Shefali Shah: I want to direct a full-length feature at some point

As someone used to collecting accolades for her performances, Shefali Shah continues to pick challenging roles to play on screen. While she’s ready to reprise her police officer character in Emmy-winner Delhi Crime’s second season, she’s also playing extremely crucial parts in films like Doctor G,

Jalsa

and

Darlings

. In the midst of this, the actress made time to direct a short film called

Happy Birthday Mummyji

, revolving around the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

She not only directed it but also acted in it. And what does not surprise us is that she’s directing another short film and plans dive into a full-length feature, too. Talking about it, Shefali says, “It was very exciting. I work well under pressure. It was challenging also because I was making a short film. There are constraints of time and money and there was no way I was going to compromise on the creative vision of the film. Even in the smallest things, I don’t like compromising. It took more than a month of thorough planning and prep for a two-day shoot. In fact, we lost four hours on the first day of shooting to the rains. I didn’t know how I would complete it on time. It was all over the place. Making any film requires you to keep your creative vision in place but also have your eyes on the logistics. The thing is, all this is very exciting and addictive. If I could, I would have made another short film that I have the material for. I would need two days to shoot that. I also want to direct a full-length feature but I don’t know when I will be able to do it because when I go on the set, I want to be fully prepared. My husband Vipul (Amrutlal Shah) jokes that the way I work, if I jump into a feature now, I will vanish from the grid. I don’t want to do that right now because as an actress, I am doing the work I wanted to do. Having said that, I will direct the short film and the feature I have in mind.”