These days actor Shalini Pandey is shuttling across three film industries. While Telugu movie goers are wondering what has happened to the petite Arjun Reddy heroine, she assures she will be seen at regular intervals as she has quite a few releases. After cameos in Mahanati and Kathanayakudu, she is currently shooting for full length roles in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films.

Heading towards Chennai, she says, “After Arjun Reddy’s release I heard a few stories but none of them were exciting. I am not calculative about doing a film and I don’t analyse reasons. I say yes to what I like and no to what I don’t like….it is as simple as that. Post Arjun Reddy, I began shooting for two Tamil films that will be coming out this year — 100 Percent Kadhal (Tamil remake of 100 Percent Love) and Gorilla. The character of Mahalakshmi in Telugu was very good and it was my instinctive decision to take up 100 Percent Kadhal. It was around that time, I heard Gorilla. It is a heist comedy starring Jiiva.”

Speaking of her other projects, Shalini says, “I am doing a bilingual Jwala directed by Naveen. The first schedule is over and the shoot resumes tomorrow. I am excited about it; I will be seen as a Turkish Indian girl. It is an interesting character but not anyone’s love interest. It was fun exploring new language, talking and expressing. ” In this Tamil-Telugu film, her co-actors are Vijay Antony and Arun Vijay and .

Alongside she signed a Bollywood film Bamfaad presented by Anurag Kashyap, in which Paresh Rawal’s son Aditya makes his debut. Shalini recalls, “I liked the experience, liked the people I was working with. It had the same emotions that I connected with Arjun Reddy.”

She adds, “I am also doing a Telugu film with Kalyan Ram that is releasing this year. There is another Hindi movie that has Anushka Shetty and Madhavan. Kona Venkat is the writer of the film. ”

Speaking about her choice of films, Shalini says she doesn’t plan her career and if she doesn’t like something she will not do it even if it’s a big project and has big names associated with it. But once she’s committed to a film, she puts her heart and soul in it.

Is a film with Sandeep Reddy Vanga on the cards in the near future? She keeps her fingers crossed and says as a matter of fact he is currently in Mumbai, shooting the Hindi version of Arjun Reddy. She gets nostalgic, “We both are similar in thinking. As a team..I can understand what Sandeep says and doesn’t say. We may team up again, but as of now there’s nothing. I like the way Vijay Deverakonda conducts himself and I am happy for both of them. We started the journey together and we are kind of proud of where we all are now.”

The past year and a half has changed her as a person, she observes. “I can’t be in a race with anyone. I love this job, I like acting. Any language, any script and a good director is okay with me. I have grown as a person, but realised I am the same girl from small town,” adds Shalini.