Since landing her first major role in a Bollywood movie aged 19, whilst in her first year at King’s College London, British actress Banita Sandhu quickly learnt to “work smart”.
Her performance in director Shoojit Sircar’s Hindi-language coming-of-age drama October was critically acclaimed and Banita was nominated for an esteemed Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut, with Vogue India naming her, ‘The Face to Watch Out For’.
But, despite garnering rave reviews, this inaugural role wasn’t part of the plan. “I’d made an agreement with my parents that I’d finish my degree before becoming a full-time actress,” she tells us when we meet before her Hello! Fashion cover shoot.
Keeping to the agreement to complete her degree, whilst filming Banita took classes online and found herself writing essays on set with her director and during the many flights to and from London and India.
“It was a very crazy time. I don’t have regrets, but I wasn’t really able to enjoy either of the experiences fully. I was mentally trying to juggle the two and just survive. But now I feel lucky that my career started when it did, as it meant by the time I left university I had a platform, rather than graduating and then starting from ground zero.”
‘I FEEL LUCKY THAT MY CAREER STARTED WHEN IT DID, AS
