Shalini Pandey: Transformation for role, not self

Arjun Reddy actor Shalini Pandey on not succumbing to pressures of weight loss as she makes her Bollywood debut with Jayeshbhai Jordaar

Unfazed by the demands of the glamour world, Shalini Pandey, who shot to fame with her performance in Arjun Reddy (2017), has wowed everyone with her physical transformation. Set to make her Bollywood debut with Jayeshbhai Jordaar, the actor insists that she has never felt the pressure to look a certain way to fit into the industry. “I have always been confident of my physique and never paid attention to what people were saying about it. I loved whichever phase I was in physically and never put any pressure on myself to be of a certain body type.”

Being health conscious, Pandey indulged in several sporting activities — swimming, badminton, and volleyball, among others. “I was quite an outdoorsy kid. I don’t look at this as a transformation. [To lose the extra pounds], I got on a meal plan. Since the film required me to do hours of dance rehearsals, that worked out as the cardio. I feel women are subjected to a lot of pressure to be a certain way physically which is not right. I have no issues with altering my body if the script and my director want me to look a certain way on screen. It will help me deliver an authentic performance,” says the actor, adding,  “hormonal changes while transforming your body, be it to lose or add weight [are inevitable]”.

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“Relishing” the excitement to see the Ranveer Singh-starrer release in theatres, Pandey says that she doesn’t feel the weight of expectations. “I’ve always enjoyed the process of acting and filmmaking. I am more euphoric [than pressured] about my big screen Hindi debut. I want my performance to speak for itself and have pushed myself to achieve that,” says the actor.

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