Shefali Shah’s been MIA from the big screen for some time now. So what has made her emerge from her hiatus with a play?

Lekha Menon (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 08, 2010)

Her immediate concerns mirror that of any other typically harried homemaker - handling her children’s schedule, planning the interiors, deciding the dinner menu for the day and so on.

Adding to the chaos, are the 11 am-10 pm rehearsals, that’s completely consumed her for the last many days.

For once, Shefali Shah seems to be in a quandary about what role is more stressful - that of a full-time mother to two bratty boys, aged seven and eight, or the role of Shalini, the protagonist of Bas Itna Sa Khwab,  the play that heralds her return to the stage after a full decade.

“Yes, and I am completely freaked out. I have been suffering from sleepless nights and behaving like a space cadet,” she laughs.

For someone who has tackled roles as complex and varied as the ones in Satya, Gandhi My Father or The Last Lear with ease, it wouldn’t be so difficult, one assumes? “Well, it’s a phenomenal part.

Shalini’s character has got so many layers to it. She’s the most relatable woman and yet she can surprise you. My challenge is to portray her in a way that everyone can identify with her. Imagine, there are pages and pages of soliloquy which I am still struggling with!”

Her excitement, tinged as it is with nervousness, is evident. But what made her return to the acting arena with a play than a More >