Banita Sandhu, the British-Indian actress who made her feature film debut in 2018 with Shoojit Sircar’s October, recently spoke about her role in her first international project, Mother Teresa & Me. The film, directed by Kamal Musale, sees Sandhu play a modern woman dealing with personal problems in a Kolkata affected by communal disharmony. In an interview, the 25-year-old revealed that she received the script while shooting for Sardar Udham in Amritsar, and auditioned for the role of Kavita, her character in the film, while in her hotel room late at night. After sending in her audition, Musale flew to India to meet Sandhu and conduct a screen test. Sandhu also auditioned multiple times in London before being offered the role.
Sandhu spoke at length about her character, saying that she found it hard to dislike any of the characters she played, as it was important for her as an actor to empathize with them. She spoke about Kavita’s emotional unavailability and abandonment issues, and how the character develops through the film. Sandhu also spoke about wanting to do good work as an actor, regardless of the country or team she works with, and the importance of finding projects that are good, regardless of where they are based.
Sandhu also shared her experiences while shooting Mother Teresa & Me, saying that she learned a lot on the job, especially given the wide range of emotions and technical skills required for the role. She also said that she grew with the character of Kavita as the filming progressed, and spoke about a moment during shooting where she held back on her emotions, which she now considers her biggest mistake. Sandhu revealed that she had stopped herself mid-scene because she thought she was doing it wrong, but the director later informed her that the moment was actually quite wonderful, and that she should have continued with it.
In conclusion, Banita Sandhu’s first international project, Mother Teresa & Me, gave her the opportunity to portray a complex character dealing with personal problems in a communal disharmony-hit Kolkata. The film allowed Sandhu to learn and grow as an actor, and she expressed her desire to continue working on good projects regardless of where they are based.
