Welsh actress Banita Sandhu recently announced that she has shifted base from the UK to India. The actress, who made her Bollywood debut in 2018 with October alongside Varun Dhawan, immediately impressed fans with her realistic acting. After a surprising appearance at Bridgerton Season 3, Banita is soon returning to the Indian screen alongside Punjabi singer and actor, Diljit Dosanjh. Recently, the actress opened up about being body-shamed in the industry.
Banita Sandhu remembers getting body shamed and being called ‘ugly’
Women associated with the acting world are no strangers to body image issues, especially when they are criticised for being either ‘too fat’ or ‘too skinny’. Several actresses have talked about their experiences in showbiz where their beauty was judged based on these features. In a conversation with ANI, Banita Sandhu shares the time she was body shamed and called ‘ugly’ for being too skinny. The actress shared:
“I remember getting body shamed when I did a South Indian movie. I remember people calling me ugly because I looked like a twig. And how could the co-star be attracted to me in the movie because I was so skinny. That was the first time I think I experienced body shaming. But at the same time, it was this weird, it almost felt like a simulation because it was happening online. I don’t know how to explain it. And it was from a culture that was something I hadn’t grown up in.”
Being familiar with such experiences in the past, Banita did not get offended for being criticised based on her appearance. Instead, she took it in good spirits and tried to gain as much weight by eating more on sets. As a naturally skinny person, Banita doesn’t pay heed to online comments regarding body image. She shared:
“I didn’t feel as closely offended or criticised by it. I was like, oh, okay, the beauty standard in this region is different to what I look like. And that’s just how I took it. I didn’t take it to heart. Like, oh, my God, I need to gain so much weight now. And because I’m naturally very skinny, you can literally ask any producer I’ve worked with, like I eat the most on set. So it wasn’t something like it was the first time I experienced something like that. But also, I think with anything online, you just can’t take it seriously… you really can’t.”
Banita Sandhu’s acting journey
Banita Sandhu has worked on diverse projects across different languages, including Hindi, Tamil, and English. Born and brought up in Caerleon, Wales, Banita shot to fame with her debut project, October, following which she worked in some American television series, including Pandora, and recently, Bridgerton 3. In 2019, she returned to Indian cinema with the Tamil film, Adithya Verma and the Hindi film, Sardar Udham.
Now, Banita is gearing up for her upcoming work, Detective Sherdil, a mystery comedy film co-starring Diljit Dosanjh and Boman Irani. Speaking of her debut with Shoojit Sircar’s October, Banita shared:
“I was incredibly blessed… To have your first movie with a director like that… is a blessing and a curse… You really realise what a privilege it is to have a director like that for your first movie, and it’s hard to get back there again.”
What are your thoughts on Banita Sandhu’s experience with body shaming in the industry?
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