Theatre is actress Shefali Shah's penance

Actress Shefali Shah had a seven-minute role in the film Satya. But she took it up mainly for the many layers that her role allowed to be portrayed. Shah, who began theatre at the age of 10, admits that she always looks for the potential and not the length of a role.

The actress will take stage to play a mother in the play Bas Itna Sa Khwab, the Hindi adaptation of the long-running Marathi play Dhyanimani.

Although the play has had over 500 shows, Shefali feels confident that her portrayal of her character offers new thoughts to reflect on every time. “You say the dialogue like you were saying it for the first time,” she says.

Someone who has dabbled with TV and cinema, she prefers theatre over those two mediums. She also feels it pushes one’s abilities as an actor. “Once the curtain rolls, you are out there on your own. It takes another level of concentration and meditation. It’s like a penance. Every show is a be all and end all,” she concludes.