I will Not Shut Up... I'll Convince You'

Shefali Shah speaks with Puja Talwar about the latest season of Delhi Crime, and why playing a lead role in her early 50s is important to her

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Shefali Shah is done playing nice. After returning as Vartika Chaturvedi in Delhi Crime 3, the powerhouse actor talks about fear, fire, and how female actors are finally getting their due. In this conversation, she opens up about ageing, why Vartika feels like an extension of her DNA, and how honesty is one thing that remains nonnegotiable for her.

Meeting your iconic character, Vartika Chaturvedi, for the third time in Delhi Crime 3—does it get easier, or is it just as difficult as when you first encountered her?

I have this fear with any character I play that I don’t know what to do. With Vartika, there was a bit of stress because the character had become larger than life. She’s become almost iconic. I was terrified, scared, thinking that I managed in the first and second season—what if I don’t know what to do the third time? There was fear, but once you get to the set, change into the character’s look, there is a sudden metamorphosis, and I am no longer Shefali. I think our DNA is kind of married into each other—she is me, and I am her. But I feel Vartika, as a person, knows herself much better than I do.

You said Vartika and you share the same DNA.