Shefali Shah Exclusive: 'I am a goofball in real life'

Throw any role at her and you know that Shefali Shah will play it with her sheer finesse. Overall these years of her career, Shefali has proved to be one of the finest actors of the film industry who will certainly leave you surprised and moved with her performances. Shefali was recently seen in Suresh Triveni’s Jalsa, co-starring Vidya Balan; it was released on Amazon Prime on March 18. Days after her film’s release, Shefali talks exclusively to Asianet Newsable about her takeaways of working with an ensemble cast of Jalsa, her upcoming films and also the highly anticipated second seas of Delhi Crime. Excerpts from the interview:

Q. What intrigued you to say yes to Jalsa?

Shefali Shah: It is very difficult to pin on that one thing. I had a gut feeling about the story; it did something to me on the inside and I had to say yes. There was no thought process, I liked the story and I wanted to do it. Also, I love Suresh (Triveni), I wanted to work with him. Thus, I said yes. The more I interacted with Suresh, the more I got to know how intrigued he is about everything. And then Vidya (Balan) joined in followed by Rohini Hattangadi, Surya came in.

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WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE:

Q. Suresh Triveni has put up a great ensemble cast for the film. What were your takeaways from working with everyone?

Shefali Shah: Whenever I was performing with any actor, I never saw them but only the character. Thankfully, the same has been said about me by them. I think this is the biggest win-win for any project where you stop seeing the actor and start seeing the character.

Surya is the heart and soul of Jalsa. He is a natural actor and also a beautiful child. My maximum takeaways are from him. He is so comfortable, unapologetic, and natural... he is just so real with his acting. Even Kashish (Rizwan), who plays my daughter in the film, is also brilliant at her work. In fact, all these three children got my motherly instinct out. What more could you ask for when you are working with a cast like this? You become mature and better!

Q. Surya Kasibhatla and you shared an amazing chemistry on-screen.  How was your bonding behind the lens?

Shefali Shah: Surya and I really bonded well. We are still in touch; I adore and love Surya! The relationship which we have shown on screen. We both feel very strongly for each other. I called him on the New Year to tell him how much I adore him and how he has made my life so much richer!

Q. After having done projects such as Delhi Crime, Human and now Jalsa, what next are we expecting next from you?

Shefali Shah: At present, there are four projects that I am working on – there is ‘Darlings’ which is another brilliant script, then ‘Doctor G’, ‘Three of Us’ which is a sensitive and delicate film, and then there is ‘Delhi Crime 2’.

Q. Speaking of Delhi Crime 2, it is one of the most-awaited series. What can we expect from the second season?

Shefali Shah: DC 2 is a separate entity. It has different creators. Let’s not compare it with the first. It will be very unfair to compare Delhi Crime with Delhi Crime 2 – it is like comparing an apple with an orange. Of course, the crux of it will be the same, characters, actors, passion and drive are all the same but there are different creators and directors. It is a different kind of story. It should be seen as an individual entity.

Q. The audience often have too many expectations with a sequel. Does that add a lot of pressure?

Shefali Shah: Of course it does! You obviously want to match up with the first one. And especially with Delhi Crime, the pressure is too high because it went for the Emmy Awards.

Q. Given the roles that you have played in recent times, people assume that you are a serious person in real life as well. How is Shefali Shah behind the camera?

Shefali Shah: I am a goofball! I have heard this from multiple sets and multiple directors that when I am working on a project with them, there is a meeting held wherein the entire crew is given instructions by the director asking them to not crack jokes with, talk as little as possible, not to disturb, etc. However, half the day down the shoot, everybody knows who I am.  I have a lot of fun; I want to laugh, and I want to make others laugh. I choose to believe that I have a decent sense of humour and that I don’t bite.

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• Shefali Shah
• Jalsa
• Bollywood
• Delhi Crime