'SHIFTING TO INDIA SHOWS MY COMMITMENT TO HINDI MOVIES'

Banita Sandhu opens up about her move to India, facing discrimination in the West and struggles over her rumored relationship with singer AP Dhillon
Akash Bhatnagar (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 26, 2024)

Banita Sandhu, known for films like October (2018) and Sardar Udham (2021), recently experienced a major 'shift' in her life — the 27-year-old, who used to live in the UK, moved her base to India. The actor says that it shows his commitment to Bollywood: “Shifting here shows my focus and commitment to Hindi films. My mindset hasn't changed since the beginning of my career; I want to do good work and work hard.”

She added, “I wanted to shift earlier this year, but had work commitments in the UK. So, as soon as I completed them around October, I could finally move here.”

Ask if she ever felt out of place here, and Sandhu shares, “India has embraced me with open arms and there's been no discrimination. India is my second home, so moving here doesn't feel like I'm jumping into the deep end. I would say I've probably faced more discrimination in the West being brown-skinned. I've definitely lost out on roles because of the way I look.”

She made a brief appearance in the American series Bridgerton S3, which grabbed a lot of eyeballs even in India. Reacting to its popularity, she says, “I never expected that response but to feel the warmth and love is an incredible feeling. As an Indian, it makes me proud to represent our country.”

Apart from her films, Sandhu also got recognized for her appearance in singer A P Dhillon's music video, With You: “That was the first time I was presented in a different way. It was light-hearted and fun, whereas all my other creative work in India has been more serious, where I'm not wearing makeup and it's more emotionally intense. So, this was like a fun new avatar of me, and I'm so glad it was received well.”

Following the video, her relationship with Dhillon was also under scrutiny. Ask her how it impacted her, and she says, “My focus is work and everything else is just noise.”