Shalini Pandey

Shalini Pandey (born 23 September 1993) is an Indian actress who works in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil films. Pandey made her screen debut in the Telugu film Arjun Reddy. She has since appeared in the Tamil film 100% Kadhal (2019), the Telugu films Mahanati (2018) and 118 (2019), and the Hindi films Jayeshbhai Jordaar (2022) and Maharaj (2024).

Early life Pandey was born on 23 September 1993 in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Before making her acting debut, Pandey worked as a theatre artist in Jabalpur.

Career Breakthrough (2017–2019) Pandey made her screen debut with the Telugu film Arjun Reddy in 2017, where she played a medical student opposite Vijay Deverakonda. A major commercial success, the film earned her the SIIMA Award for Best Female Debut – Telugu nomination. Hemanth Kumar of Firstpost noted, "Shalini as Preethi, is good and it's the vulnerability that she encapsulates that makes the love story so intense". In her first film of 2018, Pandey made her Hindi film debut with a cameo appearance in Meri Nimmo. The same year, she had a supporting role in the Telugu film Mahanati, a major box office success.

Pandey had five film releases in 2019. She first played Sowcar Janaki in the Telugu film NTR: Kathanayakudu. She then played the lead in the Telugu film 118, opposite Nandamuri Kalyan Ram. The film was a commercial success. Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India found her performance to be adequate in the role but was more appreciate of her chemistry with Ram. Later the year, Pandey made her Tamil film debut with 100% Kadhal, playing a college student opposite G. V. Prakash Kumar. It emerged as a box office failure. In her next Tamil film, she played the lead opposite Jiiva in Gorilla. In her final film of the year, she played a college student opposite Raj Tarun in the Telugu film Iddari Lokam Okate, a box office average.

Career expansion (2020–present) In 2020, Pandey starred in Bamfaad, a romantic action film in which she played a Hindu girl who becomes romantically involved with a Muslim boy (played by Aditya Rawal). Anna MM Vetticad of Firspost found her to be "efficient" but added that she lacks "spark". That year, she also starred in the Telugu film Nishabdham. Sowmya Rajendran of The News Minute wrote that she was "a surprise as the possessive Sonali. She's meant to be annoying yet likable. A tough ask, but Shalini pulls it off".

Pandey portrayed a Gujarati housewife opposite Ranveer Singh in the 2022 Hindi film Jayeshbhai Jordaar, a comedy about female infanticide. It emerged as a box-office bomb. In a negative review of the film, Rediff.com's Sukanya Verma wrote that Pandey "piggy backs entirely on Ranveer Singh's feminism to leave any impact." Following a two-year hiatus, she had a brief role opposite Junaid Khan in the 2024 Hindi film Maharaj, that was released directly on to Netflix. Pratikshya Mishra of The Quint opined that she "pulls her weight" in a short but important role.

In 2025, Pandey starred in the Netflix series Dabba Cartel, which tells the story of a group of women operating a drug cartel under the guise of a food delivery company. Hindustan Timess Abhimanyu Mathur wrote that despite her earnest efforts, Pandey was constrained by a role that "allows her to do very little apart from looking helpless". She will next appear alongside Dhanush in Idli Kadai.

Media image Pandey was placed in The Indian Express and 123telugu, "Top Actresses" list of 2017. In the same year, she was also placed 19th in Hyderabad Times Most Desirable Women List.

Filmography Films +Key Denotes films that have not yet been released Year Title Role LanguageNotes Ref. 2017 Arjun Reddy Dr. Preethi Shetty Telugu 2018 Meri Nimmo Nimmo's friend Hindi Mahanati Suseela Telugu 2019 NTR: Kathanayakudu Sowcar Janaki Cameo Appearance 118 Megha 100% Kadhal Mahalakshmi Tamil Gorilla Jhansi Iddari Lokam Okate Varsha Telugu 2020 Bamfaad Neelam Hindi Nishabdham Sonali Telugu 2022 Jayeshbhai Jordaar Mudra Patel Hindi 2024 Maharaj Kishori 2025 Idli Kadai Meera Tamil 2026 Rahu KetuMeenu Taxi Hindi

Television Year Title RoleNotes Ref. 2016 Man Mein Hai Visshwas Saumya Episode 21 2017 Crime Patrol Vineeta Episode: "The Kidnapping"2025–present Dabba Cartel Raji Jagtap 2026 Bandwaale Mariam

Music video appearances Year Title Singer Ref. 2022 "Nakhrey Nakhrey" Armaan Malik

Discography Year Song Co-singer(s) Notes Ref. 2018 "Naa Pranamay" Tejas Shankar Along with Lagori Band

Awards and nominations Year Award Category Film Result 2017 Zee Cine Awards Telugu Best Debut ActressArjun Reddy 2018 Sakshi Excellence Awards Most Popular Actress of the Year South Indian International Movie Awards Best Female Debut – Telugu Zee Telugu Apsara Awards Debut Heroine of the Year Best Find of the Year 2025 Iconic Gold Awards Best Popular Actress – OTT Maharaj Times of India Film Awards Acting Excellence in a Supporting Role (Female) – Web Film