Shefali Shah took to Instagram recently to share a long post about being judged for her looks, along with a photo of her napping on a plane. The actor said that an air hostess told her that she couldn’t identify her: “...She left me smiling to return yet again. This time to say - ‘me and the other crew didn’t even recognize you. You look so different than you do on screen, but love your work’. smiled and left (sic).”

The 49-year-old added, “The ‘But’ planted a seed of doubt. Don’t know if what I saw in her eyes was appreciation, compassion, or sympathy. She almost seemed sorry for me. Not saying but meaning ‘Must be so deceiving and disappointing to look like someone and be appreciated for it but then in life waking up with your real self’ (sic).”

The Delhi Crime actor added that this wasn’t the first time someone spoke about her looks: “This isn’t the worst that has been said to me. Some people have been judgmental and even reprimanding like I broke their trust for looking like myself. Like I’d cheated. A product bought online. Ordered something else got something else (sic).”

She went on to recall “the most epic one was years ago” and said, “One person said, ‘TV pe toh achi lagti hai’. I wasn’t angry I was just amused at this ridiculous lack of decency… To just make it clear I don’t wake up perfect. I’m not a mannequin, nor a painting. I am REAL, as real as one can be (sic).”