Casting Directors’ Diaries with Honey Trehan In conversation with #DirectorsDiaries

Casting Directors’ Diaries with Honey Trehan

In conversation with #DirectorsDiaries

When I decided to feature Casting Directors’ on my blog, Honey was the first I approached. He responded with affection and enthusiasm. He was a complete stranger to me.

Except, he had read our book. So maybe I was not a stranger to him. :) In my humble opinion, Honey is not just a casting director or a director / producer. He is a creative person. What can being ‘creative’ mean, other than what Wikipedia, Google and I and you may have to say it does? Well, Honey offered me his insight.

The first time Honey arrived at the horizon of my experiences, was during Omkara (2006) and Kaminey (2009). I was pleasantly surprised to see some unusual actors cast in some really great roles. By unusual I do not mean ‘not popular’. And by ‘great’ roles I do not mean roles that have great length.

Because even a small candle can provide us a warm enough light. Casting writer-director Amol Gupte in Kaminey for a negative role, took me by absolute surprise. Moreover, because of this unusual casting, I could not predict how Amol’s character would behave during the screenplay’s progression.

Lately, in Udta Punjab (2016), in a large segment of the casting I experienced the same feeling. Later, when I met him and we spoke about how he generally casts, he mentioned that by breaking the mould or by casting brand new and or usual actors (also by going against their established image of that actor) the director can lead the audience deeper into the world of the story.

Honey tends to cast unusual people for primary as well as secondary characters. I think such decisions help make the story more believable. A goal few directors and their team are able to achieve.

Btw, if I may add here, a cliché term we often use to address secondary characters is ‘Character artists’. As though, protagonists do not play characters! :) This was brought to my notice by a brilliant actor, Vipin Sharma whom I had featured earlier on our blog.

Anyways, over to Honey now. :)

A river begins someplace

Honey Trehan is born and brought up in the heart of Punjab, Tarn Taran. (Tarn Taran Sahib was founded by the Fifth Sikh Guru, Shri Guru Arjan Dev He laid the foundation of Sri Tarn Taran Sahib Temple. Tarn Taran Sahib was part of the Bhangi Sikh Dynasty.)

Honey’s family moved to Allahabad when he was in the seventh grade. Both these cultures had a significant impact on him, Both his parents are not in theatre or films; his mother is a teacher and principal and his father had a small sized business. His parents never discouraged him from watching movies on TV and films in cinema halls, so, in a way they too are responsible for Honey’s eventual journey to films.

Fascination

Honey’s earliest memory of being fascinated by cinema, was when he was 5-6 years young. TV had just arrived at their house, and the moving & talking images captivated him. He clearly remembers watching a Punjabi film, Kartar Singh Sarabha, made on a Sikh revolutionary.

Curious where do these moving & taking/singing figures on the TV screen come from, his vivid imagination made him certain they must be entering his Tv set from the back. (Laughs, remembering this.) So, he would often peep behind the TV set to see when and how exactly do all these people and things get inside?

He reflects, ‘I think, after that experience I must have never thought of doing anything else in life on growing older, other than being a part of the film world. Even though I was clueless then what my dream (of belonging in films) really means. Later, I did not know what I really want to do in theatre or films. I just liked this world. (Thinks) Nothing else but cinema/the film-world has fascinated me endlessly, ever since I was six I think.” (Grins)

The seed

Honey joined a theatre workshop when he was in college. It was being conducted by a visiting faculty from NSD, National School of Drama, Delhi. Honey missed nearly 15 days of the three weeks workshop, but the tutor, Vageesh Singh Sir, was welcoming and encouraging.

After a few days of attending the workshop, mostly just listening and interacting with Sir and co-students, he thinks Vageesh Sir must have felt he (Honey) has good talent for theatre. Because he randomly advised Honey, “You are wasting your time in Allahabad. Come to Delhi, if you want to do theatre seriously. Delhi has far more opportunities. Call me if you come and need any help.”

I thought, Vageesh Sir was a visionary. To see spark in an amateur within less than a week of interacting with him during a workshop where he (Honey) had been largely ‘just a listener.’ Vageesh Sir was the first one to nurture his fascination for the performing arts.

Barry

After his higher secondary, encouraged by his parents Honey immediately took up the offer made to him by Vageesh Sir in Allahabad, and he travelled to Delhi to meet him. Vageesh Sir took Honey under his wings immediately. He introduced Honey to Barry John. (http://www.bjas.in/) This intended encounter was to become the next significant stage in Honey’s walk towards his childhood fascination - the film world.

