Editing Mohenjo Daro (film) (section)

===Casting===

In August 2014, Roshan, who had starred in Gowariker's critically and commercially successful ''[[Jodhaa Akbar]]'' in 2008, was confirmed to play the male lead role again for ''Mohenjo Daro''. He reportedly demanded {{INRConvert|500|m}}.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hrithik Roshan demands Rs 50 crore for Ashutosh Gowariker's 'Mohenjo Daro'? |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-hrithik-roshan-demands-rs-50-crore-for-ashutosh-gowariker-s-mohenjo-daro-2018775 |newspaper=DNA India |access-date=15 September 2014 |date=29 September 2014}}</ref> Said the director, "I wouldn't have made the film, without Hrithik."<ref name="auto1"/> "[T]his is a different world, and I thought only Hrithik would blend in perfectly."<ref name="auto4">Ashutosh Gowariker, interviewed by Indian film industry trade journal Box Office India on 30 July 2016, at http://boxofficeindia.co.in/old-world-charm/</ref>

[[Telugu cinema|Telugu]] and [[Tamil cinema]] actress [[Pooja Hegde]] was signed as the female lead, and made her [[Hindi]] film debut with ''Mohenjo Daro''.<ref name="di">{{cite web |title=Hrithik Roshan to star in 'Mohenjo Daro' for Disney India |url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/hrithik-roshan-to-star-in-mohenjo-daro-for-disney-india-1201281758/ |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |author=Naman Ramachandran |date=13 August 2014 |access-date=27 September 2014}}</ref> "While scripting the film, I was thinking that I needed someone with innocence and someone who did not have stardom baggage [to be received by the audience only as this character]. I thus began looking for a fresh face when Sunita (Gowariker) spotted Pooja in a commercial and suggested that we call her. She called Pooja and I auditioned her. And that was it!"<ref name="auto4"/>

Veteran actor [[Kabir Bedi]] was signed as the primary villain,<ref name=":1" /> backed by [[Arunoday Singh]] as the younger villain.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-arunoday-singh-turns-villian-2056301 |title=Arunoday Singh turns {{sic|villian |nolink=y}} {{!}} Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis|date=29 January 2015|language=en-US|access-date=9 August 2016}}</ref>

For supporting roles, casting director Nalini Rathnam wanted to bring in newer and fresh faces, even from non-Hindi speaking regions.<ref name="auto4"/> As the director explained this process, "All kinds of actors, including seasoned actors, never get a chance to come to Mumbai or they don't want to as they are happy in their own space. So there is a different kind of freshness there to get them on board. I did this in ''Lagaan'' and ''Jodhaa Akbar''. In this film too, I wanted to get some fresh actors, so I have [[Diganta Hazarika]], who is a well-known [[Assamese people|Assamese]] actor. It is a time-consuming process but the payoff big."<ref name="auto4"/>

Since action and romance were key to his story, [[perfectionism (psychology)|perfectionist]] Gowariker went to great lengths in casting to ensure his vision reaches the screen. For example, for one specific action sequence, the director auditioned nearly 300 candidates before finally casting the two giant barbarian fighters who are more than 7 feet tall, in order to make the sequence thrilling and visually appealing when presented to the audience opposite his 6-foot-tall hero.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.indiaglitz.com/300-men-were-auditioned-for-an-action-sequence-in-mohenjo-daro-hindi-news-163381.html |title=IndiaGlitz – 300 men were auditioned for an action sequence in Mohenjo Daro – Bollywood Movie News |date=16 July 2016 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.indiaglitz.com/300-men-were-auditioned-for-an-action-sequence-in-mohenjo-daro-hindi-news-163381.html |title=OMG! 'Mohenjo Daro' auditioned 300 men for an action sequence |date=16 July 2016 |website=IndiaGlitz|access-date=9 August 2016}}</ref>

To populate his recreation of the ancient city, Gowariker naturally required a huge number of non-actors as extras. With the full cooperation of the Bhuj [[Panchayati raj in India|panchayat]] or community council, the filmmakers hosted full-fledged auditions for all the local residents. Many of those seen on-screen in cityscapes and group scenes throughout ''Mohenjo Daro'' are the real-life local citizens of Bhuj.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://businessofcinema.com/bollywood_news/hrithik-roshans-mohenjo-daro-experience-shooting-bhuj/336457 |title=Hrithik Roshan's Mohenjo Daro Experience Of Shooting in Bhuj |date=28 July 2016 |agency=BusinessofCinema News Network|access-date=9 August 2016 }}</ref>