City youth’s app helps actors, directors connect with a right swipe

Right from his childhood, Yugan dreamt of becoming an actor. After completing his studies, the youngster joined koothu-p-pattarai, a prominent Tamil theatre group, to learn the nuances of acting. After the completion of the course, he decided to try his luck in acting but didn’t know how to approach directors and producers. Somebody informed Yugan that assistant directors who work in the film industry could help him get in touch with the filmmakers. Yugan befriended a couple of them who added him in WhatsApp groups that shared details about auditions. He went for many auditions but nothing really worked out. Disheartened by the turn of events, Yugan decided to create an app that could help ease the casting process. He developed an app called Star NXT that bridges the gap between an aspiring actor who’s looking for a chance in films and a director looking for an actor. The app was launched on July 15 in the presence of filmmakers. 

“I’ve been trying for an opportunity in the film industry for the past 10 years. Though things didn’t work out in my favour I didn’t feel like giving up. I know there are hundreds of talented people out there who are waiting to make it big in the film industry. Since there is no proper communication or channel, these talents go unnoticed. Also, I’ve seen directors finding it hard to get a suitable actor for certain roles. The app helps both the directors and aspiring actors,” says Yugan.

Undoubtedly, this is a golden period in Indian cinema with a lot of great films releasing in all regional languages. “I am not saying casting companies aren’t doing a good job. Because of miscommunication, many are unable to find the right audition at the correct time. Most often, they get the notification for audition after the last date. With hindrances like middlemen and money, people don’t get exact contact details and it becomes tougher. Likewise, if you see from the production side, once the advertisement is out the assistant directors get calls continuously. Sometimes, they even miss calls from passionate actors,” he says.

The app will be having details about the director and actor. “Both need to register in the app and create a profile. The actors should upload basic information with pictures. They can also mention audition preference — whether it is for films, web series, short films, advertisements, serials and so on. The process is the same for the director as well. Once the director puts out the details, actors suitable for that particular role will be updated about the audition,” shares Yugan.