- Thursday, April 03, 2025
By: Vibhuti Pathak
Actor Shalini Pandey has opened up about a deeply unsettling experience she faced early in her career while working on a South Indian film. The actress, who made her debut in the controversial film Arjun Reddy (2017), shared that a director barged into her vanity van while she was changing, an incident that left a lasting impact on her.
Shalini, who did not come from a film background, recalled that at the time, she was unaware of industry norms and how to navigate such situations. In a recent interview with Filmygyan, she spoke about how incidents like these made her realize the importance of setting firm boundaries. “I don’t come from a film family. Initially, I didn’t have an idea about how things worked. I was a complete outsider. I had left my family behind and had no one to guide me on what to do in such moments,” she shared.
Recalling the disturbing incident, she explained that during the early stages of her career, while working on a South Indian film, the director walked into her vanity van without knocking while she was changing. “I was just 22, and I had only done one film. Everyone kept telling me to be sweet, to not rub people the wrong way, or I wouldn’t get work. But when he entered, I yelled. I absolutely lost my mind. It wasn’t even something I thought about—it was a natural reaction,” she said.
After the incident, Shalini was told that she should not have reacted so strongly. However, she maintained that there needed to be a sense of respect and boundaries, regardless of her being a newcomer. “People told me later that I shouldn’t have yelled. But there have to be manners. Just because I was new didn’t mean he could enter without knocking. You cannot do that to me,” she asserted.
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Reflecting on how such experiences shaped her, she said that she eventually learned how to handle such situations differently. “I started getting a reputation for being angry, but I had to do certain things to protect myself. Later, I realized how to handle these things with more tact rather than reacting instantly.”
Shalini Pandey’s career has spanned across multiple industries. After her Telugu debut in Arjun Reddy, she returned to the South Indian film industry with Mahanati (2018), followed by roles in NTR: Kathanayakudu (2019), 118 (2019), and 100% Kadhal (2019). In Bollywood, she starred in Meri Nimmo (2018) and was most recently seen in the historical drama Maharaj (2024) and the crime drama streaming series Dabba Cartel (2025). Her next project is Idly Kadai, directed by and starring Dhanush.
Shalini’s revelation comes at a time when the film industry is still grappling with issues of harassment and exploitation. While reports like the Justice Hema Committee have highlighted the struggles of women in the Malayalam film industry, similar issues persist across different regional industries. Stories like Shalini’s shed light on the need for safer work environments and stronger protective measures for newcomers in the entertainment industry.
