Shefali Shah has never been the kind of take the path that’s got many travellers on it. Shefali Shah is at top of her career with many successful releases recently. Her roles have never been conventional, she’s always playing a character that has something to say or leaves an impact. You simply cannot pigeonhole Shefali Shah. From Rangeela, in which she played a minor role as Mala Malhotra (a role she calls a mistake now) to Delhi Crime to her latest release Human where she plays Gauri Nath, one of India’s top neurosurgeons, here are some of her most powerful performances that left an impact on us.
1. Human
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In this recently released series, we see Shefali Shah play a neurosurgeons, Dr. Gauri Nath alongside a cardiac surgeon played by Kirti Kulhari. The series shows how both of them get caught in the mess of human drug testing for a new drug and how they are unaware of the fatal side effects of that drug at first. The main objective behind this series is to let the audience know about how medical scams happen in India and how there is a whole market made out of it.
What is interesting is how Shefali Shah plays this role, with shades of grey and white with the ease of a seasoned actress. We love.
2. Dil Dhadakne Do
Dil Dhadakne Do has Shefali Shah portraying an Indian housewife in a marriage she cannot find the confidence to leave. She refuses to divorce her husband played by Anil Kapoor who is involved in blatant adultery. In a super nuanced performance (kudos to Zoie Akhtar bringing this out as well), Shefali Shah is seen eating her emotions away, a scene that resonated with many of us.
3. Delhi Crime
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In the first season of this very popular series, Shefali Shah was seen playing the lead role of Vartika Chaturvedi, a DCP who has been given the task of handling a gang rape case. This season of Delhi Crime was based on the Nirbhaya case. She said in one of her interviews that she has evolved as a person and an actor both after this role .
Delhi Crime also won the Best Drama Series at The Emmy Awards in 2020 and it has proved to be game changing for Shefali and her other co-actors.
4. Ajeeb Daastaans
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Shefali Shah stars in Ankahi a part of the four segment movie alongside Manav Kaul and Sara Arjun. Shefali plays Natasha , mother of Samaira (Sara) who is on the verge of going deaf and her husband Rohan is an ignorant father who refuses to learn sign language for his daughter. Natasha, on the other hand plays a loving and supporting mother. The story revolves around how Natasha, a married woman falls in love with a deaf photographer. Shefali’s role in the shoes of this conflicted character is wonderfully poignant.
5. Juice
This short film of 15 mins shows you the reality of being inside a typical Indian middle class home, where the women continue to serve their husband’s needs, as they ply themselves and their friends with alcohol. With just her expressions, Shefali Shah expresses frustration, anguish, annoyance and finally the small victory. This one is worth a watch.
