Hansal Mehta has expressed his desire to pave the way for new talent in Bollywood. Speaking at the second edition of the Cinevesture International Film Festival on Friday, Mehta, along with Pratik Gandhi, the star of his series Scam 1992, emphasised that taking a chance with fresh talent will reap greater rewards.
Mehta also recalled a time when studios like UTV would champion new talent and compared it to the route that Applause Entertainment is currently taking by supporting talents like Gandhi, Zahan Kapoor and Gaggan Dev Rial.
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“We are at an inflection point where there is a lot of talent, but they are not getting a chance. That pipeline is closed in the name of safety. It’s a proof of concept that it can work. The big guys that you keep giving chances to, how many times have they failed? What’s their success percentage? When they fail, they actually sink you. If you take a small risk (casting new talent), you will suffer less but the advantages are many,” the filmmaker said.
Gandhi, who gained fame with Scam 1992, being a relatively new face on the showbiz scene at the time of its release, also weighed in on the discussion. “Be open to working with new talent. It is shrinking (the space for newcomers) everywhere and you are working only with a certain set of people. When you talk to people everyone says, ‘There are no good actors? There are so many actors who are waiting (for their chance). This gap can be filled only by directors and producers.”
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Gandhi is currently filming for Mehta's new directorial, a TV series titled Gandhi, which chronicles the life of India's freedom fighter, Mahatma Gandhi.
