Shefali Shah and Vir Das on what it is like to experience mid-career success

When Shefali Shah and Vir Das are in conversation they share the easy camaraderie of two friends and collaborators One wonders why they have not been cast yet for an ldquoactors on actorsrdquo talk show segmentOn a breezy Monday evening at Netflix Indiarsquos Mumbai office theyrsquore waiting in anticipation for the 2023 International Emmy Awards where they have been nominated in the Best Actress and Best Comedy categories Das 44 an avowed fan of the Satya and Darlings actress is certain she will win ldquoI hope we both dordquo Shah 50 says to himWhen the actor and comedianrsquos respective sense of craft is juxtaposed what emerges is an intriguing contrast Shah who is nominated for the multiseason police procedural drama Delhi Crime is known for her restrained silence during intense moments Das is recognised for his outspokennessmdasha trait that has earned him his second International Emmy nod for his comedy special LandingShefali Shah and Vir DasThese aspects are reflective of something deeper ldquoIrsquom not outspoken Irsquom just talking about the world because I am a part of it and I will speak up about what I seerdquo he says Shah says the privilege of performing before the camera is that it captures the smallest of nuances ldquoWhen I can say something in two words I donrsquot want to use four And if I can say something without words I wonrsquot even use two What is unsaid and left to the imagination is far more beautifulrdquo she saysShah and Das are illustrious examples of what it is like to experience midcareer success in the Indian entertainment industry Far from being burnt out they think it is a gift to be occupied with work ldquoI feel like Irsquove been building an engine all these years Now the garage is open and itrsquos time for a test driverdquo Das says elatedly He highlights the democratic nature of standup comedy where the audience is vast enough for all comedians to have their fill where on any given day at a comedy club a young entrant to the scene could earn more laughs than a veteranldquoThis is just the beginning for merdquo Shah says painting a picture of herself on setmdashobsessed adrenaline pumping and entirely consumed by the moment ldquoI hope the recognition I get in present times changes peoplersquos perspective towards my work Previously the love respect and compliments I earned didnrsquot translate into opportunities It was depressing and it finally changed after Delhi Crime The offers I have received ever since have made me greedier for good workrdquo she saysHaving persevered through their early years means that nominationsmdashor even awardsmdashwill not alter the unconventional experimental nature of their career choices ldquoRight from the beginning when I didnrsquot have anythingmdashnot even the sense of what is right and what is wrong or what it means to be successfulmdashI made choices which turned me inside out And I will continue to do that I donrsquot know any other wayrdquo Shah saysDas says his choices have been solely informed by the intention to become better at what he does If he is at the crossroads and must pick between a streaming show and doing comedy at a small venue where he will meet his idols he will pick the latter in a heartbeat ldquoFor me international recognition is the ability to do a world tour to add more countries to my tours over the years Itrsquos crazy right that in Australiarsquos Adelaide there is one theatre and therersquos a poster of you put up there A few months from now there will be 2000 people there to watch yourdquo Das seems to say out loud to the Noida boy inside himThe comedian sharply notes that awards will not change the expectations of the crowds he performs for nor will they buy him any liberties with them If anything recognition raises the bar an artiste must aim formdasha pressure that Shah has grappled with too especially on the first day of a new setldquoThe one thing our two pieces of content have in common is that they feature a realistic side of India with purity of human intentionrdquo Das says highlighting the sense of artistic responsibility that is central to their work Delhi Crime earned acclaim for its depiction of the 2012 Delhi gang rape and Shahrsquos character DCP Vartika Chaturvedi a top officer with integrity and steely determination Shah says that the true events the show is based on demanded a heightened sense of responsibility from the crew and actorsldquoThere are people who have suffered that already you canrsquot make them suffer again because you misinterpreted itrdquo she says This ethic defined how they responded to the news of their International Emmy win ldquoWe couldnrsquot joyously celebrate it because it was based on a case that had shaken the country It depicted the courage of a woman solving a crime committed against another woman We had to be aware of thatrdquo she saysDas on the other hand has long been a wry observer of Indian society and politics The special that he has been nominated for this year speaks of the perils of outragemdashspecifically the outrage that came after his Two Indiarsquos monologue where he set the countryrsquos social issues against its values and spirit ldquoI come from an India where we have the largest working population under 30 on the planet but still listen to 75yearold leaders with 150yearold ideasrdquo he declares in the monologue The comedian says he has trained his gaze on the country since the start because of his love for it