49 year old Bollywood actress Shefali Shah has spoken out about age discrimination faced by older women in the acting industry.
Shefali Shah has never shied away from speaking out about the issue.
“Yes, ageism was very prominent in our industry and I can’t give a better example than myself. Earlier people didn’t know where to cast me because I played the role of a mother at a very early age and I was looking old, and unfortunately, earlier actresses had a very short shelf life of 18-22 years old, but it has changed drastically for me.”
Age discrimination in Bollywood
The star spoke last year about the age discrimination she has faced, even from early on in her career.
In the film Waqt: The Race Against Time, Shefali Shah played a mother at 28 years of age. Her son was played by the then 32 year old Akshay Kumar.
“I played age very early. I played Akshay Kumar’s mother when I was around 28. I got Hasratein when I was 20 and played a 30-35-year-old in it. ”
After becoming frustrated at constantly playing “aged” roles, Shefali Shah decided that she would be more selective about the roles she took on.
“After a point, I decided if I’m not getting the work that drives me crazy, I will sit at home. I reached this peace that such kind of work won’t come every day. And the few films I did raise that bar. I’ve said no to work even if it meant sitting at home for two years, not doing anything. ”
It is not just Shefali Shah that has experienced ageism. During a recent interview, the 47-year-old actor Sonali Bendre said that the male actors she worked with in the 1990’s are still more popular than the female actresses of the era. From here, she went on to discuss how Bollywood actresses from her time are no longer seen in any projects.
Ageism and attitudes to age
Despite Shefali Shah facing discrimination earlier in her career, she has experienced a change more recently.
She was cast for the role of lead police inspector for the 2019 Netflix series ” Delhi Crime”. This role saw her break away from “aged” roles. She has since been offered other key roles in both TV and film. She is getting lead characters and roles written specifically for her.
Shefali Shah will soon be seen in “Delhi Crime 2”, a follow up to Netflix’s hit. She will then feature in a number of new productions including “Doctor G” which is directed by filmmaker Anubhuti Kashyap and which stars actor Ayushman Khurrana and actress Rakul Preet Singh, as well as “Jalsa”, a film which is directed by filmmaker Suresh Triveni, where she will be co-starring besides actress Vidya Balan.
Despite Shefali Shah’s success, other women actors in India still face age discrimination.
Sonali Bendre has similar views to Shefali Shah. She has said that that there is a lot of debate about ageism in Bollywood, and that she is confident that it is heading in the right direction. She said that she is “overjoyed” that older women are finally getting the opportunity get good roles. Similarly, Dia Mirza has spoken about how it is “liberating” to get the best parts now that she is in her 40s.
Age discrimination law in India
There are no laws against age discrimination in India. Actors like Shefali Shah have no legal ways of challenging ageism in the Bollywood industry and preventing other women from being affected by age discrimination.