Shefali Shah won applause for her heart wrenching performance in Zoya Akhtar’s dysfunctional family saga ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ that released earlier this month. The film was hit and Shefali stood out with her act despite of the presence of actors like Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anil Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar and Anushka Sharma.
Overwhelmed with the response she got for the role, Shefali speaks her heart out to us in an hour long conversation. Excerpts from the interview:
‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ has been received well. Your character has also won acclaim. Were you expecting this response?
It feels overwhelming. It is relieving because I could create Neelam Mehra and she became a real person instead of just a character. That is great. You could see the depth of her character, the layers and her complexes. People took her back home and that is biggest compliment one can get.
What went into getting Neelam Mehra on-screen?
There was a basic preparation that I do for all my roles. It was Zoya’s brief and my understanding which was put together in making the skeleton of the character. Also, I don’t rehearse a scene. I just act. I don’t know what I do when a director says action. I just do it. For my character of Neelam, I saw her as a b***h, an ice cold Queen and someone who could touch her but when you watch her closely, you will realize she is so scared, broken and vulnerable from within. That was important for me, to portray the layers.
The scene where you are stuffing chocolate in your mouth has brought tears to many. How was it shooting for that sequence?
When I read the script, I knew it was the most beautiful moment of the film. I still get goose bumps when I talk about it. That moment is so bichaara. It is like catching someone naked, emotionally naked. That is how it is. I was terrified doing that scene. I had sleepless nights thinking about doing it. That scene was the most defining moment for Neelam Mehra. If that moment didn’t work then she would have become a one-dimensional person. So it had to be real and not fake. I can’t act. I don’t have the craft of doing it. I just do it spontaneously. I depend only on my emotions.
I shot for that in two takes. Just the previous day, we shot for that restaurant sequence where Anil is seen flirting with the lady. So that was a long day’s shoot and the entire unit was tired. The sound and light department had worked relentlessly. But still we shot for the scene. Zoya asked me if I could do it and I was like yes. She asked me if we will get it and then I told her that I don’t know. I told her I will try. I remember after completing the scene, there was no reaction. I was waiting for someone to react. I was wiping my face and asked Zoya ‘Did we get it?’ and a guy comes running to me and hugs me tight. That was the answer. Had I not been able to do that moment, I would have failed the character.
Many critics have referred to you as the Maya Sarabhai (character played by Ratna Pathak Shah in serial Sarabhai vs Sarabhai) of ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’. Your thoughts?
Really? It is a huge compliment. Ratna Pathak Shah is so awesome. She is kickass. She kicks it, simply kicks it. She nails it. So I take it as a complete compliment. Also, I am not Neelam Mehra at all. I am a very transparent person and what I feel is what I say. Neelam is extremely guarded and a b***h! It is great if people compared me to Maya Sarabhai.
What was your family’s reaction to your film?
My mom thought I was the best in the film. My husband (Vipul Shah) saw the film when I was promoting ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ in Chandigarh. Zoya, Farhan, Anil, Ranveer all kept asking ‘Vipul ka phone aaya?’ And I was also like waiting for his call because Vipul was the first outsider from the industry who was watching the film. Finally when he called he said, ‘I just want to tell you how proud I am of you. You have totally killed the performance.’ My kids loved Ranveer in the film. They loved the butter knife scene in the movie.
Lately, the middle aged actresses are winning more acclaim than the younger ones. For instance, a Raveena Tandon in ‘Bombay Velvet’ or a Moushmi Chatterjee in ‘Piku’ and even you stole the show in the film even with lesser presence as compared to the younger actresses. Your thoughts?
It depends on the script and the role. That has to do a lot with the director and his/her vision. The reaction I am getting for this role, I haven’t got it for quite some time. I got this reaction may be for ‘Satya’ or ‘Waqt’ because these worked commercially.
Lastly, do you think you are being stereotyped in a mother’s role?
I know I am being stereotyped but not by the press or the audience. It is the industry. I am brave as an actor to experiment with roles. But if you have chosen to put me in a block, then it is not my fault. That needs to be broken.