casting process of star kids and influencers. He shares how some influencers are great actors while star kids too audition and have pressure. Ahuja also recalls an experience where a known superstar urged him to treat his son like any other staff. He recalls, “Let me tell you one thing, I will not name the person, but he is the son of a very massive superstar.” When asked if it’s Junaid Khan, he states, “I have never auditioned Junaid. I have not worked with Junaid either. I worked with Ira and Zayn Marie. Infact Zayn has also given auditions. She is Mansoor Khan’s daughter and does not need to audition, but still she did. She has worked with us in casting of ‘Secret Superstar’ and is very hardworking.”

Zayn Marie and Ira Khan

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He added, “So the superstar I am talking about, his son will be working with us for a brief period of time. It’s because he has the time right now and wants to understand the process of casting. That person said, ‘Please treat him like any other staff member of yours. No special treatment.’ Aur koi zaroorat nahi thi yeh message bhejne ki. And that kid, I love him. I met him once, and there was a spark, a sense of manners and etiquette in him. Uske pitaji ko bolne ki zaroorat nahi thi, lekin kiya hai. (His father did not need to tell him, but he did).“

Heaping praise on Junaid, he remarks, “As for Junaid, let me tell you, this is something Quasar Thakore-Padamsee himself said. They were doing a play and Quasar was very ill at that time. But still that play happened because of Junaid; otherwise, it wouldn’t have happened. So, this is a big deal in itself. So these guys are amazing and they have a lot of pressure. You know, even Ananya Panday had to audition for Student of the Year 2.”

Watch the full interview here:

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Casting Director Anmol Ahuja calls Aamir Khan a genius, recalls him recommending Zaira Wasim for Secret Superstar, says, “If he’s not involved, we start having problems”