During the Express Adda session, held in Mumbai on Monday, Shefali Shah spoke on her journey in the film industry and highlighted the challenges she faced in bagging roles despite receiving accolades for her work.

Shefali Shah, Vir Das and Jim Sarbh at the Express Adda on Monday in Mumbai. (Express photo: Deepak Joshi)

Shefali Shah, an International Emmy nominee for her role in the critically acclaimed Netflix series Delhi Crime Season 2, sat down for a conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express group, at the Express Adda on Monday. She was joined by fellow International Emmy nominees Jim Sarbh (Rocket Boys) and Vir Das (Vir Das Landing). During the event, Shefali opened up about her journey in the entertainment industry, highlighting the challenges she faced in bagging roles despite receiving accolades for her work.

The Delhi Crimes actor expressed her frustration, stating,’People called me ‘one of the finest actresses of our country’, but I didn’t get any work. I won awards, but I didn’t get any work. If validation can only decorate my walls, it is redundant. I have been working for 25-30 years, but I have started really working in the last four years. My career has been more about waiting than working.’

When asked who according to her are stars, she said, ‘I think Shah Rukh Khan is a star and he is always going to be a star. So is Mr Bachchan (Amitabh Bachchan). So was Dilip Kumar Sahab.’ Talking about stars among the current generation of actors, Shefali said, ‘Ranveer Singh, Alia Bhatt are stars. I am not a star and I don’t want to be a star.’

When Jim Sarbh was asked the same question, he quipped, ‘I don’t really think about these things.’ On the other hand, Vir Das added a touch of humour to the conversation, stating, “We want to be influencers. That’s where the currency is.’

Shefali Shah, 50, received an International Emmy nomination in the Best Performance by an Actress category for her role in the second season of Delhi Crime. The series’ first season had previously won the International Emmy for Best Drama Series in 2020.

Shefali had expressed her excitement on Instagram after getting nominated for an International Emmy. She wrote, “OMGGGGG I still can’t believe it. Feel so so honoured to be nominated at the International Emmys alongside such esteemed artists. This one is really special and more so because it is for a character I am very very close to, Vartika Chaturvedi and for my favourite show #DelhiCrime2. This is for all of us in #DelhiCrime.”