Shefali Shah recalls playing Akshay Kumar’s mother in Waqt; calls it a 'career setback’ and says she ‘dug her own grave’

Shefali revealed that her husband, filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah, who also directed and produced Waqt, tried to dissuade her from taking on the role.

Shefali Shah, who is currently praised for her intense performance as DCP Vartika Chaturvedi in Delhi Crime Season 3, has opened up about one of the most challenging decisions from the early stages of her career when she played Akshay Kumar’s mother in the 2005 film Waqt: The Race Against Time.

In an interview with Times Now, Shefali admitted that the role significantly impacted her career progression and came with a warning she chose to ignore.

Shefali revealed that her husband, filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah, who also directed and produced Waqt, tried to dissuade her from taking on the role. The character required her to age up considerably in appearance and presence, something she felt she could convincingly pull off.

Recalling the moment, she said, “[My] husband told me, don’t do it. Amitji suggested, ‘Why don’t you take Shefali for this?’ and then he was like, ‘I don’t think she’ll fit it.’ One day, I put powder in my hair to say, ‘See, I can look older and mature.’ He was like, ‘Do not do this.’ But I was like, ‘No, no, I want to do it.’ Good, [I] dug my own grave.”

Shefali acknowledged that the decision contributed to a stretch of limited opportunities. When asked how long she remained out of work after the film, Shefali admitted that waiting has defined much of her career.

She said, “For the longest time, my career has been more about waiting than actually working. So every part that came… now that I look back, I don’t have a very long résumé, but I have a very strong résumé.”

She added that she is proud of the quality of films she has done over the years, mentioning titles such as Gandhi, My Father, The Last Lear, Once Again, and Three of Us. “Maybe one or two where I felt nahi karna chahiye tha (shouldn’t have done it), but otherwise… it just keeps getting better — the kind of work that’s offered,” she said.

Also read: Delhi Crime 3: Shefali Shah reveals fears and challenges of playing Vartika, thanks fans for love in emotional gratitude letter

Waqt, adapted from Aatish Kapadia’s Gujarati play, featured a star-studded cast including Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Priyanka Chopra, Rajpal Yadav, Boman Irani, and Shefali Shah. The film told the story of an ageing father who takes drastic measures to instill discipline in his irresponsible son.

In Delhi Crime 3, Shefali returned as the fierce and determined Vartika Chaturvedi, leading a tense pursuit of Huma Qureshi’s villainous Badi Didi, who heads a human trafficking ring. The season, also starring Rasika Dugal, Adil Hussain, and Rajesh Tailang, has earned unanimous praise and is currently streaming on Netflix.