Vidhatri Bandi has opened up about the challenges of finding work in the Hindi film industry, including losing roles to influencers with larger social-media followings. The actor says rejection can still sting, but years in the profession have taught her to recover and keep moving forward.
For Vidhatri Bandi, being noticed on screen has not always translated into a steady flow of acting opportunities.
After making an appearance in Shiddat, Bandi went on to work in films including Jalsa and The Diplomat, before taking on a lead role in Max, Min and Meowzaki. While her performances have brought recognition, the actor says the path between one project and the next has sometimes been far less predictable.
In an exclusive conversation with India Today, Bandi reflected on the uncertainty of an acting career, the changing role of social media in casting and the lessons she has learned from working alongside some of the industry’s most respected performers.
Vidhatri Bandi says Jalsa raised her expectations
Bandi had hoped that her work in Jalsa, where she appeared alongside Vidya Balan and Shefali Shah, would lead to more opportunities.
Instead, she found herself facing a period in which the industry slowed down and projects did not move forward as she had expected.
“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 told India Today.
The uncertainty eventually changed the way she approached opportunities. Rather than waiting indefinitely for the ideal project, Bandi said there was a point when she simply needed 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,” she said.
‘I would rather do work that makes me happy’
Bandi’s approach to her career has since evolved.
Earlier, she says, remaining visible and continuing to appear in projects felt particularly important. With time, however, she has become more comfortable waiting for work that genuinely interests her.
“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 said.
That shift reflects a change in priorities for the actor, who now appears more focused on the quality and personal value of a role than simply maintaining a constant presence on screen.
Vidhatri Bandi on losing roles to influencers
The actor also spoke about one of the more difficult realities of modern casting: the potential influence of social-media popularity.
Bandi said that actors are not necessarily told directly when they lose a role to someone with a larger following. Instead, she said, they may realise what happened when the final casting becomes public.
“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,” Bandi said.
She admitted that such situations can be difficult to process.
“It does hurt,” she said, explaining that rejection can still leave her disappointed even though she has become more accustomed to it.
“I still feel bad, still feel a little pinched. But I think as actors, not just me, we tend to grow a thick skin,” she added.
According to Bandi, learning how to move past rejection has become part of surviving and continuing in the profession.
“That rejection, however hurtful it is in that moment, we have also learnt to snap out of it eventually,” she said.
What Vidhatri learned from Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah and other veterans
Some of Bandi’s most valuable professional lessons have come from working with established actors.
She has shared screen space with performers including Vidya Balan, Shefali Shah and John Abraham. More recently, she worked alongside veteran actors such as Adil Hussain, Naseeruddin Shah and Nafisa Ali.
Rather than being struck primarily by their fame or experience, Bandi said she was impressed by their willingness to remain curious and learn from others.
“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,” she said.
She was particularly inspired by their openness to learning despite their extensive experience.
“Even at that age, they want to learn, and that’s so great,” Bandi added.
‘I want to act till I reach my deathbed’
For Bandi, that attitude has become one of the most important lessons of her career.
She hopes to maintain the same curiosity throughout her own journey and avoid reaching a point where she believes there is nothing left to learn.
“I want to act till I reach my deathbed, till I die. But my biggest takeaway is how they are always willing to learn,” she said.
Her comments highlight a career philosophy that has developed through both opportunity and rejection: continue working, remain open to learning and do not allow setbacks to permanently define the journey.
Vidhatri Bandi’s latest project
Bandi was recently seen in Max, Min and Meowzaki, in which she plays the lead.
The film follows another chapter in an acting career that has taken her from supporting parts in films such as Shiddat, Jalsa and The Diplomat to more prominent roles.
While the industry continues to evolve, Bandi says her own priorities have become clearer. Rather than chasing visibility at any cost, she wants to keep choosing work that gives her a reason to stay curious.
For an actor navigating an unpredictable profession, that may ultimately be the most important role of all: continuing to learn while finding reasons to keep going.
