Actor Vidhatri Bandi says losing roles to influencers hurts, but actors grow thick skin
Vidhatri Bandi says social media following is increasingly shaping casting decisions and costing actors roles. She says the rejection hurts, but actors learn to develop a thick skin and keep learning.
For young actor Vidhatri Bandi, getting noticed was never the same as getting work. After beginning her journey with a supporting role in Shiddat, followed by Jalsa and The Diplomat, the actor recently played the lead in Max, Min and Meowzaki. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Bandi opened up about how difficult it can be to land roles, particularly in the age of social media, when an actor's follower count is also taken into consideration.
The actor had already made an impression with Jalsa, where she held her own alongside Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah. But what followed wasn’t the steady stream of opportunities she had imagined. The industry slowed down, projects were shelved, and suddenly, even being appreciated wasn’t enough to guarantee the next job.
“I will be very honest, I had very high hopes after Jalsa. I thought that I would get to do more stuff, but then the industry slowed down,” she said, adding that it also meant accepting that there would be periods when she simply had to keep working: “It got to a point where I couldn’t even be choosy. I needed to do something. I needed to keep working. I can’t just disappear," said the actor.
Today, however, her relationship with work has changed. Visibility is no longer enough. Bandi says she would rather wait for a part that excites her than take up something simply to remain in the conversation.
She said, “Earlier, I was in that headspace: visibility, visibility, visibility. Whatever comes, I’ll do it. But now I’m calmer. I am like, no, I would rather do work that makes me happy.”
She also touched upon the growing role of social media in casting. Bandi opened up about losing out on parts to people with larger followings, something she says nobody will actually tell you to your face.
“No one ever says it to your face. But when you see the final product, when you see that the influencer is locked, then you know that, okay, that’s why I didn’t get it,” she said, adding that it does “hurt”, but rejection has also become something she has learnt to process differently.
“I still feel bad, still feel a little pinched. But I think as actors, not just me, we tend to grow a thick skin. That rejection, however hurtful it is in that moment, we have also learnt to snap out of it eventually," she said.
Her biggest career lessons, though, have come from actors who are already at the top of their game. Bandi has worked with Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah and John Abraham, and more recently found herself surrounded by veterans such as Adil Hussain, Naseeruddin Shah and Nafisa Ali. What struck her wasn’t their stardom but their curiosity.
“Even after working for so many years and being so brilliant and excellent, they are still curious about another person’s thoughts. There is no air, no ego, and no superior-inferior. Even at that age, they want to learn, and that's so great,” she said.
Bandi added that this is the kind of actor she hopes to become — not someone who reaches a point where she believes she knows everything, but someone who remains curious enough to keep learning.
“I want to act till I reach my deathbed, till I die. But my biggest takeaway is how they are always willing to learn.”
Max, Min and Meowzaki released in theatres recently.
For young actor Vidhatri Bandi, getting noticed was never the same as getting work. After beginning her journey with a supporting role in Shiddat, followed by Jalsa and The Diplomat, the actor recently played the lead in Max, Min and Meowzaki. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Bandi opened up about how difficult it can be to land roles, particularly in the age of social media, when an actor's follower count is also taken into consideration.
The actor had already made an impression with Jalsa, where she held her own alongside Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah. But what followed wasn’t the steady stream of opportunities she had imagined. The industry slowed down, projects were shelved, and suddenly, even being appreciated wasn’t enough to guarantee the next job.
“I will be very honest, I had very high hopes after Jalsa. I thought that I would get to do more stuff, but then the industry slowed down,” she said, adding that it also meant accepting that there would be periods when she simply had to keep working: “It got to a point where I couldn’t even be choosy. I needed to do something. I needed to keep working. I can’t just disappear," said the actor.
Today, however, her relationship with work has changed. Visibility is no longer enough. Bandi says she would rather wait for a part that excites her than take up something simply to remain in the conversation.
She said, “Earlier, I was in that headspace: visibility, visibility, visibility. Whatever comes, I’ll do it. But now I’m calmer. I am like, no, I would rather do work that makes me happy.”
