Shefali Shah, who is currently earning widespread praise for her powerful performance in Delhi Crime Season 3, has opened up about a difficult chapter from the early days of her career. In the 2005 film Waqt: The Race Against Time, Shefali played Amitabh Bachchan’s wife and Akshay Kumar’s mother, a role she now believes pushed her career backward.
Speaking to Times Now, Shefali shared that taking on the part was a professional setback, despite her enthusiasm at the time. She recalled how her husband, filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah, who directed Waqt, advised her not to take the role. “My husband told me, don’t do it,” she said. Even Amitabh Bachchan questioned whether she would fit the character. Determined to prove herself, Shefali said she even put powder in her hair to appear older. “Good, I dug my own grave,” she admitted with a laugh.
When asked how long she struggled for work after Waqt, Shefali said that her journey has largely involved waiting for the right opportunities. “I don’t have a long résumé, but I have a strong résumé,” she stated, naming films like Gandhi, My Father, The Last Lear, Once Again, and Three of Us as projects she is proud of.
Shefali returns as DCP Vartika Chaturvedi in Delhi Crime 3, now streaming on Netflix. The new season features Rasika Dugal, Adil Hussain, Rajesh Tailang, and Huma Qureshi as the chilling antagonist Badi Didi, with the plot centered on a human trafficking ring in Delhi.
