# Shalini Pandey

Shalini Pandey (born 23 September 1993) is an Indian actress who works predominantly in Telugu and Hindi films. She made her acting debut in the Telugu film Arjun Reddy (2017), and has since acted 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 Jayeshbhai Jordaar (2022), 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 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. In a mixed review for Hindustan Times, 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".

## 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 | Language | Notes |
| 2017 | Arjun Reddy | Dr. Preethi Shetty | Telugu | |
| 2018 | Meri Nimmo | Nimmo's friend | Hindi | |
| 2018 | Mahanati | Suseela | Telugu | |
| 2019 | NTR: Kathanayakudu | Sowcar Janaki | Telugu | |
| 2019 | 118 | Megha | Telugu | |
| 2019 | 100% Kadhal | Mahalakshmi | Tamil | |
| 2019 | Gorilla | Jhansi | Tamil | |
| 2019 | Iddari Lokam Okate | Varsha | Telugu | |
| 2020 | Bamfaad | Neelam | Hindi | |
| 2020 | Nishabdham | Sonali | Telugu | |
| 2022 | Jayeshbhai Jordaar | Mudra Patel | Hindi | |
| 2024 | Maharaj | Kishori | Hindi | |
| TBA | Idly Kadai † | TBA | Tamil | Filming |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2016 | Man Mein Hai Visshwas | Saumya | Episode 21 |
| 2017 | Crime Patrol | Vineeta | Episode: "The Kidnapping" |
| 2025 | Dabba Cartel | Raji | Lead role |

### Music video

| 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 Actress | Arjun Reddy | Won |
| 2018 | Sakshi Excellence Awards | Most Popular Actress of The Year | Arjun Reddy | Won |
| 2018 | South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Female Debut – Telugu | Arjun Reddy | Nominated |
| 2018 | Zee Telugu Apsara Awards | Debut Heroine of the Year | Arjun Reddy | Nominated |
| 2018 | Zee Telugu Apsara Awards | Best Find of the Year | Arjun Reddy | Won |
| 2025 | Iconic Gold Awards | Best Popular Actress - OTT | Maharaj | Won |