Filmworld
Slotting of actresses not age-related in Bollywood: Shefali Shah
Mumbai, June 29
At 22, she played a mother to a
15-year-old in the TV show "Hasratein". Now 20 years later too,
seasoned actress Shefali Shah landed a mother's role in "Dil Dhadakne
Do". She says slotting of actresses in the industry is not based on
one's age.
"I don't think it has too much to do with the age as
much it has with your image on screen," Shefali told IANS when asked if
roles to actresses are given based on their age and marital status in
the industry.
The 42-year-old, who has done films like "Gandhi,
My Father", "The Last Lear" and "Waqt: The Race Against Time", also
pointed out that it is after all, the industry that typecasts actors.
"Before
'Waqt: The Race Against Time', I did 'Hasratein'. I was 22 years old
back then. I was playing a mother to a 15-year-old girl and then I did
'Waqt: The Race Against Time', which was kind of a nail in the coffin."
"Unfortunately,
we (people) say 'The industry typecasts you.'. But I want to ask, 'Who
is the industry?' It's the makers and the actors. The actors say, 'I'm
an actor and I will play a mother, daughter, mermaid, warrior...I will
play anything'. But somebody has to cast you that way," Shefali said.
At the cost of "over-stepping", said Shefali, actresses who are "fearless" to play older roles should be "valued".
"'Who
is it that slots you?' It is the industry, and who is the industry?
It's the makers, right? So, they have to be able to break it, they have
to give that chance to actors and say, 'Oh! This actress is fearless and
she says that I am 20, but I will play 40 or I'm 30, but will play 65,
so give them something of value," said the actress.
Shefali is now also happy to see more women-centric movies on the big screen, and feels the times for actresses is "changing".
"As
far as actresses are concerned, I'm extremely happy that it is
changing...it has changed with 'Mary Kom', 'Piku', 'NH10', 'Queen' and
'Tanu Weds Manu'," she said.
Shefali, whose performance in
critically acclaimed films like "Satya“, "Gandhi, My Father" and "The
Last Lear" has been lauded, will be next seen in Karan Malhotra's
"Brothers" doing a guest appearance. She will play a character named
Maria Fernandes.
She said it's a "a guest appearance", however,
"according to me, it is the emotional connect, the emotional backbone of
the film."