Have a script ready to direct

Actress Shefali Shah who was last seen in Once Again (2018) is back with Netflix’s Delhi Crime, a web series where she is seen playing the role of DCP Vartika Chaturvedi who leads a painstaking search for the culprits involved in a gang rape that shook the Capital.

The actress who has always been a stellar performer (remember Neeraj Ghaywan’s short film Juice) has proved her mettle once again with the series and is also receiving a very warm response from the audience as well as critics. Interestingly, this 46-year-old actress has largely played the role of a mother. But she admits it going against her.

“When I did Hasratein and Waqt, in my mind, I was an actor willing to play even a photo frame if needed. I will do what it takes because that’s the point of being an actor. But, it did work against me on a certain level because I got mother’s role in abundance. Although I don’t have a problem playing a mother, in our industry, they do typecast you. It’s unfortunate but they do. After Dil Dhadkne Do, I got so many roles in the same kind of space. It is not going to change overnight you can only do your best,” says Shefali.

The actress best known for her roles in Satya, Monsoon Wedding, Gandhi My Father and Black And White reveals why she isn’t seen taking up too many offers.

“Earlier it used to bother me that I was not doing enough work but I also do what I do way too much to just do it is as a job. So, until something mind-blowing doesn’t come my way, I will not do it. The kind of work that I want to do doesn’t come that easy, it takes time,” adds that actress.

“It could be one film in a year or three films. For me, the length of roles doesn’t matter, it has to do with the meat in it. I don’t have a number of films in my resume but I am proud of my films,” she adds.

Hailing from a theatre background, Shaifali is also keen to go behind the cameras and call for action just like her husband Vipul Shah.

“I want to direct but I know it’s a huge responsibility. It cannot be done just like that. There are people who put their trust in you so you need to be dead sure. A part of me keeps saying that you just have to take the plunge but at the same time I still feel that I need to work on the script and logistics. I have a script and I want to make it and I would love to start the work tomorrow but I don’t know if I am ready for it,” she says and adds, “I wrote it a couple of years ago. The working titled is Bumper to Bumper and it’s a love story.”

Delhi Crime is based on the 2012 gang rape, which affected everyone deeply.

Revealing her experience of shooting for this series, Shefali says, “There was anger, there was angst, frustration, disappointment and there was a pain, exactly like everyone felt. When I read Delhi Crime, I realised there was somebody who did something about this and they worked very hard. It wasn’t just the DCP but the team, they worked really hard to get these guys. There was no way I could have not done this project.”