EXCLUSIVE: Banita Sandhu Opens Up About Surprise Bridgerton Role; Says It Makes You ‘Feel Like A Princess’
In an exclusive in-depth conversation with Pinkvilla, actress Banita Sandhu opened up about her surprise role in acclaimed Netflix series Bridgerton and revealed how she felt about the warm audience response.
Actress Banita Sandhu, best known for her work in Indian cinema, recently made headlines after appearing on a surprise role in Bridgerton Season 3 Part One alongside Nicola Coughlan, Luke Newton and Claudia Jessie, among others. The Pandora star played Siya Malhotra, one among the many “debutante” ladies who charmed their way into the ton this social season.
Sandhu’s appearance in the highly-acclaimed Netflix show quickly went viral and sent fans into a frenzy. Ahead of the release of Bridgerton Season 3 Part Two, Pinkvilla sat down for an exclusive interview with Banita Sandhu and learnt about her reaction to the incredible audience response to her Bridgerton role, her process of joining the show and how she felt while filming in the real life regency-era sets.
Banita Sandhu reveals how she joined the Bridgerton universe
During her exclusive conversation with Pinkvilla, Banita Sandhu revealed how her process of joining the Bridgerton universe came to be. "I was actually on holiday with my family during the summer and my agent sent me the self-tape," the actress began. "And I always carry a tripod in my suitcase because that’s just the life of an actor. You never know when you are gonna have to do an audition," she added.
"So I quickly shot the audition, sent it off and within two days I had a response saying 'we love you, you’re booked!'" Sandhu revealed. "I had to fly back to London early and the next thing you know, you are in costume trials. It happened very very quickly if I am being honest," she shared.
Banita Sandhu on experience of filming Bridgerton in regency-era sets
Further into the interview, Sandhu opened up about in awe of Bridgerton's regency-era sets while filming the third season of the show. "It honestly is like a dream world, you can’t believe what you are seeing," the October star shared. "Every time I saw a new set I was in awe and I was like gasping ‘Is this real?’" she mentioned.
The actress also offered an insight into Bridgerton's popular ball scenes and revealed how those sequences are filmed outside of London in real-life regency era settings. She shared how the production takes place in "grand palaces" with people dressed in extravagant ball gowns. "You’re dressed like a princess and then you feel like a princess, it’s amazing!" she exclaimed.
Banita Sandhu shares her reaction to heartwarming audience response on her Bridgerton role
During her exclusive interview with Pinkvilla, Sandhu also shared her reaction to the warm audience response to her role in Bridgerton and said she did not expect the fan frenzy over her appearance on the show. "I didn’t expect it honestly,," she began. "Like I know Bridgerton is a huge show and it’s got great viewership but the response, especially from India… the love that I got, the appreciation… I was like 'This is why I love working in India!;'" she stated.
The actress also said that she believes much of the response stemmed from the "surprise" of her role. "I think the surprise of it as well made it so exciting because I kept it a secret for so long," Sandhu shared, adding that she was overwhelmed and on "cloud nine."
Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1 is now streaming on Netflix with the second part set to hit the platform on Thursday, June 13.