In an industry where appearances are often part of the job description, the pressure to look good can be difficult to escape. For actors, the camera can magnify everything—from what they wear and how they carry themselves to how they are perceived beyond the screen.

But for actress Shikha Pandey, appearance is only one part of the equation.

Currently seen in Mannat and also associated with Oye Chill Maar, Shikha has experienced first-hand the expectations that come with working in entertainment. Yet when it comes to forming an opinion about someone, she says she instinctively looks beyond the surface.

“There is a pressure to always look your best and physical appearance is important. But in terms of forming an opinion about a person, I look beyond physical appearance,” Shikha tells The Mauve.

The way you treat people says more than the way you look

For Shikha, one of the clearest indicators of a person’s character is how they behave when there is nothing to gain from it.

“When I meet someone, I look at how they treat the people around them. I also see if they are doing it just for the camera or if they are genuinely kind to people,” she says.

It is a particularly telling observation in an industry built around visibility. Cameras can capture a polished image, but Shikha believes genuine behaviour eventually reveals itself.

For her, kindness isn’t a performance.

It is a quality that exists whether or not anyone is watching.

Good looks don’t guarantee good energy

Beauty may create a first impression, but Shikha doesn’t believe it is enough to sustain one.

“Far more important qualities are someone’s energy, behaviour and ability to make people comfortable,” she says.

Her perspective is refreshingly simple: attractiveness without warmth does little to create a meaningful connection.

“It doesn’t matter if someone is good looking and they don’t have good vibes. I wouldn’t want that person,” she adds.

That idea extends beyond friendships. In professional environments, where people spend long hours together and relationships can shape an experience as much as the work itself, the ability to make others feel comfortable becomes an understated form of influence.

Kindness first, confidence next

If Shikha had to put her values into an order, kindness and empathy would come first.

“Kindness and empathy first, then personality and confidence,” she says.

It is a hierarchy that places character before charisma and human connection before presentation.

At the same time, confidence remains something she deeply appreciates in the people around her. Shikha says she is naturally drawn towards people who are secure in themselves—not simply because confidence can be attractive, but because genuine self-assurance can positively affect those around you.

“I like confident people, people who are self-assured. A person who is confident and self-assured will always lift you up. So I would go for those kinds of people as friends or colleagues,” she says.

For Shikha, confidence therefore isn’t about being the loudest person in the room. It is about possessing enough self-belief to create space for others too.

A different way of looking at beauty

Perhaps what makes Shikha’s perspective particularly relevant is the distinction she draws between being perceived and actually knowing someone.

The entertainment industry may place considerable emphasis on appearance, but Shikha doesn’t allow that emphasis to dictate the qualities she values in people.

Beauty can be photographed. Confidence can be observed. But kindness is experienced.

And perhaps that is why, beyond the mirror and beyond the camera, the qualities that ultimately stay with us are often the least visible ones: empathy, warmth, positive energy and the ability to make another person feel comfortable.

For Shikha Pandey, looking good may be part of the industry—but being good to people is what makes the lasting impression.