Dara Sandhu didn’t face stereotyping in the West: It’s in India they call you for repeat auditions

The landscape of entertainment business in the West is such that now we see them being more open to casting south Asians, something which even actor Dara Sandhu attests to.

The Kaafir and Masaba Masaba actor tells us, “I find that western productions tend to look for the best actor for a particular role. There isn’t too much networking required by the actors outside of nailing the particular audition. Usually the best actor for the job gets the part. It’s all about the story and its requirements.”

Meanwhile, he notes that the director and the script are truly the heroes of the project and everybody fits into their story. “In India often a more famous actor is chosen for a part even if he isn’t the best fit for that role. Time and again success of content driven films shows that even Indian audiences are not as star struck as film makers assume them to ,” he adds.

The 34-year-old began his acting journey on stage in the UK, before starting his screen innings. He marked his innings in the world of entertainment with a short film campaign for with the renowned British director Sarah Dunlop. He plays the lead antagonist in the European film And Tomorrow We Will Be Dead directed by award-winning Swiss filmmaker Michael Steiner that opened at the 17th Zurich Film Festival recently.

Talking about whether stereotyping happens even now in the west, Sandhu says, “Personally, I have not faced stereotyping in the west. Naturally there are ethnic requirements for certain characters in any story and you have to fit into those for being casted in a role, but I find that people are willing to use their imagination a bit more while casting in the west where as in India they almost always call you for repeat auditions of similar characters or the same character from your last big role.”

Sharing an example from his work to prove his point, the actor says that when he did theatre in England, every Monday morning he would get a list of auditions available this week and if he nailed the audition he would get the part.

“I have played Hamlet, which is of course a Caucasian character so the color of my skin did not bother them as I was the best actor for that audition on that day. It didn’t matter what my last name was, who I know or how many Instagram followers I have. It was about creating the best play or film,” he notes.