Mukesh Chhabra is a well-known casting director in Bollywood. Chhabra – who has helped with the casting of films like Rockstar, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Dangal, Jaawan, and more, recently chat down with Bollywood Bubble for a lengthy chat about his work, the different actors who he has seen audition for films and lots more. During the same chat, Mukesh recalled his first meeting with many stars, including Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan & Salman Khan. Read on to know all he had to say.
Mukesh Chhabra on his first meeting with Salman Khan
Reminiscing his first meeting with Salman Khan, Mukehs said, “With Salman, it’s more of a fan’s love. Very few people know that I used to dress like him in school and college. My first interaction with him was on a film set where someone introduced me as Mukesh, who does casting. That’s where our relationship began.”
He continued, “Then I was part of Chillar Party, and he knew I was a fan of his. He was very affectionate, and my mother also loved him a lot. On Eid or Diwali, my mother and I would visit his home. There was a lot of love from him. After Chillar Party, our bond grew stronger, and after Bajrangi Bhaijaan, life changed completely. Now, he’s like family, and we are now working together on Sikandar.”
Mukesh on 1st interaction with SRK
Recalling his first meeting with Shah Rukh Khan, Mukesh Chhabra said in Hindi, “I saw him once from a distance during the shooting of Dil Se in Delhi. At that time, I hadn’t interacted with him; I just saw him. Later, I mentioned to him that I had seen him, and he was aware of it. The next time I remember seeing him in Delhi, there was still no interaction. I saw him closely during the shoot of Chak De India and it was like ‘Wow’ moment.”
MC on first meeting with Aamir
Talking about his first meeting with Aamir Khan, MC said, “I was an assistant casting director during Rang De Basanti, so I first saw him during that. During readings, I would just see him but I didn’t get a chance to talk to him. Because as an assistant director, you don’t get to interact much. It takes years to reach that stage.”
Watch the full interview here:
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