I can't wait to have a love affair with south films: Shefali Shah

Time of India

14-05-2025

I love what I do, and I want to keep working forever,' says
actress Shefali Shah
as she sits down to chat with us during her recent visit to Chennai. Excerpts from an interview:
'THERE ARE AMAZING DIRECTORS IN THE SOUTH; I'M DYING TO DO SOMETHING HERE'
Ask her why she hasn't acted in a South Indian film until now, and she replies, 'I was offered one or two roles, but they weren't great characters. They didn't have depth. I'm dying to do something in the South because there are such amazing directors here whom I respect tremendously. I can't wait to have a love affair with South films.'
Shefali has already made a list of South filmmakers she wants to work with, which she reads to us. 'Mani Ratnam sir, Rajamouli sir, Revathy, Pa Ranjith, Lokesh Kanagaraj, Karthik Subbaraj, Sudha Kongara, Rishab Shetty, and Anjali Menon,' she shares.
'THERE WAS A DIFFICULT PHASE WHEN THE WORK I WANTED WAS NOT COMING MY WAY'
Reflecting on her being typecast in mother roles at a young age, the actress shares, 'Honestly, I did those roles because I liked them. It was my choice. Unfortunately, you then get typecast, and there was a long, difficult phase when the kind of work I wanted to do was not coming my way. I realised that the work I want to do, like a character that makes me want to be on set, will rarely happen.'
'IN OTT, CHARACTERS DON'T FRIVOLOUSLY COME AND GO'
Shefali feels OTT has been a gamechanger for her. 'At one point, I thought I wouldn't get the work I wanted to do. But with OTT coming into play, everything changed. And I'm so glad it did; otherwise, there was no female lead beyond 25. A woman used to just be somebody's mother or aunt after a certain age. Unfortunately, such roles aren't well fleshed out in films even now. But in OTT, characters don't frivolously come and go. They make an impact even if they are there only for half an episode.'
'FILMS WILL NOT DIE IN INDIA; WATCHING MOVIES WITH FAMILY IS PART OF OUR CULTURE'
'Going to theatres and watching movies with family is a big part of India's culture. So, Bollywood can never die,' says Shefali. She stresses that films are ingrained in India's culture and says, 'Cricket will not die in our country just because we lost one World Cup. It's the same for films.' She also disagrees that the audience stopped going to the theatre due to the OTT boom. 'OTT might have played a small part, but that is not the only reason. The audience now has the option to watch amazing work from across the globe, so they are more selective. You can't dish out anything and give it to them; they aren't going to lap it up anymore,' she states.
'I WAS OVER THE MOON WHEN I GOT NOMINATED FOR AN EMMY; NOW I WANT TO WIN'
Shefali, who was nominated for Best Actress at the International Emmy Awards 2023 for
Delhi Crime
, says, 'Initially, I simply wanted to see my name on the nomination list and was over the moon when I got nominated. But when I didn't win, I was like, 'Now, I want to win.' So, fingers crossed, some day, I will end up winning an Emmy.'
'Priyanka, Alia and Ranveer are team players'
Shefali names her Dil Dhadakne Do co-stars, Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh, and Darlings co-star Alia Bhatt as her favourite contemporary actors. 'Even though making a film is not an individual process, actors can be self-conceited. But all three of them are absolute team players,' she states.
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