Shalini Pandey on how Bandwaale mirrors her own journey: “There was a time where I broke down completely. I couldn’t believe that my father was not understanding what I wanted to do” : Bollywood News

Actor Shalini Pandey says her role in Prime Video’s musical dramedy Bandwaale felt unusually personal, as the story of Mariam — a young poet navigating identity, ambition, and family expectations in Ratlam — reflects parts of her own upbringing in Jabalpur.

Shalini Pandey on how Bandwaale mirrors her own journey: “There was a time where I broke down completely. I couldn’t believe that my father was not understanding what I wanted to do”Speaking about the character, Pandey shared how closely she related to Mariam’s emotional journey and small-town aspirations. She said, “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.”

The actor added that one particular scene in the series, where Mariam’s father burns her poems, felt especially close to her own life. Recalling that moment, she said, “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 and directed by Akshat Verma and Ankur Tewari, Bandwaale features Pandey in the lead role alongside Swanand Kirkire and Zahan Kapoor, with supporting performances by Sanjana Dipu, Ashish Vidyarthi, and Anupama Kumar.

The series is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video in India and internationally.

Also Read: Bandwaale: Prime Video drops trailer of musical dramedy starring Zahan Kapoor and Shalini Pandey