Shefali Shah has always voiced her opinion when it comes to the way women were treated in Hindi cinema
Shefali Shah opened up about Sapne Mein Milti Hai, her changing career graph and roles written for women today in an exclusive chat with News18.com.
Shefali Shah might be known for her acclaimed roles in Delhi Crime, Darlings, and Dil Dhadakne Do but many still remember her for her iconic character of Pyari Mhatre from Satya. Her song ‘Sapne Mein Milti Hai’ with Manoj Bajpayee continues to be a fan favourite. However, Shefali seems to be running away from the song. The actress has stayed away from talking about the song.
When News18.com caught up with her, we asked if the reason she chose to distance herself from talking about it was because it got repetitive, the actress agreed and said, “It’s a lovely song, there’s no debate [about it]. [But] people play it to annoy me, my friends would do that. Every time I went anywhere, they’ll start playing this song and then they went on to Gallan Goodiyaan. I was like, ‘Guys, calm down, seriously time out,’” she said.
Shefali has come a long way since Satya. The actress has delivered some memorable performances, especially in the recent few years. The actress has been handpicking roles that she’s never done before and leaving a powerful impact in every project she does. Looking back at the recent years, especially 2021 and 2022, Shefali said, “Last two years have been rewarding. I am getting the kind of recognition and the work that earlier wasn’t coming my way. I hope this is just the beginning and there’s so much more to do.”
The 49-year-old actor has always voiced her opinion when it comes to the way women are treated in Hindi cinema. In one of her interviews, she even mentioned that women were an “accessory” in movies. However, the Darlings actor believes things have changed for the good. “When you look back at the 70s and 80s, there were a lot of female-oriented films, and when I say female-oriented films, I don’t mean females necessarily in the age group of 18 to 22. I mean [women] of all age groups. Whether you talk about Aradhana, Guide, Mamta, etc. There are such amazing films. Then came a patch where her job was to look good and ask for help, I guess,” she said.
However, Shefali noted that it is changing again. “There are roles being written for women of all ages.” Ask her what has driven this change, and she explained, “Well, I guess people woke up and smelled the coffee,” she laughed, adding, “One of my director friends said, ‘There have been stories told about men for so long, there were so many stories that weren’t told about women’. And that’s what we want to do now.”
The Delhi Crime actor has always mentioned how the show has been a turning point in her career. However, fans also loved seeing her as Khala in Alia Bhatt’s Darlings. In a rapid-fire question, when she was asked to choose between Darlings and Delhi Crime, the actor, without a second of doubt chose “Delhi Crime” over Darlings.
