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Shefali Shah: Women In Typical Bollywood Films Have Become Accessories For Men [Exclusive Interview]
After the acclaimed web series of Netflix, Delhi Crime, actress Shefali Shah has become a prominent personality in women-based films and series. At the age of 40, where actresses search for their identity on screen, Shefali Shah has broken this thinking very well. She has set an example for all actresses that art is not bound by age and stardom.
Shefali Shah is returning in a strong role this month with her new web series, Human. In the coming days, she will further show her female strength in her characters in films like Darlings and Jalsa. In a special conversation with Filmibeat, Shefali Shah has confessed that in the last few years, she has done a lot of work in her career. And one of the best among them is Delhi Crime, which was appreciated by a large scale audience. She says that it will reinforce the credibility of talent from India for the award won for Delhi Crime at the International Emmy Awards. Shefali essayed the lead role of DCP Vartika Chaturvedi, based on the Delhi cop who cracked the Delhi Nirbhaya case of a brutal gangrape in a moving bus, within 72 hours.
Excerpts from the interview.
Are you portraying a strong female character through the Human web series again?
If the script is strong and my character is powerful, then there is no reason for me not to do it. There is a lot of excitement for a project like this even before the shooting starts. This story is related to the medical field, where her role is of Dr Gauri Nath, the one who is "unpredictable". Somewhere along with the audience, my interest as an actress also increases when I get such fascinating roles. It is wonderful for me to play a female-based character. I am constantly doing women-centric films. In the last year, I have worked on many such projects, which will soon come in front of the audiences. My ongoing project Darlings is a film in which Alia Bhatt and I are working together. After this, there is Jalsa in the queue. I can tell that all these roles are full of enthusiasm for me and I feel more excited to take up these challenging roles.
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, people have become more aware of the medical field. In such a situation, will the Human series work as an eye-opener?
The Human web series is a drug trial based story. What kind of impact the series will have on the audience, I cannot say. It depends on the audience. The script of this was prepared even before Coronavirus hit us, and it is a very relevant subject. This is a topic about which we do not know much and through this show we will know what are the things that happen in the medical field. What happens between making the drug and it reaching your home? Human shows the story behind that curtain.
Is it difficult to come out personally from intense characters that you have played in Delhi Crime and Human?
In series like Delhi Crime, it becomes very difficult to mentally break away from the intense character, as we keep shooting continuously. For me, the performance is difficult. We go to shoot, come home and sit on the script again, and go to shoot again the next day. In being with the character continuously, there was no chance to move away from it. It was a continuous process. Yes, it is true that the intensity of the role holds us back for a long time. But we cannot walk with it in our everyday life by being influenced by it.
Has the journey from Delhi Crime to Human been the golden period of your career?
Yes, that's absolutely right. After Delhi Crime, I started getting offers for more work. Due to Delhi Crime, people's views have changed towards me. Scripts are being written keeping me in mind. Lead and parallel lead films are reaching me and I am getting effective characters. I probably haven't done as much work in my entire life as I did in the last year! In 2021, I worked on six projects. That was exciting for me.
In the film industry, the age of the actress and the label of marriage do not matter anymore. Has the situation really changed?
Labeling the age of the actress and marriage in the film industry is not creating a hindrance in work anymore. The life limit of the actress has increased in the industry. Delhi Crime is a great example of this. Opportunities have opened up after it, as actresses are getting more work than before. Women-based films are being made. Actresses are not finding it difficult to constantly appear on the screen and get work. In typical Bollywood films, women are just accessories for men. It is not so now. Strong characters are being written for actresses. Even on TV, many big shows are women-centric.
Have you ever done a film that you didn't want to do but you still did it?
No, if I don't want to do a film, I won't. No matter how big a project it may be. I have declined offers of many big films. I agree to a character that shakes my heart and mind. I don't work with the thought 'What will happen to this project? Who will see it? On how many platforms? How many big theatrical releases will it get?' I do not do all these calculations. It is not my business. I am a creative person. If something excites me, I don't multiply beyond that. I don't go on shooting thinking that I know everything. For me, every day is like the first day of school. I am nervous, excited. Every single role played by me is close to my heart.
