Exclusive! Shefali Shah on detaching herself from roles: Never easy to let go of characters you love

One of the most unforgettable and surprising roles played by Shefali Shah is Dr. Gauri Nath in Disney+ Hotstar's Human. The talented actor was seen as a neurologist who was also the brainchild behind human drug trials and their shocking results. Shefali indeed took everyone by surprise with her character, and she was also lauded for her incredible performance.

During an exclusive interaction with OTTplay, the actor was asked how she detaches from a role like this in Human.

Shefali said, "With Human, it was very exciting to play Dr Gauri Nath because you don't have a reference, and I've never met anybody like her. I could go anywhere, with my imagination creating her. It's really good that I detached from her and didn't take her home because she's pretty unhealthy for a lot of people around me. A lot of people would be unsaved in her presence. But while I'm making a film or a show, I'm completely obsessed with it. It doesn't mean I start behaving like that person after the scene is over. But I am obsessed with the script and the part. I'm in another zone altogether and I'm very happy being there."

The Delhi Crime actor explained that immediately disconnecting from an intense or “heavy” scene is not difficult, but she does prefer to return to her comfort zone. “If I'm doing a heavy scene, yes, I'll be consumed by it. But otherwise, it's not like I don't laugh and smile, or if I'm screaming on-screen, it doesn't mean I'm going to go run screaming at people. I don't believe that. I just get so consumed that I get empty by the end of a project. I've given it everything. I don't have anything more left. So, probably because of that, it's easy for me to write. It's never easy to let go of characters that you love so much. But I think it just takes everything out of me. So there's not much left to carry back home,” she said.

Is there any process of unwinding at the end of the day? Shefali responded by saying, "Like I said, when I'm doing a project, I'm totally like everyone knows, I'm in my zone. But after it gets over, I love watching films, shows, etc. One of the things is that some days, I just want to lie around, do nothing, and then, obviously, spend time with my parents or whatever. But if I could have it my way, I'd run away immediately after the project. I would just go off on a holiday."

Recently, Human’s co-director Mozez Singh spoke about making the second season of the series. He mentioned that the cast will be the same but the storyline will be different. When asked about an update on the same, Shefali quipped, "If you get to know me, please let me know."

The actor even revealed that she had asked Vipul Amrutlal Shah, the creator of Human, and her husband about the second season. However, he told Shefali that they were still figuring it out and she was waiting to hear from both.

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Human also featured Kirti Kulhari as the female lead, alongside Shefali Shah. The series is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.