These were actresses who made their debut way back in the mid-90s. While a couple of them started off as leading ladies in quintessential commercial 'masala' entertainers, another made a strong mark in a supporting role right at the onset.
Even though dozens of other actresses who debuted around the same time have faded in oblivion, these three actresses have not just stayed relevant for over 25 years now, but are also picking and choosing strong roles as per their will.
These are Divya Dutta, Tisca Chopra and Shefali Shah.
This is how they began their stint in Bollywood. If Divya Dutta had a romantic musical beginning opposite newcomer Ravi Sagar in Ishq Mein Jeena Ishq Mein Marna [1994], Tisca Chopra bagged Platform [1993] with none other than Ajay Devgn. As for Shefali Shah, she was remembered for her tantrum-throwing Bollywood heroine act in Ram Gopal Varma's Rangeela [1995] which was top-lined by Aamir Khan, Urmila Matondkar and Jackie Shroff.
Over a period of time, Divya went on to feature in many other hardcore commercial films as a leading lady [Veergati, Surakshaa, Agni Sakshi] and found reasonable success coming her way. Tisca Chopra took a break after a few years, only to return with Taare Zameen Par [2007], where she played the memorable part of the mother. As for Shefali Shah, she continued with a strong supporting act in Satya [1998] and then surprised everyone by playing Akshay Kumar's mother in Waqt: The Race Against Time [2005] a few years later.
Though a majority of other actresses would have struggled to stay afloat after so many years, Divya, Tisca as well as Shefali have managed to find their calling with several author-backed roles at their disposal.
At last count, Divya has enjoyed 100-odd outings across different platforms, be it feature films or short films, and her recent stints like Sheer Quorma and Sleeping Partners are a testimony to that. In fact, she was highly impressive in under-rated political thriller Irada [Arshad Warsi, Naseerudin Shah] where she played a conniving politician. As for her trash collector act in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Delhi 6, it is much remembered too.
While she is already working with filmmakers like Dibakar Banerjee and Umesh Shukla, her performance in web series Special Ops by Neeraj Pandey is much awaited. The duo has a history in the form of Special 26. As a fake cop, she was a delight to watch on screen and now that she is enacting the part of an intense character in Special Ops, which would be out soon on Hotstar, one waits to catch Divya Dutta in action.
Meanwhile, Tisca Chopra is showing yet again how a woman can be truly play roles of substance. Enacting the part of a doctor whose family is kept hostage by a man on a mission, she was truly believable in Sudhir Mishra's web series Hostages. Last seen in Good Newwz, she was truly entertaining as the IVF doctor even as Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor Khan wondered how she could make a mistake of 'sperm exchange'. One waits to see what she picks up next though it would be substantial for sure.
As for Shefali Shah, she impressed one and all recently as the female senior cop in web series Delhi Crime. Based on Nirbhaya case, the series had quite a few heart-stopping moments and Shefali nailed her tough (yet sensitive) cop act with aplomb. It was an award-winning performance no less and so was her act in the film Once Again and much before that in the film Dil Dhadakne Do where she played the part of the ignored wife (opposite Anil Kapoor). One now waits to see what she picks up next.
All in all, it has been a wonderful journey indeed for these actresses of substance. While 2020 is set to be eventful yet again for Divya Dutta, Tisca Chopra and Shefali Shah, rest assured there would be many more memorable performances on display from them for audiences to relish and cherish!
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