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Undekhi 2 actor Nandish Sandhu: I have been replaced in projects due to people’s connections

Actor Nandish Sandhu says while favouritism exists in every industry, he believes in taking it head on.

Published on: Mar 25, 2022, 00:29:15 IST
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Nandish Sandhu has tasted success on all the mediums — TV (with the daily soap Uttaran), films (with the 2019 Hrithik Roshan-starrer Super 30 ) and on the web with his OTT debut in Undekhi season 2. The journey though must have not been a cakewalk.

Actor Nandish Sandhu was recently seen in the second season of the web show Undekhi.
Actor Nandish Sandhu was recently seen in the second season of the web show Undekhi.

Ask the actor about showbiz, especially films where there has always been chatter about nepotism and favouritism, and he says, “It’s a mix. With OTT coming in, so many people are being able to release their content. All these new people, in departments of directing, writing... they have become fearless. Even financially, producers are ready to take more risks now.”

While the 40-year-old opines that discrimination exists in the film industry towards people coming from outside or from TV, the boom in he OTT space has changed a lot of things.

“Earlier it was a lot more. With OTT, competition has risen, people have the confidence that if we make good content and story, and put in money, we will get it back. Even if the film doesn’t release in theatres, or doesn’t do well there, or collides with a big film, they will be able to stream, or do a deal with an OTT platform to recover their money. That’s a good thing, people are ready to give a chance to new people and talent,” says Sandhu.

But what about the internal connections in the industry that are believed to help, and the practice of people getting replaced in a project due to someone’s influence?

Talking from his own experience, the actor says, “I have heard about people being replaced, I have faced it too. I have been through that experience. But I think it’s a part of every industry, Where doesn’t it exist? Whether it’s politics, films, some corporate environment, competition is everywhere. You have to be a fighter and survivor. You either crib and cry about it, or go out and fight.”

  • Rishabh Suri
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Rishabh Suri

    Rishabh Suri is an Assistant Editor, film critic, and professional overthinker of plot points. He writes for HT City, keeping pace with an industry where news cycles expire long before the popcorn gets cold. He completed his graduation in English Honours from Kirori Mal College, followed by a Master’s degree in English Literature-effectively training his brain to over-analyse classic texts before applying those exact same skills to 3-hour Bollywood blockbusters. He got into the profession when he had barely graduated from college and has been at HT ever since. At HT, Rishabh reviews films with a simple rule: skip the dense academic jargon and get straight to the point. Beyond reviews, as Assistant Editor, he helps navigate the broader circus of showbiz, tracking everything from OTT shifts to sudden box office panics. In a beat driven by loud PR machinery and carefully scripted answers, Rishabh prefers cutting through the noise to focus on how stories get made and why trends shift. When he isn’t writing against a deadline, he is usually sitting in a dark theater, compulsively memorising dialogues. For Rishabh, analysing movies isn't just a day job- it’s a habit he couldn't turn off even if he tried.Read More