Melinda Shankar: Melinda Shankar. Actress: How to Be Indie. Melinda Leanna Shankar is a Guyanese-Canadian actress best known for playing Alli Bhandari from the beginning of Season 8 in Degrassi: The Next Generation and Indira "Indie" Mehta on YTV series, 'How to be Indie.' Melinda made her starring mark in 2008 in the 8th season of Degrassi as Alli Bhandari, a confident young women in high school, which she continues to play....