Don Bosco Film School welcomed actor, writer, and casting director Vivek Anirudh for a session that took students inside one of the least-discussed sides of the film industry — the audition room, and what happens in it. Known to Malayalam cinema audiences through films including Irupathiyonnaam Noottaandu, Twenty One Grams, and Ishq, Vivek brings a dual perspective that few in the industry can offer: someone who has stood in front of the camera as an actor, and sat on the other side of it as a casting director evaluating others.
The session covered ground that rarely makes it into a film school syllabus. Vivek spoke honestly about auditions — what casting directors are actually looking for, the common mistakes actors make, and what separates a performer who gets called back from one who doesn’t. For students training in screen acting at Don Bosco Film School, this was industry knowledge delivered directly, without the filter of a textbook or a second-hand account.
But the conversation didn’t stop at audition technique. Vivek spoke to the larger reality of building a career in cinema — what the industry actually looks like from inside, the patience it demands, the setbacks that are part of the process, and the habits and attitude that keep a career moving when opportunities are slow. His honesty about the journey, not just the craft, was what seemed to land hardest with students in the room.
What made the session particularly valuable for a film school audience was the breadth of his perspective. For acting students, there was direct, usable advice on auditions and performance. For direction and production students, there was a window into how the casting process works and how a casting director thinks — a side of pre-production that shapes a film long before the shoot begins.
The conversation that followed ran long, with students asking about breaking into the industry, navigating the gap between training and their first professional opportunity, and what the industry genuinely expects from a newcomer walking in for the first time. Sessions like this are a reminder of what learning from a working professional offers that a classroom cannot — not just knowledge, but the unfiltered experience of someone living the career students are working toward. Don Bosco Film School continues to bring voices like Vivek Anirudh’s to campus, ensuring students leave with a realistic, grounded understanding of the industry they’re stepping into.
