Shefali Shah on Being Typecast And Turning Down 'Neerja' And 'Kapoor & Sons'

Shefali Shah bagged an International Emmy Award nomination for Best Actress for her role in Delhi Crime Season 2.

Actor Shefali Shah bagged an International Emmy Award nomination for Best Actress.

(Photo Courtesy: Instagram)

Actor Shefali Shah has been over the moon ever since her performance in Delhi Crime Season 2 bagged her an International Emmy Award nomination for Best Actress. The nominations were announced on 26 September.

The Quint caught up with Shefali to speak about her journey in the film industry and more.

"My journey as an actor has been very unpredictable. Earlier, I would say that my career has been more about waiting than actually working. Since Delhi Crime, my career changed. The amount of work I did last year, I don't think I've ever done that much in my entire life."

Shefali also touched upon her childhood days and how she was bullied at school. "We came from a lower-middle-class background, and then my parents rose up to middle class. For the longest time my parents didn't have a house, and I remember my father used to request my relatives to keep my mom and me. However, my parents never had a negative approach to life. They only focused on growing as much as they could."

She added, "My parents put me in one of the best schools despite their financial restrictions. I was bullied at school and nobody liked me, saying that I didn't belong to their strata. Now when I look back, I just feel sorry for them."

Shefali said that acting wasn't even in her line of thought as one of the professions she could pursue. "I wanted to be an air-hostess, a surgeon, a doctor, but acting happened out of the blue. When I was 10, I was offered a play by one of my teachers and then there was a huge break. But because the theatre scene is so big, I got recommended from here to there. That's how my acting career took shape."

When asked if she is fond of painting, as her house is full of her work, Shefali replied, "Painting is not really my passion. There was a phase in my career where I didn't have any work and it was getting very demotivating. I needed to have an outlet for my creativity. So I enrolled myself in an art school in Spain, and that whole experience was very enriching. I had to do everything on my own, and even though I could afford the luxuries I preferred living like a student."

During the conversation, Shefali spoke about meeting her husband Vipul Shah for the first time. "Vipul and I knew each other from our theatre days. But I always ended up saying no to any play or show that he would offer me. Once, he called me for a Gujarati film and I was prepared to say no. Somehow he convinced me by saying the location is beautiful, and I agreed. He was talking about Alang, which is a ship breaking yard!"

She continued, "Vipul was a great surprise for me, as a man. I have seen my dad, who is not expressive. I was also in a marriage that wasn't good at all. Therefore, I had certain impressions about men. And then I met this guy with a sense of humour and who could deal with stressful situations with a lot of positivity. It wasn't a surprise that I fell in love with this guy."

Watch the video for more.

Editor: Veeru Krishan Mohan