She also touched upon the growing role of social media in casting. Bandi opened up about losing out on parts to people with larger followings, something she says nobody will actually tell you to your face.
“No one ever says it to your face. But when you see the final product, when you see that the influencer is locked, then you know that, okay, that’s why I didn’t get it,” she said, adding that it does “hurt”, but rejection has also become something she has learnt to process differently.
“I still feel bad, still feel a little pinched. But I think as actors, not just me, we tend to grow a thick skin. That rejection, however hurtful it is in that moment, we have also learnt to snap out of it eventually," she said.
Her biggest career lessons, though, have come from actors who are already at the top of their game. Bandi has worked with Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah and John Abraham, and more recently found herself surrounded by veterans such as Adil Hussain, Naseeruddin Shah and Nafisa Ali. What struck her wasn’t their stardom but their curiosity.
“Even after working for so many years and being so brilliant and excellent, they are still curious about another person’s thoughts. There is no air, no ego, and no superior-inferior. Even at that age, they want to learn, and that's so great,” she said.
Bandi added that this is the kind of actor she hopes to become — not someone who reaches a point where she believes she knows everything, but someone who remains curious enough to keep learning.
“I want to act till I reach my deathbed, till I die. But my biggest takeaway is how they are always willing to learn.”
Max, Min and Meowzaki released in theatres recently.
For young actor Vidhatri Bandi, getting noticed was never the same as getting work. After beginning her journey with a supporting role in Shiddat, followed by Jalsa and The Diplomat, the actor recently played the lead in Max, Min and Meowzaki. In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Bandi opened up about how difficult it can be to land roles, particularly in the age of social media, when an actor's follower count is also taken into consideration.
The actor had already made an impression with Jalsa, where she held her own alongside Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah. But what followed wasn’t the steady stream of opportunities she had imagined. The industry slowed down, projects were shelved, and suddenly, even being appreciated wasn’t enough to guarantee the next job.
“I will be very honest, I had very high hopes after Jalsa. I thought that I would get to do more stuff, but then the industry slowed down,” she said, adding that it also meant accepting that there would be periods when she simply had to keep working: “It got to a point where I couldn’t even be choosy. I needed to do something. I needed to keep working. I can’t just disappear," said the actor.
Today, however, her relationship with work has changed. Visibility is no longer enough. Bandi says she would rather wait for a part that excites her than take up something simply to remain in the conversation.
She said, “Earlier, I was in that headspace: visibility, visibility, visibility. Whatever comes, I’ll do it. But now I’m calmer. I am like, no, I would rather do work that makes me happy.”
She also touched upon the growing role of social media in casting. Bandi opened up about losing out on parts to people with larger followings, something she says nobody will actually tell you to your face.
“No one ever says it to your face. But when you see the final product, when you see that the influencer is locked, then you know that, okay, that’s why I didn’t get it,” she said, adding that it does “hurt”, but rejection has also become something she has learnt to process differently.
“I still feel bad, still feel a little pinched. But I think as actors, not just me, we tend to grow a thick skin. That rejection, however hurtful it is in that moment, we have also learnt to snap out of it eventually," she said.
Her biggest career lessons, though, have come from actors who are already at the top of their game. Bandi has worked with Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah and John Abraham, and more recently found herself surrounded by veterans such as Adil Hussain, Naseeruddin Shah and Nafisa Ali. What struck her wasn’t their stardom but their curiosity.
“Even after working for so many years and being so brilliant and excellent, they are still curious about another person’s thoughts. There is no air, no ego, and no superior-inferior. Even at that age, they want to learn, and that's so great,” she said.
Bandi added that this is the kind of actor she hopes to become — not someone who reaches a point where she believes she knows everything, but someone who remains curious enough to keep learning.
“I want to act till I reach my deathbed, till I die. But my biggest takeaway is how they are always willing to learn.”
Max, Min and Meowzaki released in theatres recently.
