Banita Sandhu Shares An Emotional Account Of Getting Her Hair Chopped Off For Film 'October'

Life of actors is not just about fame, money and popularity. The struggles that come along with this profession are way more brutal and gruesome.?

It has come as a pleasant surprise that today actors are doing their own stunts. Also, even when technological advancements can make their life easier, they are resorting to method acting and doing all it takes to get into the skin of their characters. Be it, Rajkummar Rao or Nawazuddin Siddiqui, actors today are compassionate about their acting and films. Banita Sandhu, who made her debut with Shoojit Sircar's October has one such story to share.?

Rising Sun Films

Banita, who plays the role of Shiuli in the film says everything without saying nothing at all.

In the film, Banita meets with an almost-fatal accident and for the large part of the film, she is seen in the hospital, while everyone else hopes for her to recover and bounce back to life.

Since her condition is shown related to neurology, the movie has a part where we see doctors chopping off Banita's hair.

Rising Sun Films?

Not many know that Banita had cut her hair for real for this role and this wasn't an easy decision. Recollecting the exact memory of getting her head shaved for her debut film, Banita wrote a heartwarming post on Instagram.

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Sharing how getting hair chopped off isn't an easy decision for actors, Banita revealed the details of her real struggles for her reel role.?

Instagram

“Hours before cutting my hair, Shoojit Sir told me I would be fearless for it. A few days after it was done, Juhi asked me if I felt freer. I replied, no. I didn’t feel anything. I was still hiding behind Shiuli. Then, when the film had wrapped and I returned to London I almost instinctively and religiously wore wigs so I wouldn’t feel exposed. However, after prolonged use, the wigs got uncomfortable, the hats got sweaty and itchy and so, one day, I was forced to wear my hair, whatever little had grown back, in public."

She went on to reveal how this transformed her as a person and she became more accepting of her own self. She added,

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"Slowly, I began to realise how much I used to hide behind my hair and that I was using wigs and hats to compensate for it. Seeing myself, without any of these distractions, I began to appreciate Banita – with or without hair. I no longer cared about what other people thought of me as I realised my hair didn’t define me anymore, only I defined myself; that’s when I began to feel empowered and fearless."?

Beauty comes in all forms, reinstated Banita in her note. She added,

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"I know there’s a preconceived assumption (ironically, often shown in cinema) that as soon as you shave your hair, you’re immediately liberated but that didn’t happen with me and that’s okay. It took time, at least 3 months, to reach a fraction of that feeling and despite the insecurity and struggle that came with it, it was totally worth it. Beauty comes in all forms. Thank you, @shoojitsircar and @juhic3 for letting me be your Shiuli and making me fearless with it.”

Watch Banita's video and read her full note right here.

(Also read:?'October' Actress Banita Sandhu Explains Why Less Is More In This Story About Love)