It’s rare for actors to find roles that speak to them, but not for Shefali Shah. The actor, who is reigning digital entertainment with direct-to-web movies and series, has bagged three nominations in this year’s mid-day and Radio City Hitlist OTT Awards. She reprised the role of Vartika Chaturvedi in Tanuj Chopra’s Delhi Crime 2. The actor effortlessly played the sorrowful and helpless maid trying to seek justice for her daughter in Vidya Balan-starrer Jalsa. Who can forget the quirky and quick on her feet Shamshunissa from Darlings?

Thrilled to have had wonderful projects to her name in the year that went by, she says, “I am glad I stuck to my instinct. People have finally recognized that I could be playing the kind of roles that I am playing [now] and headline projects. I feel grateful. I won’t say I am satisfied because I have a long way to go and I have just begun.”

It is indeed time for Shah to reap the benefits of her hard work. The actor believes that the projects turned out great because everyone—writers and directors—were “ready to delve deeper into the human psyche”. “My experience on all three films were extremely enriching. I have to give it to the writers and directors who could finally envision me in these parts, playing my age, leading projects, being a part of the primary ensemble cast and trust me with these kinds of characters. I hadn’t done work like [I did in] Darlings or rather I haven’t been offered work like that, so it was fun. Working with these people in Jalsa has been inspiring,” says the actor, adding that it was scary to return on screen as Vartika in the second instalment of Delhi Crime.

“It has become too large.” The first edition of Delhi Crime won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series in 2020.

Shah, 49, is glad that storytellers are keen to depict reality and tell stories about women who do not necessarily fit into the age bracket of 18 to 22. “It feels gratifying [to see] all the appreciation translating into work.”

Ask her to pick her best work in 2022, and she is quick to say that she had special bond with the quirky woman of Darlings. “There is a perception that I am a serious person, but that has to do with the roles that I play. In fact, the character I [come] the closest to is Shamshunissa in Darlings. I have a quirky, wicked and funny side to me, which was fun [to bring out on screen]. The script was well-written and I love the genre,” says Shah, who is thrilled to be acknowledged at the Hitlist OTT awards.

“Awards are important because they are the recognition of appreciation. It is something that will stay with you forever. I will be lying if I say awards are not important.”

Shefali Shah has been nominated in the Best Actor (Female): Series category for Netflix’s Delhi Crime, Best Actor (Female): Film for Amazon Prime Video’s Jalsa and Best Supporting Actor (Female): Film for Netflix’s Darlings. The other nominees are:

- Amruta Subhash (Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt Ltd, ZEE5)

- Fatima Sana Shaikh (Modern Love Mumbai, Amazon Prime Video)

- Huma Qureshi (Maharani S02, SonyLIV)

- Masaba Gupta (Masaba Masaba S02, Netflix)

- Sakshi Tanwar (Mai: A Mother’s Rage, Netflix)

- Shriya Pilgaonkar (The Broken News, ZEE5)

- Shriya Pilgaonkar (Guilty Minds, Amazon Prime Video)

- Alia Bhatt (Darlings, Netflix)

- Deepika Padukone (Gehraiyaan, Amazon Prime Video)

- Huma Qureshi (Monica O My Darling, Netflix)

- Triptii Dimri (Qala, Netflix)

- Vidya Balan (Jalsa, Amazon Prime Video)

- Ananya Panday (Gehraiyaan, Amazon Prime Video)

- Bhumi Pednekar (Govinda Naam Mera, Disney+ Hotstar)

- Juhi Chawla (Sharmaji Namkeen, Amazon Prime Video)

- Radhika Apte (Monica O My Darling, Netflix)

- Swastika Mukherjee (Qala, Netflix)

There are 16 categories that the public can vote in. Log on to www.radiocity.in/hitlistott to cast your vote. Voting lines close on February 22