testimonials
The journey of discovering a new dimension to the process of casting for a film began almost parallelly for me and Sharanya. I take pride in saying Dharala Prabhu marked both our feature debuts in the Tamil Film Industry.
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“Why casting directors? Why the extra cost? Can’t we do it ourselves?” These were some of the questions one could potentially face from their respective production houses. However, we got lucky. We got straight to work in our very first meeting. She gave her list of demands, my favourite being - “I want to know the script first!”
Her curious questions about the characters, her eye for detail and her reading of writer/director’s mind are commendable traits. She’s also very hands on and available for problem-solving at all times. She’s a true team player who respects other technicians and a guardian who protects her cast like her own children.
Another trait of hers I admire a lot is her ability to find potential candidates for casting from all walks of life and at all times. For eg. She sees a flamboyant aunty at a wedding, or an enthusiastic toddler on the streets, or a cinematic character in real life. Count to three and her “Hi I’m Sharanya, I’m a casting director for movies. Would love to get in touch with you and cast you if a role should come up” starts off.
Her database of actors is very interesting and for some I’d even go to the extent of writing roles on special order. Such is her scouting powers. Her positivity and charm are infectious. I hope and pray we continue to work together till the end of time.
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To sum up my thoughts on Sharanya Spots Talent - “Spot On!”
- Krishna Marimuthu, Director (Dharala Prabhu)
Dearest Sharanya... You are so good with faces and people and you have such a warm attitude and you are so abundantly talented!
It's been a pleasure spending time with you and the next film we do together, we should stay in the same hotel and jam all night. You sing so well - so so good.
I wish you cast for the most interesting films and be a part of path-breaking cinema and make purely talented people get their share of limelight and appreciation.
Thank you for all the laughs & warmth and great memories.
Lots of love & happiness…
- Shraddha Srinath, Actor
Faces are so important in a film. Whether the character speaks one word or 10 lines, what makes a difference is who says it and how. Exactly for which I think casting directors are so important. What’s the point if at the end of it, we don’t get the feeling of ‘nobody could have done that role better than him/her’.
Working with Sharanya on Maara was so satisfying, as she understood the needs of the Director as well as the Production, which set the fine balance and the quality was not compromised.
Best part about Sharanya is, she doesn’t stop at giving options till she knows that it’s not only the right, but the perfect choice. I’m so glad to have had her a part of my earlier film and looking forward to working in all my other films.
- Shruti Nallappa, Producer (Maara)
Associating with Sharanya is possibly one of the best things to have happened to our project. Emotional and technical intelligence with which Sharanya approaches the project at every stage is unparalleled.
Serving the vision right is basic when it comes to Sharanya. She raises much higher than that and manages to challenge the writer/director with her casting.
There were times when a functional character (secondary / tertiary cast) had to be rewritten to match up to the potential of the actor she brought in.
One quality I personally love about Sharanya and her team is that they genuinely care and are protective of the actors. This keeps the exploitation (of artists) in check which is very common in a film production.
- Dhilip Kumar, Director (Maara)
Dear Sharanya,
Your ability to spot talent and characters apt for our film Maara is really quite exceptional... I was very impressed. Plus you have a great voice and so never a dull moment around you.
Wish you the bestest...
Until next time.
- R. Madhavan, Actor
Sharanya Spots Talent - we are happy to have spotted Sharanya and collaborated with her on casting for most of our projects.
Her energy is infectious which inturn reflects off the entire crew and the film as well. An extremely diligent and warm person who makes sure she is present through the entire project and takes good care of her actors.
We are sure she is charting course for a longer run as a Casting Director and we wish to see her name up in as many projects as possible. Cheers!
- Team Kadhai Films
Farooq Mohamed, Hari Prasad & George Antoney
Casting Director plays a huge role in terms of ease of making and the output of any film. And Sharanya has always made sure to do justice to the story by casting the best performers to help with the believability of the story.
As a Cinematographer I’ve found it easy to execute different visual treatments with the professional actors present.Working with her has always been a pleasure considering her ability to identify the right talents.
- Om Prakash, DoP
The concept of casting director is fairly new in Tamil cinema. Many still prefer going to agents and have their ADs do auditions. But what's often not understood is the value that the casting director brings in when they handpick actors with a new, yet rounded perspective. And sometimes, going the extra mile to work with actors, and convincing the team that they will be a good fit can make all the difference.
When I saw Maara and Payasam, I saw this effort gone in. And I knew their casting director Sharanya could pack in some surprises for us too. One such revelation that happened in this project was Bava Chelladurai, who was nothing like what I had imagined his character to be. Today, when so many people appreciate Bava's work, I see Sharanya's ingenuity to what would have otherwise been a conventional fit, if left to me.
Since the film is set in Pondicherry, she and her team travelled there to find local talent. While we didn't use any of them, she was quickly able to get a hang of what we needed, and brought us actors from Chennai that fit perfectly.
