EXCLUSIVE: Shalini Pandey On Being Typecast Post Arjun Reddy; Says, “Director Mujhse Kehte The Apna Dimag Mat Use Karo”

The talented cast of Dabba Cartel, including Shabana Azmi, Anjali Anand, Jyotika, and Shalini Pandey, have been reveling in the success of their show, earning well-deserved recognition for their performances. Actress Shalini Pandey opened up on her struggles post Arjun Reddy. She discussed having to play dumb as the crew would not give her opinions any importance.

Shalini Pandey on being typecast post Arjun Reddy

When quizzed about the hardest pill in the industry for her to swallow, Pandey stated, “When I initially came after Arjun Reddy, for me, hardest pill to swallow was if I wanted to add anything with the director, they would not want to believe and take it that I can be intelligent. They’d be like, ‘Alright, don’t use your brain’. I’m like, ‘But I have so much to offer’. They’d be like, ‘Be bubbly, show your dimples, be sweet, be beautiful’. I’m like, ‘But I’m more than that. I’m so much more, and I have so much more to offer’.”

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She further continued, “It took me a long time because earlier, what I used to do was play dumb to get my way out because I was alone, and I had to manage everything on my own. So, I used to play dumb a lot. After that, I realised, no, I won’t do that. I’m going to be intelligent. I don’t care if you get upset about it, if you feel weird about it. If you think I’m trying to act too smart, it’s okay. I’m going to be intelligent. I’m going to ask questions, and I’m going to put my foot down on something that doesn’t work for me.”

More about Dabba Cartel

Produced by Excel Entertainment and directed by Hitesh Bhatia, Dabba Cartel is a gripping drama. It is all set to premiere on February 28 on Netflix. The series is created by a talented team of Shibani Akhtar, Vishnu Menon, Gaurav Kapur, and Akanksha Seda. The cast includes Shabana Azmi, Gajraj Rao, Jyotika, Nimisha Sajayan, Shalini Pandey, Anjali Anand, Saie Tamhankar, Jisshu Sengupta, Lillete Dubey, and Bhupendra Singh Jadawat.

Watch full interview here

Exclusive transcribed and written by Sarni Rathod.

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