Shalini Pandey marked her big Bollywood debut with Jayeshbhai Jordaar opposite Ranveer Singh last year. After a brief gap, she is all set for the release of her next Hindi film, Maharaj. It will see her share screen space with Aamir Khan’s son, Junaid Khan, who will make his debut with it. For the unversed, the film is inspired by true events. Touted to be an incredible David vs Goliath story set in the 1800s, it revolves around how a fearless journalist uncovers a series of incidents that shake the very foundation of society.
And now, in an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Shalini shares that the shoot of Maharaj has already been wrapped. Sharing her experience of working with Junaid, she tells us, “Junaid is a very easy breezy human being. He’s a good co-actor to work with. I had a lot of fun working with him. We’re in the same age group, so we had a blast during the shoot. Maharaj is one of his first few projects and so is mine. That’s why we had a very similar energy on set.”
While Junaid belongs to a prominent film family in showbiz, Shalini hails from Jabalpur, a small town, without a film lineage. Although she acknowledges the perks a star kid receives, the Arjun Reddy (2017) and Mahanati (2018) actor considers herself lucky for not having to bear the brunt of being an outsider either in the Telugu film industry, which is largely dominated by film families, or Bollywood.
Talking about it, she states, “I can speak for myself. I’m an outsider and I don’t have any connections in the film industry. It’s true that it becomes a little difficult to get that one project, meeting or audition. But I’m very grateful for the way my career has panned out – first with Arjun Reddy and then with a YRF film.”
Reiterating how nepotism isn’t just a part of Bollywood but persists at large over most sectors, Shalini continues, “I think everybody has their own journey. If I had to become a doctor and my parents didn’t have that professional background but someone else did, it would have been easier for their kids. Nepotism isn’t just limited to our industry. It’s there everywhere.”
And how would she describe her journey in the Hindi film industry so far considering her debut vehicle tanked at the box office? Shalini says that she’s happy with the kind of offers coming her way and remarks, “I’m somebody who always wanted to be an actor and enjoys being on a set. I love being before the camera and a set is my happy place. After doing an Arjun Reddy and a Jayeshbhai Jordaar, it’s a breather when you do something very different.”
The 30-year-old further adds, “I’m enjoying the work coming my way. I’m just starting out and thankfully, in my case, I’ve been doing parts that are very different from one another. I’m truly enjoying the process.”
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