Shalini Pandey On Shooting Rape Scene With Jaideep Ahlawat In Maharaj: 'I Didn't Want To Be In A Closed Room'

Actress Shalini Pandey is currently garnering praises for her role in Junaid Khan and Jaideep Ahlawat-starrer Maharaj, which released last week on an OTT platform amid controversy. Shalini, who plays the role of Kishori, Junaid's character Karsandas Mulji's fiancé in the film, opened up about how her rape scene with Jaideep's character affected her.

In Maharaj, Shalini's character is sexually exploited by Jaideep's character - a religious guru. The actress, in an interview with Bollywood Hungama, recently revealed that she was 'anxious' after she shot for the said scene.

"Till the time I did that scene with the Maharaj, the 'charan seva' scene, 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'."

The 30-year-old actress further mentioned that Jaideep and director Siddharth P Malhotra 'understood' how she felt.

The scene was about the Maharaj taking advantage of his female followers under the pretense of 'charan seva' (service). Kishori, the character in the scene, initially doesn't understand the manipulation and perceives it as a 'blessing'.

Maharaj Controversy

Maharaj received a mixed response from the audience and it even ran into its own fair share of troubles ahead of its release. The film was stayed by the Gujarat High Court for a week after Hindu activists complained that the film portrayed Hindu religious leaders in a negative light and that it might hurt the religious sentiments of the people. However, the stay was later lifted as the court did not find anything offensive in the film.

Maharaj is based on a true story of the Maharaj Libel Case of 1862 which is considered to be one of the most significant legal battles in India. The film marks Junaid's acting debut and it also stars Sharvari Wagh and Priyal Gor in significant roles.