‘They knew I was Mithun’s son’: Namashi on losing role to actor represented by big agency

He was hated as the ruthless Ghulam Sarwar Husseini, in the Vivek Agnihotri-directorial, The Bengal Files. And, that changed the conversations Namashi Chakraborty, the son of the legendary star, Mithun Chakraborty, has been having with the filmmakers. The 34-year-old, who harboured the dream of seeing himself as the quintessential leading hero on the big screen, tasted the harsh reality of showbiz, with his first outing, Bad Boy (2023). Initially slated for an early release, it became a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic, and saw the light of the day in 2023, thus seeming “dated”. He admits that most people misunderstand The Bengal Files (2025) to be his debut. 

However, when SCREEN sat down at his Mumbai studio, for an exclusive tete-e-tete, Namashi Chakraborty shared a very harsh experience he had to undergo because he wasn’t being represented by a particular agency. He began by saying, “So, I’ll tell you a very, brutal truth of this film industry and it’s happened to me. I’m not even quoting someone, okay? I auditioned for a very big Amazon Prime web series. And, the casting director said the director really likes you and the director is a ‘huge director’ and I did the audition. Trust me, I’m an actor. I knew I nailed that audition. It was a terrific audition because I understood the character.”

He continued, “And, by chance I met the director the other day at Soho House (a premium club house in Mumbai). I said, ‘Sir, did you get a chance to?…’ I won’t name him (the director). He’s like, ‘No, but I can tell from your pictures from your personality, you have done well in it.’ I said, ‘Sir, does that mean…’ He took a pause, and eventually said, ‘Listen, I am the director but Amazon decides if you’re going to be in it or not and they have their favourites. So, if they go with exactly ‘That’s okay this audition was good, he looks the part,’ I’m going to fight for you. But if they decide not to take you; as a director, I’ll have to put my foot down.’”

A month later, Namashi Chakraborty, learnt that the actor who bagged the role in the series was someone who was being backed by a big production house. “A month later, I got to know that some other actor got the part who wasn’t, who doesn’t even look the character and then he has an agency who’s representing him. He has a big production backing him and I remembered that what that director had told me and he told me on my face ‘Even if you’re perfect for it, they get to decide the final thing.’”

Watch the full conversation with Namashi Chakraborty here:

Disappointed over the biases, Namashi stated, “So a director also does not have the final say in a big streaming platform which is Amazon Prime. I’m not naming the show or the director but this happens. The director himself can’t decide if he can take you but they still audition actors. They give you that hope. They make you go through the process and then they replace you with someone who doesn’t even look the part. That’s not right.”

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Unlike the notion that starkids have it all easy, Namashi emphasised, “The director knew whose son I am. The casting director knew who I was and they still do that. So, it’s not like star kids are going to get it anyway. You can get replaced last minute.”

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When prodded if he never thought of having an agency represent him, the actor quickly responded that he gets more work on his merit than the agency. “I was offered… I remember having meetings with them but they had told me very clearly that I’ll be their sixth priority because they already had five talents who they were promoting non-stop. So, they said you will be our sixth priority and we cannot assure you that you will get work non-stop. It might be one show a year, one film a year and I said, ‘On merit, touchwood, I get film offers every week. You know, for the first time in my life, I’m spoiled for choices. I’m not saying I get offered films from the biggest productions but I get film offers. I can be busy all year,” explained the actor.

Sharing his analysis about this, Namashi drew the conclusion, “I said, ‘If you’re going to get me lesser work than I get on my own. Why do you want to represent me? And, let me tell you the five people they mentioned in that meeting; they are the people who are maximum seen, and who are getting the maximum web series. We say, ‘Now this person is seen constantly because he’s very talented.’ Sure, but they’re also represented by an agency whom the streaming platforms are promoting. That’s why we see the same people everywhere.”

Making peace with the culture the industry functions in, Namashi gasped, “But that’s how it is in today’s time. You need to market yourself and you need to hire… Let’s say, I was among those five people and somebody else was in my place…I also would’ve been seen everywhere. But the problem is if you’re already deciding to only promote five actors, there is no scope for a sixth one.”

Namashi, has several short films, micro dramas, and feature films under his banner, MYRND Productions, as an actor-director.