Shefali Shah

Shefali Shah, also credited as Shefali Chhaya, is a Hindi film actress admired for intense, layered performances. Audiences remember her most for Satya (1998), Gandhi, My Father (2007) and her role as police officer Vartika Chaturvedi in Delhi Crime (2019). Her top honour is the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress, which she earned for The Last Lear (2008). She began on the Gujarati stage and in television, and had a small part in Rangeela (1995). Her supporting turn in Satya brought her a Filmfare Critics Award, and she then took the lead in the Gujarati film Dariya Chhoru (1999). Over the next years she chose her work with care, appearing in Monsoon Wedding (2001), Waqt (2005), Kucch Luv Jaisaa (2011) and Dil Dhadakne Do (2015). Playing Kasturba Gandhi in Gandhi, My Father won her Best Actress at the Tokyo International Film Festival. From Juice (2017) onward she moved into central parts, and 2022 brought Human, Jalsa, Darlings and a new season of Delhi Crime. Shah is praised for quiet strength and emotional depth on screen. Juice won her a Filmfare Short Film Award, and Delhi Crime's return earned her an International Emmy nomination. Her portrayal of a woman slowly losing her memory in Three of Us (2023) added another Filmfare Critics Award to her shelf.