Karan Mally on Aryan Khan, The Archies & the Secrets of Bollywood Casting | Cyrus Says

Karan Mally on Aryan Khan, The Archies & the Secrets of Bollywood Casting | Cyrus Says

From Cyrus Says by IVM Podcasts

August 23, 2026 · 59 min · Season 1 · Episode 1697

About this episode

Karan Mally joins Cyrus Broacha to discuss the intricacies of Bollywood casting and his personal journey in the film industry.

Welcome to Cyrus Says! On this episode of Cyrus Says, casting director, actor and creator Karan Mally joins Cyrus Broacha for a hilarious conversation about what really happens behind the scenes of Bollywood casting. Karan talks about working on projects like The Archies, Gully Boy, Made in Heaven, Dahaad and The Ba**ds of Bollywood, and explains how actors are auditioned, shortlisted, rejected and sometimes called back several times before finally landing a role. He also reveals what it was like working with Aryan Khan, who had a clear vision for even the smallest characters in The Ba**ds of Bollywood. He shares the chaos of casting nearly 300 characters for Made in Heaven, including last-minute recasting calls at 4 AM, and looks back at how theatre helped him build the network that eventually led him into casting. Karan also gets candid about leaving his long-time casting partnership, feeling disillusioned with the film industry, starting again on his own and how working on Musafir Cafe helped him rediscover his love for his work during a difficult phase in his personal life. From Bollywood auditions and nepotism to Aryan Khan, expensive movie tickets, divorce, therapy and…

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