After her performances in films such as Badhaai Ho (2018), Gully Boy (2019) and Pagglait, Sheeba Chadha has become one of the most sought-after actors to play a mother on screen. Admitting how challenging it is for female actors to find age-appropriate roles, she says, “I began playing mothers since my late twenties or early thirties. It was crazy!”

The 49-year-old actor, who played Shah Rukh Khan’s mother in Zero (2018) despite being seven years younger to him, says ageism is rampant in showbiz: “Back in the day, films used to be a map with four peg points – hero, heroine, villain and comedian. We also had a crying mother. We’re a victim of the ageist nature of the industry.”

Chadha will be again seen playing a mum in Badhaai Do and Doctor G but is happy with the “dramatic shift” Bollywood is going through. “The character of a mother is more nuanced now. The industry has become more fertile for storytelling; I see ample possibilities,” she says. Going forward, she wants writers to write “more dangerously”. “That way, we’ll see more exciting characters,” she ends.