The parts I play are main characters: Shefali Shah

Shefali Shah
| Photo Credit: Ridhika Mehra

Growing up, Shefali Shah thought the most she could aspire to be was an air hostess. Today, with over 25 films under her belt (from Monsoon Wedding to Gandhi, My Father and Three of Us), and some hard-hitting TV shows — let’s not forget the 2023 International Emmy award nomination for best actress for Delhi Crime — Shah says she is “happiest on set”.

The versatile actor was in Chennai last weekend for Ignition, a platform created by philanthropic organisation Shiv Nadar Foundation to explore history, education, and society. In her conversation with journalist and host Shoma Chaudhury, Shah frankly discussed how she started her career with theatre, why she will never play Akshay Kumar’s mother again, and how the “parts that she plays are main characters”.

With the much-awaited Delhi Crime season 3 in the offing, The Hindu caught up with her to discuss films and understand how she finds silence in her characters. Edited excerpts:

If you could revisit a character, which one would it be?

Delhi Crime is the strongest one. In a film, to tell the entire story, you only have three hours. But in a series, you have eight episodes to build a whole person. There are challenges with it, but it is more exciting. Vartika is terrific. She is a no-nonsense person, and has a lot of empathy. Everyone thought that Nirbhaya was a personal case for her, which it was. But she takes every case personally, and that’s why she’s hell-bent on solving it. She is [also] very smart to understand her team’s strength and work accordingly. I think she is very nuanced, and I had the time to create her.

Most actors work towards finding a character’s voice, but what does it take to find a character’s silence?

I genuinely feel that we have the luxury of a camera that can catch the smallest nuance. If you can say something in two words, don’t use four sentences. If you can say something in silence, there is nothing that speaks louder than that. It’s all caught [on camera]. I feel that there is a lot of power there.

A still Delhi Crime season 3
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

What kind of projects have followed ‘Three of Us’?

There is a lot of women-centric stuff happening. Often, when one thing takes off, everyone comes to you with similar projects. I shot for Delhi Crime’s season three last year. I also shot for the film Hisaab, directed by Vipul Shah. It’s a heist, and pretty funny. I take up something if I am completely blown away or affected deeply. A lot of times, I just end up saying no.

A still from Three of Us.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Which films, according to you, have best portrayed flawed women?

Everyone is flawed in their own way. Vartika is not perfect; she has her own flaws. Shamshunissa [a character from Darling] is terribly flawed, but very unapologetic about it. And rightfully so. Dirty Picture, Disclaimer [a miniseries starring Cate Blanchett], and even Lipstick Under My Burkha [have flawed women]. According to society, they are completely messed up. But even otherwise, they have their own flaws. That is the beauty of humans. It’s the rugged edge that makes them so interesting.