‘Bridgerton 3’ star Banita Sandhu on her depression diagnosis

Banita Sandhu always wanted to be an actress and she realised her dream by landing the lead role in the 2018 Bollywood film October, opposite Varun Dhawan. The film, directed by noted filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, received great reviews from critics.

Sandhu, who grew up in Caerleon, South Wales, is now looking forward to the next season of Bridgerton which features her in a pivotal role. The Netflix show lands on the streamer later this year.

The actress has always been open about her depression diagnosis. In a recent interview, she talks about it yet again, saying, “I’m a big advocate for mental health and especially therapy. I was diagnosed with depression during my time at university and had to seek help. Luckily, I was able to work through it and, although it is a condition I’ll always live with, I now have the tools to be able to recognise symptoms when they flare up and how to manage them.”

She adds that therapy has also helped her understand the various characters that she plays. “You start to realise patterns and things that you do unconsciously that may stem from childhood or certain events that have happened in your life that make you act down in ways that other people wouldn’t understand. I feel through developing my relationship with myself, it has helped me develop a relationship with my characters and to be more empathetic with them. You have to be, because if you don’t understand where they’re coming from, then the audience won’t. Your job as an actor is to understand your character’s motivation and convey that to the audience, whether you agree with it or not,” she added.

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