Abhishek Banerjee Steps Down From Casting Bay, Citing Conflict Of Interest Concerns

Actor Abhishek Banerjee has stepped down from Casting Bay, the casting company he co-founded with Anmol Ahuja around a decade ago. In an exclusive conversation with Hindustan Times, Banerjee explained that increasingly demanding acting schedules made it difficult for him to give the company the time and attention it required.

The actor said the decision was difficult but ultimately necessary. “I think it was any which way very difficult for me to handle any kind of company work and administrative work because of my shooting schedules,” he said. He also stressed that casting requires his physical presence in casting rooms.

Abhishek Banerjee on leaving Casting Bay

Banerjee said he no longer felt he could give Casting Bay his best. “I thought if I am not able to give hundred percent in something, then what's the whole point of doing it? It's better to let the youngsters take over and let them do the job,” he said.

There was another factor behind the decision. Banerjee felt it was important to separate his work as an actor from his identity as a casting director, particularly because questions about a possible conflict of interest had already been raised.

“Because I am an actor and then a casting director. These questions have been raised since I became an actor,” he said. While he noted that there had been “hardly any projects” where the two roles overlapped, he added, “But still I felt that let's avoid the conflict of interest.”

He may return to casting in another capacity

Banerjee clarified that he is not turning his back on the casting fraternity. “I'm not saying that I won't do anything in casting. Maybe in the future I'll be planning something, but not as a casting director for sure,” he said.

His focus now is shifting towards acting, writing and production. Known for Stree, Go Goa Gone, Dream Girl, Mirzapur, Paatal Lok and The Family Man, Banerjee will next appear in Mirzapur The Movie.

“I want to put more focus on other stuff, and offline. I want to write, I want to produce. So I want to focus there. Hence this was my next step. It's just like sometimes you have to move on from some place to reach somewhere else,” he said.