Shefali has shared many incidents on the talk show Woman Up when she faced sexism from her MIL and her director husband Vipul and she could not stop laughing.
“I remember once Vipul was doing the dishes. My mother-in-law was standing behind him. And none of us wanted her to do it. I remember her saying, ‘Itna bada director bartan ghas raha hai (Such a reputed director is doing the dishes).’ I thought it was so hilarious! I found it so hilarious!’ Shefali says, laughing.
She continues, “And I am thinking in my mind, ‘Yeh actress bartan ghas rahi hai yeh khayal kabhi nahi aayega, but itna bada director bartan ghas raha hai! (The thought that an actress is doing the dishes will never occur in their minds but such a big director is doing the dishes!) I found it so funny. Vipul and I almost fell off laughing just hearing it. It was hilarious!” Shefali further adds, “Accha haan director hain, very nice, you know, but what has it got to do with the house? I mean, he’s a homemaker as much as I am!”
When asked if she has ever been asked to tone down her opinions, Shefali said that she does not feel it’s the right word. “When you say opinionated, it means you’re not ready to take anyone else’s opinions. That’s not the case with me. I have my opinions, I am very open about them. And more than opinions, I have my thoughts, I have my ideas, I have my feelings about things,” Shefali states.
Shefali goes on to share a couple of anecdotes on how she has faced casual and subtle ways of sexism in her family from her in-laws. “You know when Vipul (Shah) goes to shoot, obviously no big questions. But when I am shooting continuously, it’s like, ‘Again you have to go to shoot today?’ I was like, ‘Are you serious? Did I just get asked that question?’ Or you know like, ‘You are shooting for so many hours?’ That’s how you work! How come that question is never asked to your son? But it doesn’t bother me. Theek hai, it’s a different generation,” says the Human actress.
The powerhouse of talent has an interesting pipeline of projects. Shefali will be soon seen in films like Darlings, Doctor G, and Jalsa. Needless to say, we can’t wait to witness her craft on screen yet again.
