You are not alone if you wonder who is the mysterious girl Banita Sandhu featured in the latest music video With You by Canadian singer and rapper AP Dhillon. Speculation about their relationship was further fueled after the video showed cuddly and adorable moments between the two while they were on vacation together. (Also read: AP Dhillon and rumored girlfriend Banita Sandhu arrive together for his documentary premiere, fans hope ‘they’re actually dating’)
October Girl
However, look closer and one might remember her as Shoojit Sircar’s girl from October. The director revealed he first met Banita through a Vodafone commercial. Shoojit then cast her in a four-minute Wrigley commercial, which has received over 40 million views. That was just the beginning of the journey, as Banita finally landed the lead role opposite Varun Dhawan. The director behind films like Vicky Donor and Piku admitted in an interview with Filmfare, “Everybody admired Banita after the gum commercial I directed. While filming the commercial, I was clicked on a picture of Banita and sent it to Juhi Chaturvedi (screenwriter) saying ‘She has the potential to fit the character we’re creating’.” When she received the offer for October, she was still studying at King’s College London.
On Bollywood
Ask her about Bollywood and she tells how her understanding of the industry has changed. “My connection to Bollywood as a child was thanks to my mother. She is a huge Bollywood fan and that’s why my idea of Bollywood is that her generation includes Shah Rukh Khan. and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and it never came to Alia Bhatt When people told me that Varun was a part of the movie, I really didn’t know who he was and this worked in a way for me. because I wasn’t swayed by his star power,” she said in an interview with Firstpost.
Connect with India
The October shoot required her to learn Hindi, and the actor recalled her experience visiting Delhi. Banita was born and raised in Caerleon, Wales into a first generation British Indian family. In an interview with the BBC, Banita noted how the shoot helped her reconnect with her roots. “We filmed for 37 days in Delhi and I learned a lot – not only about acting but also about my heritage. My grandparents from Punjab, northern India came to England right after the World War. second. My parents were born here and I’m a sister and I grew up in a middle-class life in Caerleon.” she speaks.
In October, Banita plays a Hotel Management Trainee who has a horrible accident. It wasn’t the lead role at all, heavy on dance and song—and for much of the critically acclaimed film, Banita’s Shiuli Iyer remained chained to a hospital bed. It was her eyes and the nature of her on-screen interest that stayed with the audience. Her performance eventually earned her a Best Actress nomination at the 2019 Filmfare Awards.
On Sardar Udham
After October, Shoojit cast Banita again, opposite Vicky Kaushal in the 2021 film Sardar Udham. But this time, with a different challenge. Her Reshma is mute and deaf, which means that Banita has to learn sign and expressive language without any dialogue. Speaking to The Telegraph T2 about the experience, she said: “I have a wonderful teacher named Neelam who works in a special school for the deaf in Pingalwara (in Punjab). I visited the temple. that school every day and watch the kids there, in class or talk to them. Some of them went to the shoot and got to see Vicky and Shoojit, sir, and know what the set looks like.” She followed this with a starring role in Mother Teresa & I, inspired by the life of Mother Teresa.
covid controversy
However, during the pandemic, Banita sparked controversy with a post announcing that despite testing positive for COVID-19, she refused treatment. An official told PTI that Banita refused treatment at the government facility because “she felt the medical facility lacked infrastructure”. In a clarifying statement, she said, “I appreciate all the well wishes and concern; however, despite what has been published, I am grateful to say that I continue to test negative for coronavirus. To clear up some misinformation: I flew to Kolkata on January 3rd to finish filming Kavita & Teresa. I had two negative PCR tests for COVID-19 before leaving. I retested on arrival and was isolated at CNCI hospital overnight until the results the next day, one false positive and one negative.”
Talking about her career, Banita told the Hindustan Times, “I am always learning on the job. Whether it’s technical, such as finding the light and achieving your goals, or creative, such as how to stay true to yourself and be present in a scene amid the chaos of the studio. I don’t think I’ll stop studying as long as I’m working.” Banita will appear next in the Hindi film Detective Sherdil, which is currently in post-production.
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