In Delhi, Honey worked with Barry Sir, writer actor Piyush Mishra, as well as with his own theatre group, Aarambh Theatre Group (ATG) for nearly two years. Extensively as actor, writer, production designer, production manager, tea boy, prop guy. Anything that needed done for the show to be staged and performed Honey did it!

“Even while at it, I was never conscious of the fact that I was actually writing and ‘directing’ some of the plays. “Direction’ as a career choice, either in theatre or filmmaking, was not yet my conscious career choice. That was to happen later. I directed plays in Delhi simply because it came naturally to me. (Pauses) However, it was Barry Sir who first made me aware that what I had taken so naturally to is actually ‘direction’. He insisted I must pursue direction as a career. He would scold me to take his advise seriously. (Laughs) I have him to thank too.”

I think, the next significant person Honey encountered on his walk towards the film world is Music Composer & Writer Director Vishal Bhardwaj.

Ambition

“Films always fascinated me. Other than acting, I was ambitious to do everything else in this profession. In all humility, today I know quite a bit about all departments of filmmaking. I think, it’s because I have remained open to gaining experience in all its fields/departments. I began by becoming an assistant to Vishal ji on his debut film. But after Matru Ki Bijli Ka Mandola (2013), I began to feel I have reached a saturation point. It thought its time for me to stop assisting and make an attempt at my own film as director. However, even earlier to that Vishal ji was encouraging me. While we were shooting 7 Khoon Maaf (2011) he would tell me, ‘Honey, it’s now time for you to work on your own film as director.’

Post that, I worked as the second unit director in Abhishek Chaubey’s Dedh Ishkiya - 2014 (and Udta Punjab)

Having a second unit director helps reduce the number of shooting days, so naturally producers like that as it saves them money. (Smiles) Then Vishal ji offered Talvar (2015) to me as Creative Producer. I loved the script.” says Honey.

I thought then, it is so important that those we consider mentors, or who play significant roles in our early careers, encourage us to take baby steps towards our independence. Because their success at it becomes fuel for us. We may lack the confidence or experience to step over the ledge of a secure job and take the plunge. Often with no safety net awaiting us at the bottom of the drop. But no bird ever flew the skies and befriended the clouds without leaving the safety of her nest.

Admiration for creative people

Piyush Mishra, an ace theatre actor and writer, originally from Delhi, saw Honey’s very first professionally executed play, a musical called ‘Kafan’. He suggested (to Honey) that they collaborate on a play – Bertolt Brecht’s ‘The Life And Times Of Galileo’. “… it became Piyush Bhai’s comeback in theatre after a five years absence.” says Honey. He considered that a huge compliment, Piyush Mishra (who directed the play) asking Honey to work with him on making this play under his theatre group. “Piyush Bhai loved the energy of our group.” (Smiles)

I must say here, I could see Honey’s reverence for Piyush and others when he spoke about them. Whether it was actor Minto Bakshi from Delhi, or Mahesh Bhatt Saab, Ajay Kartik, Ranjit Kapoor, Vishal ji, Badr Saab (the poet from Meerut), Gulzar Sahab, and some others. He expressed great passion for good artists, good hearted people too, good content, good poetry, good novels, great authors, good directors. Genuine admiration for creative people, is a vein that runs deep in Honey, I thought in admiration of his own spirit to appreciate talent in others.

It reminded me of my own passionate-admiration for the film directors (twenty four in number) I had interviewed for over four years for our book Directors Diaries. I admired them with the same passion. This quality is necessary in this creative field, in my humble opinion, because the opposite person naturally will feed off your passion. Resulting in a good work together.

A very significant introduction

After having worked in the TV industry for a short period of a few months, with ace writer / director Ajay Kartik, Honey decided to return to Delhi and focus on theatre. However, he happened to be recommended by Piyush Mishra to Vishal Bhardwaj. Vishal ji was directing a film titled Barf (which eventually got shelved during pre-production), when he asked Honey to join him as an assistant director.

Because, Vishal ji was keen to hire an assistant who had experience in theatre. Vishal ji himself has had a long association with theatre, and was comfortable having assistants in his team that were familiar with the brotherhood & teamwork that is an intrinsic part of theatre production.

First film job

When Vishal ji began work on Makdee, which was to become his debut feature film, he asked Honey to assist him. On this film, and in his subsequent ones, Vishal ji gave Honey the job and credit title of Casting Director, apart from being his Chief / Associate Director on the film. This was probably the second time an assistant received a separate credit as Casting Director. The earliest known is director Tigmanshu Dhulia, who received the same on Shekar Kapur’s Bandit Queen.

