Banita Sandhu, who recently made her international debut in Bridgerton Season 3, is thrilled about her Hollywood experience. Sandhu, known as Miss Malhotra in the hit Netflix series, describes the opportunity as a dream come true.
“It’s the biggest show on Netflix right now. I have never been on a set like that. The makeup, costume, dance, and everything else felt like I was living in it, it felt so real while shooting,” she shares.
She adds that the experience felt like a “school trip,” especially enjoying the night shoots and morning hours spent filming in palaces outside London. “Everything was so exciting because everyone was so into it.”
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The actor, who made her Bollywood debut with Varun Dhawan in October (2019), says she doesn’t consider Bridgerton as her Hollywood debut. “Even when October released, I did not think of it as my debut in Bollywood, I just thought of it as my first film with a learning experience. As an actor, I really go with my heart and gut when making a decision about working with someone. It’s not really a strategic move that this is my entry into the industry. That can set a lot of pressure on expectations. I am more into the on-set experiences,” she shares.
Sandhu received numerous compliments for her role in Bridgerton, highlighting a different side of her. “With Bridgerton, I got so many comments like, ‘Oh, you look so pretty!’ I think in a lot of my Indian movies, I am hardly wearing makeup and I don’t look my best. This is the first time that I got all dolled up for this global thing and that’s why people are seeing that side of me as well,” says the 26-year-old.
She believes her glamorous role in the American TV series will open up different avenues for her in Bollywood. “In India, I haven’t had that glamorous role yet. I have had great opportunities in India irrespective of what I do in the West. Moreover, I would genuinely love for my work in India to speak in the West because I am so proud of my Indian movies, especially October. The West is finally opening its eyes to international cinema. So, it should work the other way around too, like my work in India should open opportunities in the West as well,” she adds.
Sandhu acknowledges her initial doubts but always believed in the power of the Indian audience. “I spoke to my parents about this and said that I am not really sure if I’ll have the kind of reaction I’ve already had, especially when there were so many incredible actors who had a bigger storyline,” she continues, “But, it really speaks about the power of the Indian audiences and the love that you get from India, and that is something I will always cherish. OTT has a wider reach, but I do think that even if it was theatrical, the Indian audience would have supported one of their own.”
Looking ahead, Sandhu aims to explore various genres in both Bollywood and the West. “I want to broaden my horizons into different genres. I am shooting for G2 (a PAN India film) right now, which is a huge action movie, so it will be different for the audience to see me in that kind of role. I have done a lot of emotional dramas, and I would also love to explore the comedic space.
Many people have said that I have a comedic presence in real life. I recently watched Crew and I loved it, so I think something of that sort would be really cool to do next,” she concludes.
