Shefali Shah reacts to Deepika Padukone's stipulated work hours debate

How long does it take for an actor to find her way back to a character when a new season is set to roll Shefali Shah who returns as DCP Vartika Chaturvedi in the third season of Delhi Crime says she wouldnrsquot know for a simple reason mdash she never let the character leave her system ldquoThere are parts that you do and move on This is something I canrsquot move on fromrdquo she starts Her emotional attachment to the Netflix series is evident But with the attachment comes nervousness even though she has played the astute cop who rarely misses a thing for two seasons even bagging an International Emmy nomination in 2023 ldquoMy biggest fear is that Irsquoll let Vartika and Delhi Crime downrdquo she admits candidly before saying how the show elicits conflicting emotions in her ldquoWhen I get to know wersquore doing another season I am the happiest But I donrsquot let go of that fear I just surrenderrdquoSurrendering to scripts and characters is something every artiste swears by But surrendering to the industryrsquos functioning style is something more and more actors are voicing out against With Deepika Padukonersquos recent episode opening a dialogue about worklife balance and stipulated working hours in the industry many actors mdash including Sonakshi Sinha and Konkona Sensharma mdash have batted for regulation of working conditions on sets In an unregulated workplace like the film industry can there be a way for actors to negotiate working hoursldquoWe need to have this discussion desperatelyrdquo emphasises Shah ldquoWe are reasonable people So we realise the need to accommodate if a location is not available tomorrow or something has to be done now But it canrsquot be the normrdquoShah says ldquoI take oneandahalf hours to reach the set and the same time to return For those hours on set I give it my all I go back home and hopefully I can go to the gym because thatrsquos part of my job Then I will shower eat go back to the script and then wake up the next morning for another day of work How many hours of sleep am I getting And how are you expecting me to come with my AgamerdquoThe actor echoes what Sinha told midday recently about the crew suffering more than the actors What takes 14 hours on set can be done in eight Nov 1 ldquoOn one of the last films I shot for which had a 10hour schedule some of the ADs said lsquoThank God she leaves because that way we get to gorsquo The rest of the crew doesnrsquot get paid extra for the overtime Is it fair to them There are sets where lightmen come at four in the morning and therersquos no system of breakfast for themrdquoWhat only makes matters worse is the disparity of treatment between male and female stars Some stars have pointed out how the same demands made by male actors are readily accommodated but viewed as a problem when asked for by a female counterpart Shah agrees noting ldquoWe female actors are talking about eight hours and 10 hours contractually but have we even accounted for the number of hours some male actors come late Thatrsquos not even consideredrdquo She emphasises that such long working hours over years can cause burnout leaving artistes mentally and creatively bankrupt Once somebody said lsquoI am made to waitrsquo I replied lsquoI am paid to waitrsquo When you have taken my dates you use them you make me do a scene you make me wait in my van itrsquos fine because itrsquos part of my job but donrsquot keep pushing me against the wall because at some point I am going to have to push back I could never say no I also have this fitoor ki masa aaraha hai karate jao I have done 20hour shifts But itrsquos going to take a toll Even I donrsquot realise it itrsquos going to show somewhere because I am not going to be there fully My brain would have halfstopped working she saidBut undisciplined sets are not all that wersquore talking about There are the other kinds too mdash the ones that spark joy and creative stimulation Like the one led by Delhi Crime 3 director Tanuj Chopra where Shah was joined by cast regulars Rajesh Tailang Rasika Dugal and Jaya Bhattacharya as well as new entrants to the universe Sayani Gupta Mita Vashisht and of course Huma Qureshi who plays the antagonist in the police procedural drama ldquoSadly Huma and I just had two scenes I wish we had more work but when I heard that she is doing the series I was so excited When we met mdash be it Huma Sayani Mita marsquoam mdash there was no such thing as breaking the ice It was almost like being a part of something we wanted to create together Itrsquos one of the most powerful female ensemble casts yoursquoll ever seerdquoIn the film industry sets populated by women have historically been called many things mdash difficult filled with insecurity and almost all wrapped up in misogyny She smiles as she describes this set as a place of sisterhood ldquoI donrsquot want to undermine male actors because I have worked with some amazing ones but I have felt a silent sisterhood I feel that for other people around me and the same was true on this set You have to see how happy I get when I am with all these beautiful womenrdquoMira Nair with her son and Mayorelect Zohran MamdaniEven though Shefali Shah hasnrsquot met Zohran Mamdani she feels a bond with the Mayorelect of New York City The actor who worked with Mamdanirsquos mother Mira Nair in lsquoMonsoon Weddingrsquo 2001 shares ldquoFrom the time we did lsquoMonsoon Weddingrsquo to date I get a Christmas or New Yearrsquos card from Nair which has a picture of all three of them So I have seen him from his childhood to now I donrsquot know him personally but it his recent win feels so goodrdquo