Creativity

I asked Honey, how does he judge actors, how does he cast, what is he really looking for…?

Honey said, “I am not looking for their acting skills, nor their talent. The primary element I am looking for, and it’s a subconscious observation I am making, is their ‘creativity’. Is this person creative?”

I asked him to elaborate on what creativity means to him. It’s a subjective term.

Honey said, “Creativity is nearly impossible to define/describe. (Thinks) By creativity what I mean, is this person open? Open to feelings, to new and or different experiences. Is he or she a good listener? What else does he or she know, beyond acting skills, about the human condition, about the world we are all encompassed in? What kind of authors, books, movies, and diverse people has this person experienced, and is willing to be engaged by? It is important for me to know such things about the person I am casting. Because this profession, filmmaking, acting, direction, cinematography, etc are ‘people-skills’ professions. Beneath art, craft and technique we are simply human. So it’s about our interactions with various people. How well does this actor deal with people, is what I am looking for.

I think, one should be open to all the aspects of creativity. I consider acting, direction, music, writing are just a medium to express yourself, to execute your emotions. Don’t limit yourself. If one would be creative enough or open enough he/she will be an actor director writer, everything....

And it's very important to have a mentor/guru, who you don't need to ‘follow’ etc, rather someone in whom you can invest your faith, who you can trust, who you can seek at lows and your highs too ... who you trust will not leave you alone in spirit, one who can inspire you to ‘life’, to awareness. I'm glad I have one in Vishal ji... I mean it.”

Cast me

What kind of role would he cast me in, if I approached him for work as an actor?’ I asked Honey.

“I cannot say right away what role you would best fit in. I would not slot you, compartmentalise you in any way right away by simply looking at you. I would cast you if while reading a script (that I have to cast for) I come across a character and my instinct shouts out your name to me for that role. Because, I do not cast actors. I will cast a script’s characters in the actors, or non-actors, people I will come across.” Says Honey.

Satisfaction

“When there is a conflict between the director and my view of a casting suggested by my team and me, and the director gives in and agrees to go with our suggestion, there is great satisfaction when the audience appreciates what we cast together. Appreciation matters. It reaffirms your faith in your choices, and boosts your confidence.”

True, I thought. So much about the choices casting directors, and even directors, make is based purely on intuition and instinct. There are no formulas in this profession, no LUT/look up tables for casting a bundle of emotions - humans.

Marching ahead

Honey is presently casting for an international film by Majid Majidi, the Iranian filmmaker, to be shot in India. Apart from casting, Honey and his close friend writer/director Abhishek Chaubey have begun a film production company, MacGuffin Pictures, and produced Konkona Sen Sharma’s (twice National award winner as actor) debut as writer/director; A death In The Gunj has earned an official selection and a world premiere at TIFF (Toronto international film festival 2016) & an Asian premiere at Busan International Film Festival. "Now, while I continue to cast for films, we are simultaneously producing films too while I continue to work on my debut as director." Said Honey.

About Directors’ Diaries

“All the directors in the book have been a source of influence and inspiration for me, especially when I read about their journey, the challenges and adversities, that some of them survived to reach where they are today. And in a way, I get a glimpse of my own struggles in theirs. And somewhere down the line it gives me the courage to keep moving forward. Which is why I found the book to be immensely inspirational.” Says Honey.

As I walked away, I pondered on my chat with him. Honey is walking a path that has no U-turn, no forks. A One Way. His single minded passion - ‘I have always been fascinated by films ever since I was six.’ shines through. Ever seen bees at work, ferociously in a bee hive, making honey? That’s Honey Trehan at his creative best. I think I can say. :)

Honey Trehan’s Filmmography

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1805444/

Thank you.

PS - (Honey, I am dam jealous! You met Majid Majidi! Please apply black tikka on yourself, kahin meri hi nazar na lag jaye. ;) Regards - Rakesh)

#CastingDirectorsDiaries with #HoneyTrehan

B&W Photo courtesy @ www.midday.com

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Letters want to be words. Words want to be stories. Stories want to be told. #RakeshAnandBakshi

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The directors’ on Cinema & Filmmaking: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8bnPI95HCs

The directors’ Beginnings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgbvst-mhOw

The directors’ Convictions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQgoJwP1sd8

The directors’ Challenges: https://youtu.be/1BmjGGurM5U

Imtiaz Ali’s 1st film being his film school & our book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzC18coaoLw

Zoya Akhtar on being a 1st time film maker: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsdg8UNfwKs

Shyam Benegal on ‘… Why directors’..’ : https://youtu.be/3-u3GRgkt8E