Shalini Pandey on the controversy around Junaid Khan's Maharaj: We didn’t do anything to disrespect any religion

Shalini Pandey was last seen in Maharaj

Shalini Pandey, who played the role of Kishori in Jaideep Ahlawat and Junaid Khan-starrer Maharaj, has finally opened up about the controversy the film was embroiled in ahead of its digital release. “I knew the sentiments around it and I personally felt that we didn’t do anything to disrespect any religion or anyone. There was nothing like that in the film. People were assuming,” she says.

The release of Maharaja was temporarily halted by the Gujarat High Court following a petition from members of the Vaishnavite Pustimargi sect, who raised concerns about the representation of religious beliefs in the film. On June 21, the High Court lifted the stay, stating that the film did not target the Vaishnav Pushtimarg sect as claimed by its members. Subsequently, the film was released the same day on Netflix.

“I’m happy it’s finally out. Of course, we did not feel good about it [the stay] then. The film is everyone’s baby and when you work on a project, you wish it sees the light of the day,” Pandey says adding, “Siddharth Malhotra [director] was extremely worried and anxious and I would have felt really bad if the film would have gotten shelved. But, beyond a point I couldn’t do anything.”

Sharing how relieved the team is now that the film is out, Pandey says that everyone is happy the audience is liking it. “There are mixed emotions, but overall we are getting a good response. When you work on something, you want people to see it and am glad that it is happening,” Pandey ends.

The actor, who has starred in another Hindi project Jayeshbhai Jordaar (2022) besides this, opposite Ranveer Singh, says she has "strong opinions" about the controversies and stay order on the movie. "I am not sure if I want to share it out loud. I knew the sentiments around it but I don't personally feel that we did anything to disrespect any religion or anyone. There was nothing like that. Moreover, after watching it, people who know me have been telling me that we thought there would be something bigger because of which people were reacting that way, but there was nothing as such. People were assuming, I feel. They assumed a lot and made a bigger picture in their head, which was not in the film," she laments.

Pandey played the role of Kishori, who was one of the women who has slept with the Maharaj. Talking about the challenges in playing such a character, she tells us, "As a character, Kishori is not even remotely close to who I am as a human being. I got to understand about someone who can blindly believe in something so strongly. It was something that I will always remember."

Furthermore, she also delves into her much talked about intimate bold scene with Maharaj aka Jaideep. "It was pretty challenging to take up that role. It didn't seem difficult in my head or when it was on paper when I heard and read about it, but when it actually happened, then I felt that it was making me anxious. When I was doing it, I realised that there are actual people with blind faith who are believing and doing it. Thinking about that made me really uncomfortable and getting out of that human and moving on was also a process," ends Pandey.

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