Shefali Shah On How Playing Akshay Kumar's Mother In A Film At 28 Shaped Her Career

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; October 12, 2022)

There has never been a dearth of compliments for her acting prowess, ever since Shefali Shah ruled the TV in the 90s. However, her innings on OTT has given her career a new spark. Today, when it comes to casting a woman for pivotal roles, Shefali is at the top of most makers’ minds.

The actress will now be seen playing Dr Nandini Srivastava, head of the gynaecology department in the medical campus comedy Doctor G produced by Junglee Pictures, which releases on October 14. In a candid conversation, she opens up playing strong, layered characters, being ‘ridiculously passionate’ about everything in life and how it has impacted her journey in the entertainment world. Excerpts:

You have a knack for choosing the right scripts. What did you find intriguing about Doctor G?
The first thing that struck me was what I read on paper. I thought it was a hilarious script. The film explores an important subject, but not in a preachy way. Doctor G is about a male gynaecologist (Ayushmann Khurrana) in a woman’s world. All the characters are etched out beautifully and I loved it.

You play Dr Nandini Srivastava, the head of a gynaecology department. Your dialogue ‘You have to lose the male touch’ to Ayushmann in the film has caught everyone’s attention. Has the character changed your outlook towards the subject?
It’s not something that I have learnt from this film, because it didn’t occur to me. It’s not even worth a conversation for me that only a female can be a gynaecologist. Probably, there are some who are not comfortable with consulting a male gynaecologist. However, people’s reaction to that line in the trailer is huge and suddenly they feel that this is a conversation worth having.

Junglee Pictures is known for backing content-driven films with strong, well-written roles, which include all the characters that are a part of the story. How complex is Dr Nandini?
Nandini has a past that has affected her present as well, which comes as a surprise in the film. But otherwise, I don’t see her as a complex person. She has no doubts about who she is. She believes that she has been blessed with the talent and education to save and bring lives into the world, so she won’t tolerate any nonsense and incompetency when it comes to her profession. She is not just picking on Uday (Ayushmann) because he is a man. She is picking on him because he is not giving his 100 per cent to what he is doing. She values her department and every seat in that department. Nandini would have done the same if one of her female students had faltered.

Like you, Ayushmann is also known for his brave and unconventional choices in cinema. What was it like to interact with him on the set?
I respect Ayushmann tremendously for carving out a niche not just for himself, but for so many actors. He has created that space where you are not the conventional hero and where the topics that are dealt with are not the kinds that are usually touched upon in cinema. It’s amazing the kind of work he does. He is a good actor and is a lot of fun. He is simple and genuineas a person. It’s always a pleasure when you are working with someone like that. You enjoy what you do and grow together. The process becomes so easy.

Your body of work proves that you have never been restricted to a certain image on screen. How liberating is it to not be a slave to such trappings?
It’s liberating to know that my choices have worked. As an actor, you don’t want an image. I don’t want to be seen as Shefali in a character. I would rather people recognise me as Vartika Chaturvedi, Rukhsana, Shamshunissa or Nandini Srivastava. That’s the point of being an actor. Besides, the image is often associated with a star, not an actor.

Today, one can see that you are bagging some of the finest roles of your career and the way it’s heading, it seems like it will only get better hereon. What according to you is working in your favour?
I think it was Delhi Crime (2019), where a director took the chance of putting me in the lead role. DC became so huge that suddenly there were writers writing characters for me and directors saw me as the lead and parallel lead. So, that has been a turning point in my career. What has worked for me personally as an artiste is that, I get obsessed with what I am doing. I am ridiculously passionate, not just about work but about everything. That’s my personality trait, which might not always work in my favour, but that’s what keeps me going.

You are tasting tremendous success at this stage in your career, which also in a way marks your second innings. How do you perceive it? Do you take it seriously?
I would say, it’s probably the first innings (laughs!). I don’t take success seriously because it changes every day with every release and role. I take my work and not myself seriously. It works very well for me. I start with the belief ki mujhe nahi aata, as that will only lead to growth. Let’s say I was good in my last project and was loved by the audience, but that doesn’t mean that I will be the best everywhere. I have to keep working at it.

What’s your biggest fear today?
None really, but I just hope that I am not out of work. I want to have a busy year like I have had so far and do the kind of work I want to. I am the happiest on the set. I want to work... I love it. It’s not fear but I just hope it’s not a flavour of the month. I don’t want to be the flavour of the month or the year. I want to be the comfort food. I want to be like rice. You can make biryani, pulav, kheer or whatever you want to with it. It’s great to go back to and can give you the most delicious or the simplest comfort food in the world. It can change drastically with a little twist.