Appreciation for my web show pours in every single day: Shefali

When Shefali Shah played the role of ACP Vartika Chaturvedi who investigates the 2012 Delhi gang rape case in her web series, Delhi Crime, she never expected the show to become this huge. “I knew it would be accepted in an exceptional manner, but I never thought it would do this well. Recognition and appreciation for the show pours in every single day from all over the world,” says the actor, whose strong performance won her critical acclaim and four awards, including the Asian Academy Creative Awards.

Shefali reveals that when she signs a project, she can’t predict how it will eventually turn out to be. “But, I love the process of creating it. After working on the project for four years, when Richie (Mehta; director) met me, he told me that he didn’t want an actor, but a collaborator. He admitted that he couldn’t have asked for any other actor, and that admission was the biggest compliment for me,” says the actor, who agreed to do the project in “less than five minutes of hearing the concept”. Later, when she heard the details of the story, she admits to not have been able to stop crying.

Ask her how life has changed for her, and she says, “This year has been fabulous. The show released in 190 countries, and it isn’t like a film that gets lost after a week or two. This show is for posterity and people are watching it and re-watching it. In fact, Chayya [Sharma, the real-life cop who investigated the case] ma’am told me that after a few minutes, many people forgot that it was Shefali acting but felt it was Chayya on-screen. Nothing can match that kind of appreciation.”

She will start shooting for season 2 of the show in January, wherein the team will tackle a different case. She states, “I feel honoured to be a part of a show like this but I am terrified to start shooting for season 2 as I might not be able to stand up to what I did earlier. It will be a different time in my character’s life, but I don’t know if I will be able to match up. Delhi Crime has been a learning for me as I have never worked the way I worked on this, before.” This year, she also shot for short film which will release in 2020.

I am terrified to start shooting for season 2 (of the series) as I might not be able to stand up to what I did earlier. It will be a different time in my character’s life, but I don’t know if I will be able to match up.

SHEFALI SHAH ACTOR

PHOTO: GARGI MUKHERJEE Bala