Dinesh Sudarshan Soi

Dinesh Sudarshan Soi (born 17 May 1984) is an Indian casting director, actor, and director known for his contributions to Hindi and Punjabi cinema, as well as television. His work spans casting for films, acting in television series, and directing music videos, reflecting his versatility in the Indian entertainment industry.

Dinesh Sudarshan Soi
On shoot location
Born	(1984-05-17) 17 May 1984 (age 41) Kalanaur, Punjab, India
Occupation(s)	Casting director, actor, director
Years active	2010–present
Spouse(s)	Sonia Malhotra Soi (m. 2017)
Children	1

Career

Soi began his career in the early 2000s, initially establishing himself as a casting director in Punjab before moving to Mumbai in 2008.^[1] His casting portfolio includes films such as the Hindi/Bhojpuri Saat Saheliyan (2010), the Punjabi Yaara o Dildaara (2011), and Hindi titles like Main Krishna Hoon (2013), featuring Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif in special appearances, Ranviir The Marshal (2015), Fuddu (2016), Vodka Diaries (2018), Veerey Ki Wedding (2018), Nawabzaade (2018), Mohalla Assi (2018), and Family of Thakurganj (2019).^[2] He has also cast for numerous music videos and television commercials across genres.^[3]

As an actor, Soi appeared in the Disney Channel series Best of Luck Nikki (2011), the Indian adaptation of Good Luck Charlie, where he also worked as an additional casting director. He played the role of Jugnu in the drama series Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya (2012) on Star Plus.^[4][3] He also appeared in the 2016 film Ishq Samundar, for which he handled casting.^[2]

In 2019, Soi transitioned to direction, focusing on music videos and short films.^[5] His directorial debut was the 2020 music video Tum Kaho Toh, featuring Himanshi Khurana and Abhishek Archana Srivastava, released by Zee Music Company.^[6] He also co-directed the short romance video Preeto in 2011.^[7] In 2020, he directed the music video Hey Girl, featuring Jannat Zubair Rahmani.^[8] His directorial work focuses on visual storytelling and music, building on his casting experience.

Personal life

Soi was born in Kalanaur, Punjab, India. He married Sonia Malhotra Soi in 2017.^[9] The couple has one daughter.^[10]

Selected filmography

Casting director

Year	Film	Language	Notes	Ref
2010	Saat Saheliyan	Hindi/Bhojpuri		[2]
2011	Yaara o Dildaara	Punjabi		[2]
2013	Main Krishna Hoon	Hindi		[2]
2015	Ranviir The Marshal	Hindi		[2]
2016	Fuddu	Hindi		[2]
2016	Ishq Samundar	Hindi	Also actor	[2]
2018	Vodka Diaries	Hindi		[2]
2018	Veerey Ki Wedding	Hindi		[2]
2018	Nawabzaade	Hindi		[2]
2018	Mohalla Assi	Hindi		[2]
2019	Family of Thakurganj	Hindi		[2]

Television (as actor)

Year	Title	Channel	Notes	Ref
2011	Best of Luck Nikki	Disney Channel	Actor and additional casting	[4]
2012	Mann Kee Awaaz Pratigya	Star Plus	Actor (Jugnu) and casting	[3]

Director

Year	Title	Notes	Ref
2011	Preeto	Short video; co-director	[7]
2020	Tum Kaho Toh	Music video	[6]
2020	Hey Girl	Music video; starring Jannat Zubair Rahmani	[8]