Her very first film, Arjun Reddy (2017) was such a big hit that it propelled actor Shalini Pandey to instant fame. She was expecting the same fate for her Hindi debut, Jayeshbhai Jordaar (2022). While her performance was praised, the film performed poorly at the box office.

Considering the hype, did it manage to open doors for her in Bollywood? “When I read the script, I loved it; it was a great opportunity because of the production house and my co-star Ranveer Singh. To debut with a film like that... I said a yes. But the film didn’t work the way we wanted. I was crying [after the film tanked],” she says, adding, “I’m very grateful for the whole experience, though, because I learnt a lot.”

The 29-year-old believes the experience taught her valuable lessons on how to handle the lows. “Before this film, when I was [doing] films in the south, I was roaming around like a child; I didn’t know what to do! I was lucky that the opportunity to make a debut in Hindi came my way. At least now I can say yes or no to projects,” she says.

The actor maintains that box office numbers do matter, whatever people might say. “As a newcomer, and for somebody [who’s] not from the film industry, it definitely matters. If I say it ‘really matters’, it might sound shallow to people ki box office se hi isko farak padhta hai. But that’s the truth. As an actor, I want many people to see my film. Your love and passion for thinking it might become what you want... is not in your control,” shares Pandey, who will be seen in Maharaja soon alongside actor Aamir Khan’s son, Junaid.