The challenging ones were the kids in the bar (I like how I keep calling them kids to convincingly sound older and wiser). Brilliantly performed by Roshini. Special mention to her, as she blew my mind the very first time she performed. She's an incredible talent, as she made the most pretentious lines on paper sound effortlessly natural when she spoke them. Nishanth is a talent to watch out for.
With Nirmal, many were surprised with this choice. Tbh, Sharanya and I were not sure and initially looked at him as a wild thought. But as we did readings, he grew on us and I couldn't think of anyone else for that role. I even started tweaking the script to make it more suitable for him.
Viji - Working with a seasoned actor always stresses me out, because they can give you 100 variations and the onus is on you to be super clear in what you want. She made it extremely easy for me.
Niraimathi and veera were so apt, they were exactly how I saw their characters in my head. And Sharanya got them just right. I liked it when a friend specified these two characters in his post and had nice things to say about them. All credits to Sharanya and team.
- Richard Anthony, Director (Nizhal Tharum Idham)
Team of passionate people who love their job from finding the right Talent to helping them and being a great support to the crew at difficult times. Full of positivity and an energetic team.
Best wishes and congratulations to Sharanya on entering her 13th year in the Industry.
- Sathyan Sooryan, DoP
Most times, it's difficult to find a person who is Hardworking, Sincere, Responsible, Truthful, Straight forward, Upright, Forthright and Honest... Sharanya has it all...needless to say her work is absolutely professional and cordial… She is growing steadily with an able support of her wonderful team mates....Happy for her & Proud of her...
Mala Manyan, Producer / Executive Producer
Suppose there is a committee that puts me as the Jury Chairman for selecting the Best Casting Director for this year, the last year or the years to come, I will give the award only to Sharanya. She is too good.
I don’t think I haven seen anybody like her,.. starting from her dedication, the infrastructure she has, and the interest she shows to her project.. she is unbelievable and unmatchable.
She is a great technician. I am very happy to have worked with her in my latest project Payasam.
- Vasanth S Sai, Director
The process of casting with Sharanya has been a truly exciting experience in terms of looking at how she perceives characters and fits faces for them. She plays an equally important role in seamlessly bridging the gap between the production house & artists as much as she contributes to the creative process in arriving at the right cast.
Sharanya makes her talent feel personal and that difference reflects on the screen. I've been super stoked by how she scouts for her talent and spots a character in everyone she sees and not everyone can see that.
SST is a definite reiteration on the importance of casting for fictional visual content and Sharanya has got it spot on!
- Anirudh Krishna, Executive Producer (Dharala Prabhu)
Preproduction is very important. I am generally very nervous in the casting process. Whenever I associate with Sharanya Spots Talent to handle casting for my projects, so much of the work is done and I can happily concentrate on my actual work.
Casting is sort of like looking at a painting. Sharanya completely understands it and gives us what we need. Nice working with you Sharanya.
- Deepak Ethiraj, Director (Lemurian Productions)
I got the opportunity to work with Sharanya for a digital film of a jewelry brand. I have always wanted to work with a casting director and so was looking forward to it.
My experience with her exceeded my expectations. Right from the outset, Sharanya insisted on knowing about the script and the characters. She was so inquisitive that it made me think about the characters and story that much more.
Her process is very organic and transparent right from sharing pictures to getting the actors to audition. We had a lot to choose from. More than anything, she showed great patience in balancing the demands of the production house and the agency.
The cast that was eventually assembled was one of the best lots I have worked with. Sharanya even made sure to be present on the day of the shoot just to make sure everything was alright with the actors. A great experience overall. Looking forward to more.
- Vignesh Raja, Director
We at "The Paper Plane" strongly believe in the essence of Strong Concepts. Concepts and Great Ideology blended with the right Cast bring out the best in films. We are able to achieve this only cause we have a strong bonding with "Sharanya Spots Talent".
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As the name suggests, they are able to spot the right talent which has enabled us to produce the best in class advertisements. We are very grateful and cherish our association with them...
- Yokesh, Director (The Paper Plane)
Comfort. It all starts there and SST has always made sure all of us feel comfortable. There's finally a structure for aspiring actors like us with no background whatsoever to go after our dreams.
I knew nothing about auditions and I'm still nowhere close, but I can say without a doubt that I'm one step ahead of where I started and I'll forever be indebted to Sharanya for the confidence she has instilled in me.
I've auditioned in multiple places and nobody spends the kind of time that Sharanya does with her actors, be it for specific feedback or improving on the output, in order to bring out the best in us. Having said that, It's not just Sharanya.
Every person who works with her at SST, be it Mayuri or Satish have been the same. They answer all our questions, they're supportive throughout the process, the remuneration is sent promptly and at the end of the day, it boils down to being a part of that beautiful community. I really don't think an aspiring actor like me who is just getting started in taking baby steps into space can ask for more!
- Abishek Shankar, Actor