2022 has kept Shefali Shah, a noted Indian actress, completely busy with back to back releases either in cinemas or OTT platforms. Right from ‘Human’, ‘Delhi Crime 2’, ‘Jalsa’, ‘Darlings’, ‘Doctor G’ to ‘Three of Us’, Shefali enjoyed working in web series and feature films, this year.
Speaking about how she prepares for both formats of the screen, web series like ‘Delhi Crime 2’ and full length films like ‘Three of Us’, she explains, “For something like ‘Delhi Crime’, I had to mentally prepare. It was an eight hours of film but it was a five days story. You have to know the entire show pat on and it’s not easy to remember eight hours of script. I need to know her every second, what was the last time she slept, what was the last crack in the case etc. It gives you more space to build a character. With a film, you read it a couple of times and you’ll know the film. But because I did ‘Delhi Crime’, I realised that no matter how many times you read the script, it is less.”
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From strong characters like DCP Vartika Chaturvedi, Shamshunissa Ansari and then a vulnerable Shailja, she has been through different emotions to play the roles. “Three of us’ was actually a film that I didn’t want to prep for. I just wanted to flow with it. Shailja is lost and just going with the flow as she has a medical problem. We discussed it and Avinash and I reached the decision that let it just happen. Everyone is taking mental illness very seriously today. My grandmother had dementia and I once had a conversation with her doctor and I said ‘it is so sad to see her forget’ and he said a wonderful thing to me. He said ‘she is not sad because she does not remember it.’ You’re feeling sad,” says Shefali.
An OTT star herself, she loves watching everything on the streaming platforms especially crime thrillers, court room dramas and true life stories through documentaries and biopics. “I am thrilled that I can sit at home and watch not just international content but content from our country in different languages whenever I want to. There were always brilliant films being made in India but how many times would I sit in Bombay and be able to watch it?” asks Shefali.
Shefali Shah is married to a well-known film director, Vipul Shah and has two sons, Marya, 20, and Aryaman, 19. “We are looking forward to a family holiday abroad in December. Whenever we have a short free time and if we all have a break, the place to visit is always Goa. I see the beach, have beer and eat fish in Goa,” smiles Shefali.
