Bollywood actress Shefali Shah in a recent interview opened up about how people in the industry were obsessed with stars and underlined on the need to ‘own up to their words’.
In a chat with famous personalities Kusha Kapila, Prajakta Koli, Neelam Kothari Soni, Masaba Gupta, Mrunal Thakur and Swastika Mukherjee for Film Companion, Shah said, “I think the ability for people, particularly in cinema, to stick to their word. They will say you are very good but it does not translate to nothing. So, don’t just tell me I am good.”
She went on to say how people come to her saying they want to work with her but it never translates to anything.
She added, “Then nothing happens. Then they will see you at the next party and say exactly the same thing. It’s really boring.”
The ‘Human’ actress highlighted the one thing that hadn’t changed about Bollywood over the years was its obsession with stars.
She continued, “The preference of a star is very annoying now, because I think we finally have woken up and understood that you just need to be an actor.”
Shah reflected on how OTT platforms have been a helping hand in breaking this notion.
Expressing her concern over the matter she said, “I am glad we had OTT breaking that for us, for me, but still, there is this thing of ‘But star hona chahiye na.’ So, what happens to talent? I am talking about everyone. You’re just repeating the same people over and over again. Give credit where it is due. I wish that changes. I don’t see that drastic a shift yet in cinema.”
Shah, who directed and starred in two short films, 'Happy Birthday Mummyji' and 'Someday', expressed her desire to direct a feature film someday. She said she'd "definitely want to direct" and that the process was "addictive." She did, however, come to the conclusion that her filmmaker husband, Vipul Shah, wants her to enjoy her new phase as an actor.
The actress announced her next project, ‘Jalsa’, earlier this month where she will co-star alongside actress Vidya Balan.
