Nailing virtual auditions with Farah Khan

The director says good lighting and doing something unexpected will help you stand out

This past year, despite its limitations, has been buzzing for choreographer and director Farah Khan. She’s had her hands full with ad films with cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni and actor Hrithik Roshan, a music video with actor Sonu Sood, and a comedy show for Zee TV. What Khan has now been in the news for is the recently-concluded masterclass for Airbnb, ‘Behind The Lens With Farah Khan’, where she speed-mentored a small group of participants on the art of auditioning, and the gritty yet glamorous world of Hindi cinema — her world for almost three decades, having made her debut as a choreographer with ‘Pehla Nasha’ in Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander (1992). . Khan’s last film as a director, Happy New Year, came out seven years ago. While plans for her next feature film fell through, she is currently waiting for the backlog of unreleased films to clear before planning and announcing her next feature. In this brief chat, she outlines the shift to virtual auditions, and how it has changed for actors, casting directors, and film directors.