The first time I watched Juice was sometime in 2017 when my mother walked into my room and showed me a video that her female friends from school were circulating on WhatsApp groups. I don’t think the word ‘woke’ had embedded itself into public discourse as it has now but Juice was one of those short films that really wakes you up. It resonated deeply with my mother - a homemaker - and her friends. Cut to 2021, the star of Juice, Shefali Shah, has come out with another slice of magic called Happy Birthday Mummy Ji (HBMJ). As of writing this article, this Shefali Shah directorial has more than 16 lakh views and over 18,000 likes on YouTube. Some say that true art is supposed to disturb you and some say that art is that which gives you hope. HBMJ does both.
A varied number of comments were left under the video on YouTube. “I am an Agarwal married into a Jain family. I am (non) vegetarian but not allowed to eat onion or garlic. Just like Shefali in this story, my day will come too,” wrote a viewer. “Almost every female in India can relate to this,” wrote another.
In her previous interviews, Shefali Shah has spoken about how she was typecast into mom roles very early on in her career. But even within that limited space, the actress managed to stand out - she was a mother in Dil Dhadakne Do, Delhi Crime, Juice, Once Again, Ankahi and in HBMJ. Each character of hers is different and addresses different aspects of being a woman who also happens to be a mother.
This story is from the September 2021 edition of Filmfare.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the September 2021 edition of Filmfare.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
What's the good word?
WORDSMITH VARUN GROVER RECENTLY TURNED DIRECTOR WITH ALL INDIA RANK. HE TAKES SUMAN SHARMA THROUGH THE TRANSITION
POETIC JUSTICE
Lyricist RAJ SHEKHAR came under the glare of limelight thanks to his collaboration on Animal. DEVESH SHARMA talks to the reticent wordsmith
A life less ordinary
Veteran Reena Roy takes you through her life and times in an exclusive chat with Farhana Farook
BRAVE NEW WORLD!
ARBAAZ KHAN IS REVELLING IN HIS NEW INNINGS AS A FILM PRODUCER, FINDS TANZIM PARDIWALLA
Man behind the mask
ACE ACTOR DIBYENDU BHATTACHARYA OPENS UP ABOUT HIS LIFE AND CAREER IN A CHAT WITH DEVESH SHARMA
LEGENDS OF THE fog
BARUN SOBTI WAS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS ABOUT THE TAUT POLICE PROCEDURAL KOHRRA. TANISHA BHATTACHARYA TALKS TO THE RETICENT ACTOR ABOUT SAVOURING SWEET SUCCESS AND MORE
EXpress Vourself
KUNAL KEMMU IS MAKING HIS DEBUT AS A DIRECTOR WITH MADGAON EXPRESS. SUMAN SHARMA INTERVIEWS THE ACTOR-TURNED DIRECTOR
Lights, Camera, Reflection...
Harleen Sethi chats with Tanisha Bhattacharya about the quirks and perks of being an actor
Future ready
SHILPA SHETTY'S CAREER GRAPH SEEMS TO BE UPWARDLY MOBILE ONCE MORE. TANISHA BHATTACHARYA CAPTURES THE CHANGES
A TIME TO KISS AND KILL
Emraan Hashmi may have been an industry insider but he tells Suman Sharma that he’s become increasingly detached as time goes by