Returning to a show’s set for a second season is an alien feeling to Abhishek Banerjee, even though he has been part of several popular series, including Paatal Lok and Mirzapur. “Rana Naidu is the only show where I am alive in the second season,” he grins.
Banerjee plays the protagonist’s younger brother in the Netflix series that stars Venkatesh Daggubati, Rana Daggubati, Surveen Chawla, and Arjun Rampal. Shooting for the action drama’s second edition was not only a novel experience for the actor, but also freeing. “In the first season, you’re still building your character. After you watch yourself perform, you know where you lacked. The second instalment is actually where you’re playing and enjoying the character because you don’t have any insecurities about it,” he explains.
Before focusing single-mindedly on acting, Banerjee handled casting through Casting Bay, which he co-founded with Anmol Ahuja. Incidentally, while he switched gears to acting, he also noticed a shift in the industry — the emerging practice of casting influencers and actors depending on their social media following. He says, “I stopped casting actively right when this became a trend. I have always worked with creators and producers who have fought for the right actors because eventually no matter how famous you are on Instagram, your acting skills have to do justice to the character. It’s about casting right for a particular show. For instance, Rana Daggubati is the right choice for Rana Naidu. Venky [Venkatesh] sir seems like his character. Nobody checked how many followers they have. I don’t think the norm [of choosing actors on the basis of their followers] will survive the test of time.”
Films on which Abhishek Banerjee worked as a casting director:
. The Dirty Picture (2011)
. Secret Superstar (2017)
. The Sky is Pink (2019)
. Angrezi Medium (2020)
. Qala (2022)