Inaamulhaq Calls Out Casting Director For Being Biased: ‘Why Do We Keep Seeing The Same Faces’

In a film industry that thrives on star power, some of the most talented actors still remain overlooked. One such name is Inaamulhaq, known for his impactful roles in Filmistaan, Firaaq, Airlift and Jolly

LLB 2. Despite his consistent performances, he continues to be labeled as what he called “Akshay Kumar’s co-actor,” a tag he feels reflects how the industry overlooks him.

In a recent conversation with Digital Commentary, Inaamulhaq opened up about his personal journey and also highlighted a larger problem existing in the industry which is the lack of transparency in casting. According to him, the way roles are being distributed today is leaving no door of opportunity for genuine talent.

Directors Must Take Responsibility

Speaking about the frustration many outsiders face, Inaamulhaq said, “I see a lot of outsiders, and you can genuinely feel their frustration. Many of them live in Versova, I live there too, and whenever I meet them, there’s a visible sadness. This sadness mostly stems from the unfair practices of casting agencies. Directors need to take more responsibility. They sit in their offices, get a shortlist of 10 actors, and pick from that. But my question is, who are these 10 actors? Isn’t it possible they’re simply the ones who are close to the casting directors?”

He further pointed out how this “shortlisting system” limits opportunities for deserving talent. “Can we really say the process is genuine? What’s stopping these lists from being manipulated?” he asked.

In-House Casting In The Past

Inaamulhaq also reminisced about a time when the industry was more open to new faces. “Earlier, there used to be this freedom to just walk in. Casting departments were in-house. If a director noticed someone during an audition, it could change everything.”

Moving on, he also had some examples to support his claim. He added, “Subhash Ghai discovered Jackie Shroff this way. Rajinikanth was a bus conductor when someone spotted him, and today, he’s a legend. But in today’s environment, if someone like Rajinikanth were starting out, a casting director might not even forward his profile.”

Calling out the irony, Inaamulhaq also noted that countless talented people are doing incredible work on Instagram, yet the same handful of actors are signed for every project.

Inaamulhaq was last seen in the 2023 film Pippa, starring Ishaan Khatter in the lead role.