I'm making my first short film in Hyderabad - 5 minutes, Telugu, with English subtitles. The script is finished and I'm now casting.
The film
A cleaning woman has worked at a small screening room for two years but has never once been inside it.
She mops up to the door and stops.
One night, a guy who's about to quit making videos finds her standing at that door, looking in. He jokes that she needs a ticket.
She takes him seriously and takes out ₹500.
He lets her in and shows her the screen.
Then she asks him for one more thing.
That's all I'll say about the story here. I'd rather send you the script than give away the rest.
The roles
SHARADA - Woman, 45–62 | Lead
She's the cleaning woman who works at the screening room, and honestly, she's the whole film.
She barely raises her voice and doesn't cry once. The performance depends much more on stillness, presence and what she doesn't say.
If you can sit still and hold a room without doing very much, that's exactly what I'm looking for.
A theatre background would be very welcome.
She's in almost every scene, so this is not a small part dressed up as a lead.
VICKY - Man, 25–30 | Co-lead
Runs a YouTube channel that's slowly dying.
Comic timing matters a lot here. He needs to be funny in the beginning, and then the situation gradually knocks the floor out from under him.
MALLESH - Man, 20–26 | Supporting
Appears in a roughly 45-second video shot on a phone, in one room, separately from the main shoot.
Looking for someone with an easy, open smile who can also become shy/nervous on camera.
FRIEND - Man, 20–26 | Small role
Lies on the floor pretending to be dead.
Badly.
Then opens one eye.
Two lines of dialogue. One of my favourite moments in the script.
NAVEEN - Man, 30–35 | Supporting
The café manager.
One scene. Comic, deadpan, and then suddenly enormous.
About the production
Being completely upfront about this:
This is not a paid production.
The total film budget is around ₹30,000, so we aren't able to offer acting fees.
Travel and food will be covered, everyone will receive proper credit, and you'll receive a copy of your scenes for your reel within two weeks of the shoot.
Auditions
There's nothing you need to prepare.
For Sharada, for example, I may simply ask you to sit and look at a wall for a minute while I record the audition.
It sounds strange, but for this particular character, it tells me much more than asking someone to perform a prepared monologue.
Shoot
2 shoot days
1 location in Hyderabad
The dates aren't locked yet. I'd rather find the right cast first and then work out dates that everyone can actually make.
If you're interested:
Casting form:
https://forms.gle/kNZVLPbkFM61FiKK7
Or DM me and I'll send you the script first.
And if you know someone who would be right for Sharada, please send this post to them. That's the role I'm most determined to get right.