“It was challenging to portray a woman of 50” - Shefali Shah 
By IndiaFM News Bureau, April 11, 2005 - 08:32 IST
You've seen her as a gangster's wife in Satya, as a caring sister-in-law in Mohabbatein and as a strong cousin in Monsoon Wedding. But in Waqt, she has gone ahead and played Akshay's mom! Unapologetic and candid, Shefali Shah speaks about her character Sumitra and what she calls her husband Vipul's third baby - Waqt.
One of the most terrific roles of your career, tell us how is Sumitra like?
It's one of my very special roles and it is one of the big films. I think my character is a beautiful woman who is completely in love with her husband. She has a great sense of humour and is very very strong. She is someone who has come up the hard way in life and understands the importance of whatever her husband has achieved. She wants her son to understand that and stand on his own feet and achieve what her husband has been able to achieve. Infact she is more like the father, she is completely contradictory to a typical Hindi film mother. Her ability to laugh at situations and her sense of humour when her world is falling apart is her strength. Her life revolves around her husband and her child. I had seen the play on which this film is based and I had absolutely loved the character of this woman.
So is this the reason why Vipul cast you in this role?
No, the fact is Vipul is not the one who thought of me in this role, infact he was wary about me when the suggestion came ahead, and the suggestion came from Amitji. When they were discussing the casting, he said why don't you consider Shefali. Vipul was not sure if I would be able to carry of this age.
Aren't you playing a mother too early?
An actor acts to play roles and characters which are not like her, whether it is in cast, whether it is in physical appearance or age. I am just playing an age, which I am not. It's not like its too early or too late for me to play an age, neither am I going to play moms from now on. The fact is that it was a beautiful role, it was a role, which I hadn't done, and it was unlike me in terms of age. It was a challenge for me to portray a woman of 50 and to match up to Amitji.
How big was sharing screen space with Big B?
Incredible, I mean ask this question to anybody and the reply will be common, I can't give you a unique answer, he is a phenomenon, an icon. I used to dream of getting a picture clicked with him, but I had never thought that I would be sharing screen with him, which he so rightfully dominates, so it was incredible. And as an actor you always want to act with brilliant actors because they compliment you. So this was like a dream come true.
Do you remember any on the sets incident?
The entire film has been very very memorable it was an experience. Everyone kept cracking jokes at me, including Amitji. Like I remember once, a joke that Amitji and Vipul share…every time I used to go to the sets I used to keep saying that this is not right that is not right. One day Amitji and me were doing this scene and I came in and said this is not looking good and this is looking very weird and I went and sat down at my place, so Amitji very casually came up to me and asked “Director chalega ya use bhi badal de?” So it was very funny. We all have enjoyed making every bit of this movie.
Apparently there a few grey shades to your role, is it true?
I don't see Sumitra having any grey shades at all, she is just a strict parent and she wants her son to stand up on his own feet, she wants to shake him up and make him sense the reality, maybe in a harsher way.
The songs are rocking the charts. Pick your favourite.
I just love the Holi song and the sad song Toot Gaya.
What are the high points of the film according to you?
I have always believed that the strength of this film is its simplicity and its honesty. It's a very simple, from the heart movie. When you come out of the film you don't come out remembering camera angles or the visuals, not even the performances even though they are incredible, but you come out remembering the feel of the movie, the film stays in your mind.
You must have been the first people involved in the project, since its inception to the final product, how has it shaped up?
I think Waqt is like our third baby, it's Vipul's first production venture and he has really nurtured it and put his heart and soul in it. The fact that he wanted to make this movie from the heart and not the mind is what comes across in the movie. It's made from the heart and is supposed to reach the heart.
What other departments were you involved in?
I don't know if I came handy in other departments or no but yes I am very critical about Vipul's work. There were a lot of things that he probably dint want to hear but I still went ahead and told him. It was his call totally to take or not take the suggestion.
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“Waqt is not Ek Rishta and Ek Rishta is not Waqt”- Amitabh Bachchan
