Madhu Shalini (born 21 July 1986) is an Indian film actress and model, who has appeared in Telugu and Tamil language films. She has previously worked as a television anchor as well.

Madhu Shalini was born and brought up in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, her father being a businessman and her mother an advocate.^[1] Like her mother she also learned Kuchipudi, before taking part in a beauty contest, which she incidentally won and which paved her way for a modelling career. After working as a television anchor for a short while, she soon ventured into film business, turning an actress.^[2]

She made her feature film debut with the 2005 Telugu film Naa Pranam Kante Ekkuva directed by music composer Shashi Preetam.^[3][4] Her next film, E. V. V. Satyanarayana's Kithakithalu opposite Allari Naresh, released in 2006, went to become a very successful venture.^[5] The same year, she had appeared in two more Telugu films, namely Teja's Oka V Chitram as part of an ensemble cast,^[6] and Aganthakudu.

2007 she starred in the Telugu action comedy State Rowdy, a remake of the successful Tamil K. S. Ravikumar-directorial Ethiri, with Madhu Shalini essaying a brahmin girl character, played by Kanika in the original.^[7] She made her Tamil film debut later that year with the low-budget feature Pazhaniappa Kalloori,^[8] which released without publicity and vanished shortly. She later signed to play the lead female in D. Sabhapathy's Telugu project Happy Journey, while she also agreed to appear in the director's next Tamil venture, Pathinaaru,^[9] which, despite being heavily delayed, became her next release. She subsequently got her big break as she was casted by noted National Film Award-winning filmmaker Bala for his comedy flick Avan Ivan, set to release by April 2011.^[10]