The Big Break: Mukesh Chhabra and Bosco Martis launch digital-first talent hunt for actors, singers and dancers

A new talent hunt is looking to take the traditional audition process beyond television and into the digital space.

Titled The Big Break, the competition brings together three disciplines, acting, dancing and singing, under one platform, with entries open to participants from across India.

The initiative, created by casting director Mukesh Chhabra and choreographer Bosco Martis, opened its call for entries on August 5.

The format has been developed with format creator Rajiv Lakshman and is produced by BARD.

Unlike conventional talent hunts that typically focus on one discipline and rely on television auditions, The Big Break is designed around platforms such as Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat.

Participants can audition using their phones by sending a collaboration request to the official @thebigbreakindia handle along with a performance.

Depending on the discipline, this could be a monologue, a song or a dance routine.

Up to 40 to 60 entries will reportedly be accepted and published on the show's social media channels each day.

Selected participants will then move through different stages of the competition, eventually leading to an on-ground finale.

Mukesh Chhabra on creating a platform for new talent For Chhabra, the idea behind the competition is to make the path between emerging performers and the entertainment industry more accessible.

“Talent has never been limited to one city or one background, and after years of meeting artists from across the world, I felt it was time to make the journey between talent and the industry a little shorter.

That’s what inspired Bosco and me to create The Big Break,” he said.

He added, “Together with our teams, we wanted to build a platform that is accessible, inclusive, and designed for today’s digital generation, where actors, singers, and dancers can be discovered on merit alone.” Chhabra will mentor the acting segment of the competition, drawing from his experience as one of the industry's prominent casting directors.

Bosco Martis on taking auditions to aspiring performers Martis, who will mentor the dance segment, said his own experiences as a performer influenced the idea behind the platform.