Shefali Shah

“After 'Waqt,' I was terrified I'd be offered all the mummy roles.”

“There is no dearth of good work or wonderful roles.”

“I took up 'Waqt' and 'Gandhi My Father' because they were very too special to be missed.”

“The thing with this industry is, it's in your face, it's there. You are privy to whatever goes on, and somehow people have this sense of entitlement towards actors and filmmakers' life. It's like you don't have any privacy, your life is out there for people to see.”

“A role is a role where I play someone else, but when it comes to paintings, it is me. It is unadulterated Shefali and there is no control and I can let go. I am unabashedly unapologetic about it. That is what is interesting about my paintings.”

“I am constantly in a need to create irrespective of the medium. When I started out, I did sketch and I continue to do so on paper sometimes. Mainly, I work with acrylic and ink. Honestly, I don't have the patience for oil paint to dry.”

“I believe something that can be said in two words should not use four, and if something can be said without a word, don't use any.”

“Every time I go in front of the camera, I have this fear of 'Oh my God, how am I going to tackle this? The director is going to say 'action' and I'm going to just keep standing there; I won't know what to do.' That's a constant fear I have as an actor.”

“Playing the role of Vartika in 'Delhi Crime' was one of the most exhausting, consuming and enriching experiences of my career.”

“Women are like wine: strong, spirited, full bodied, intoxicating, and potent. And we never cease to surprise.”

“The fact that 'Delhi Crime' dropped on Netflix and 191 countries in one go, that reach is humungous.”

“I think as an actor it's always a challenge to experiment and play something that you're not. What's the point if I play Shefali in every film?”

“Initially it used to bother me that I wasn't working 365 days a year. But after a point I realised that the kind of work I want to do comes around rarely. And I would rather wait for it.”

“If I have to play a man, I would do it.”

“I am a full time mother and a housewife. I don't think I need anything else to do.”

“I am sure that I don't want to do 'age' roles.”

“Art has made me calmer and more content.”

“I don't know whether it is a boon or a bane but I can't act. I can just be. To me, that's the beauty of a performance. Otherwise, there is a falsetto, which sounds jarring.”

“I have played quite a few roles almost double my age. I don't regret those decisions and feel proud to have been part of 'Gandhi My Father' and 'Waqt.'”

“TV requires long working hours and deep-rooted commitment.”