Shalini Pandey has played a range of characters over the years, but she describes Mariam in Prime Video’s latest Prime Original Bandwaale as her most personal role yet. Set in Ratlam, the musical dramedy follows a young poet slowly finding her voice amid art, identity, and familial expectations, themes that closely echo the actor’s own small-town beginnings.
Reflecting on finding herself in Mariam, Shalini Pandey shared, “This character has been a proper cathartic release for me. I come from Jabalpur, she comes from Ratlam. And it's a small town girl ka (girl’s) story and I fully identify how I wouldn't call it a struggle, but how difficult for you it is when you're in a small town with big ambitions. So this was the journey of Mariam, and this was the journey for Shalini as well. I think I've lived Mariam. I've hit the maximum amount of moments of truth in this. Because I feel I identified jo teenager Mariam thi, usse maine identify kiya hai kyuki meri bhi yahi journey rahi hai. (Because I feel I identified with teenager Mariam because this was also my own journey.) So for me, this has been the most emotional experience.”
Recalling the scene that felt most personal, Shalini Pandey added, “There’s this scene that we're doing where my dad takes my poems and he burns it down. And in real life, my dad was always, I mean, he knew what he knew, but the thing is, he never wanted me to be an actor. There was a time where I broke down completely. I couldn't believe that my father was not understanding what I wanted to do. We have a scene where Mariam's father, where you see it in the trailer, where he's burning the poems, and she's really trying and struggling to make him understand, but she can't, because she has no agency. That was the moment of truth that hit me the hardest. So, therefore, I think this is a very personal journey.”
Created and written by Ankur Tewari and Swanand Kirkire, Bandwaale is directed by Akshat Verma and Ankur Tewari. Produced by OML Entertainment, this musical dramedy is headlined by Shalini Pandey as Mariam, Swanand Kirkire as Robo, and Zahan Kapoor as DJ Psycho alongside a powerhouse ensemble cast featuring Sanjana Dipu, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Anupama Kumar in supporting roles.