Nikita Grover loves to be on a film set in any capacity, not just as a casting director but also an actor and more. The Telegraph Online caught up with Nikita about her role as the casting director for Prime Video series Paatal Lok, her collaboration with show creator Sudip Sharma and co-star Jaideep Ahlawat, alongside reprising the character of constable Manju Verma in Season 2.

Who has given you the best compliment for Paatal Lok Season 2?

Nikita Grover: Tess Joseph (casting director of Lion, Life of Pi, The Namesake). I love her work. Getting appreciation from her is a huge thing for me. She told me I have opened a roster of actors from Nagaland.

Paatal Lok is a labour of love and hard work. Tell us how it was for the casting department.

Nikita Grover: It took us quite some time to cast for the show. I was stationed in Nagaland and Guwahati (Assam) for five to six months. The first month went into exploring and understanding the vibe of the place. People in Nagaland don’t talk very easily. They take their own time. They can’t think of acting as a career option. For them, I was an outsider. There’s only one theatre group, Dreams Unlimited. We had cast all the actors in the group. They helped me during the process. When we weren’t getting people, we thought of getting in touch with artists, singers and stage performers. I had gone to the extent of trying to cast people while walking on the road. We also went to Guwahati for casting as the language is similar, once before Covid and once after. I have cast more than 200 actors for Paatal Lok Season 2 and roughly 100 are from Nagaland.

What kind of freedom did Paatal Lok creator Sudip Sharma give you while casting for the show?

Nikita Grover: Sudip Sharma has given me an experience of a lifetime. There is this trust that he has in me, which is very rare. I began casting for him for the first time with Paatal Lok Season 1. The challenges that come in the way excite me. He gives space to perform. There are a few directors like Sudip Sharma and Dibakar Banerjee with whom it’s so much fun to work with.

Filmmakers Jahnu Barua and Nagesh Kukunoor play key roles in Paatal Lok Season 2. How did that happen?

Nikita Grover: These two suggestions had come from Avinash (Arun, director) sir. We were all shocked when we heard about Jahnu Barua and wondered whether he was going to do it. We had met actors for his role but we were looking for a good actor as it’s a significant part. Then we met him, convinced him and auditioned him. It was a long audition, for almost seven to eight hours. It was a tough scene. It took us time to convince him. Sudip (Sharma) sir suggested and convinced Nagesh Kukunoor. Sudip sir also got Tillotama Shome (who plays SP Meghna Barua).

You cast Prashant Tamang as sniper Daniel Acho in Season 2 and he is very grateful to you...

Nikita Grover: Prashant is too sweet. When we met him, we had a different idea of Daniel. Prashant looked very different. His audition was very good. See, not all are trained actors and the job of the casting director is to get a sense of whether the person can do it. While casting him, I thought why do we need a muscular guy to play a sniper?

How was Merenla Imsong’s audition?

Nikita Grover: Merenla (who plays Rose in Season 2) is the only Naga actor I knew. Her audition was phenomenal. It’s the scene where she wakes up from slumber after substance abuse and frantically looks for food in the kitchen. She barely has any dialogue in the show.

How did you become constable Manju Verma in Paatal Lok?

Nikita Grover: I act with the actors during auditions. I give cues to enhance their performances. Sudip sir once saw me when I was doing and suggested I try for Manju. It’s all because of him. I had so much fun playing Manju because the set made me feel so comfortable that I wasn’t worried about looking at the kind of body weight I had. I had the freedom to feel so much like Manju. I thought I was Manju.

Manju has a lot of endearing scenes with Hathi Ram Chaudhury. How was it to share screen space with Jaideep Ahlawat?

Nikita Grover: There’s so much to learn from Jaideep sir, not just as an actor but also as a person. He makes you feel so special. He works towards the scene. He guides you. I just love him and I am grateful that I could work with him. He’s fun to work with for everyone on set, from a spot boy to the director. Everyone loves him.

Up next is Sudip Sharma’s Kohrra on Netflix. Tell us what we can expect after the gripping first season.

Nikita Grover: Kohrra is also a very tough project. I have spent time in Punjab. The characters are very well-written and nuanced. There are more female characters in the second season. Mona Singh plays the lead. It is even more intense.

You came to Mumbai from Delhi to be a casting director or to become an actor?

Nikita Grover: I didn’t know what a casting director was. I was doing theatre and I had some friends in Mumbai. After landing in Mumbai, I asked my friends what I could do. I came to act. I had called a casting director but I wasn’t confident, so I said that I wanted to assist. I loved auditioning and I learnt while auditioning. I started with Dishoom. Then I started working with Casting Bay. That’s when I started having fun. I did ads. Then, I started casting for various films and assisting Abhishek Banerjee and Anmol Ahuja (founders of Casting Bay). Since then, it has been great and I can’t be happier. I just want to be seen on film sets, being a part of great cinema, taking them to festivals and maybe producing a few. I limit myself to only those things that excite me.

As a casting director, what’s your process?

Nikita Grover: I have cracked who can and can’t fit the part. I have an eye. I like to visualise characters. I have learnt from Abhishek (Banerjee) how not to do cliche casting. I still feel people are doing casting very casually. Everybody has started doing it. There are a few people who put their brains into casting. Casting isn’t easy. It’s tough and it needs patience. You need to do the same thing again and again every day with the same amount of dedication.

You act as well...

Nikita Grover: Yes, I can’t pick one. I am someone who wants to work in films in any capacity. I can do anything to be on the film set. I want to be a part of good films and shows.

Are you auditioning for more roles?

Nikita Grover: I know I should. There are a few casting directors who get in touch with me. I must take time to act. The makers must be flexible too. I worked in a film, Chakda Xpress (yet-to-be-released Anushka Sharma-starrer), when I had time.