EXCLUSIVE: Banita Sandhu Started Acting From Age 11, See Her 1st Paycheck!
Banita Sandhu might be known today for her powerful performances in October and Sardar Udham, but did you know she started chasing her acting dreams way back when she was just a child?
EXCLUSIVE: Banita Sandhu Started Acting From Age 11
In an exclusive chat with Instant Bollywood, Banita opened up about how it all began. Honestly, it’s one of the most heartwarming stories you’ll hear.
“I started acting when I was 11 and got an agent at that age. I always wanted to be an actress. It was super clear to me,” she said with a smile. Even as a kid, she was determined and passionate. Whether it was joining every musical theatre group at school or acting in all the plays, little Banita was already a star in the making. She even choreographed dances on the side.
But here’s the part that shows just how focused she was, even as a 10-year-old.
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Banita shared, “I even sat my parents down in sixth grade (I was about 10 years old) and told them I wanted to do screen acting instead of musical theater because I realized my singing wasn’t really good enough.”
That’s some impressive self-awareness for someone so young.
Luckily, she had the support of her parents from the very beginning. “Thank God I grew up in a family where my parents took me seriously and supported every idea I had.” Her mom took the initiative to find a kids’ talent agency that also ran acting workshops. And her dad? He went the extra mile. “My dad used to drive an hour each way every day to get me there.”
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And get this. Banita didn’t just want to be an actress. She had a very specific goal. “My dream was to be Hannah Montana. I really wanted to be a Disney Channel kid.”
Banita Sandhu 1st Paycheck?
So how did she land her very first job? “My very first job was with the BBC. It was this short, like 20-minute TV program about an art festival happening in Wales.”
Not a bad start, right? And yes, she remembers her first paycheck too. “Yeah, I got paid daily by the BBC, and I think the kid rate back then was £75 a day, which is about 7,000 rupees a day.” That’s a pretty cool amount for an 11-year-old!
Of course, being on TV at that age also came with some hilarious rookie mistakes. Banita laughed as she recalled, “I was like 10 or 11, and I thought, I gotta get my eyebrows done before this ‘cause I’m gonna be on TV and I was starting to get a little vain. My mom took me to a salon and this lady gave me these pornstar eyebrows, and I’m only 11! So there I was, this fresh-faced kid with these super thin, weird triangular eyebrows!”
From a Disney Channel dreamer to making waves in Indian cinema and British television, Banita Sandhu’s journey is just getting started.
