Shalini Pandey is currently basking in the success of her recently released film Maharaj. The actress starred alongside Junaid Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat. In a new interview, she revisited the film, and opened up on shooting the ‘charan seva’ rape scene in the film where her character Kishori is forced to have sex with Jaideep Ahlawat’s character – the Godman Maharaj.
In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, Shalini shared that, she was extremely anxious when she filmed the scene. She even shared that when she first read the script, she felt like her character was stupid, but later realised her character’s conditioning to believing, what she did for Maharaj was fine.
She shared, “When I actually did that scene with the Maharaj, the ‘charan seva’ scene… till the time I actually did it, I did not realise what impact it had on me because I did the scene and suddenly, I went out and I told my team I don’t want to be in a closed room, I need time, I need some fresh air, I am getting a little anxious.”
Shalini added that her director Siddharth P Malhotra and Jaideep, who was her co-actor in this scene ‘obviously understood,’ how she felt. She further added about her character, “Playing Kishori who is such a naive sweet… Initially, when I read it, I was like bevakoof hai yeh toh (she is stupid) but then I realised she is not stupid, she just doesn’t know any better. She was conditioned so much that she believed everything she was doing,” she said and added, “When you feel and do it and think about it, it shatters you. Then you realise she is not stupid. I hope she knew that this was happening to her.”
News18 Showsha gave the film 3.5 stars. The review about Shalini’s performance stated, she ‘portrays her part with innocence. She finds the perfect balance between her emotions and is an absolute delight to watch. She plays Junaid’s love interest, and her chemistry with him is palpable.’ The review further added, “Maharaj feels incredibly real and avoids being too extreme for viewers. The necessary cinematic liberties enhance the storytelling without detracting from its authenticity. The narrative is strong and well-balanced. Hence, the plot leaves no room for distraction, keeping the audience hooked until the very end.”
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