Shefali clueless about honour at Tokyo film fest

Mumbai, Oct 31 (IANS) Shefali Shah has got another feather in her cap. She has just won the best actor award at the recently concluded Tokyo Film Festival for playing Kasturba in "Gandhi My Father" but the actress says she was clueless about the film's participation in the fest.

"I had no clue 'Gandhi My Father' had been sent for the Tokyo Film Festival. I'd have loved to be there to represent the film and to receive such a huge honour. I've no clue why I wasn't informed! I wouldn't even have known I had won if my director Feroze Khan hadn't called me on Sunday to tell me," Shefali told IANS.

The award is prestigious because there are no separate awards for actor and actress in Tokyo. That is to say, they preferred Shefali's Kasturba to Darshan Jariwala's Gandhi in the film and also all the other performances, male or female at the festival.

Being one of the main players of a prestigious film shouldn't Shefali be more informed on the progress of "Gandhi My Father"?

"What can I say? I'm just happy being part of the film. Yes, it saddens me that I'm not a more prominent part of the film's progression. But at the end of the day my performance is being appreciated. I'm also relieved that I'm not flooded with mother's roles after playing Kasturba, though a couple of them did come my way."

Meanwhile, Shefali is on the verge of signing a big film.

"I'll be doing Rakeysh Mehra's 'Delhi 6'. My other film 'Black & White' with Anil Kapoor seems to be delayed. I also have Rituparno Ghosh's 'The Last Lear' where to my relief I play my age.

"Maybe a little late in the day, but I've realised I need to act my age on screen. I can't be doing mother's roles prematurely as I've done in 'Gandhi My Father' and in my husband's 'Waqt - Race Against Time'."

Sadly, Shefali was left out of the Toronto Film Festival also where "The Last Lear" was screened.

"Nobody told me the film and its actors were going. I'd have happily funded my trip. It's such a huge honour. In fact, my husband Vipul asked me to make my way to Toronto on my own. But how could I when I wasn't invited?

"I just have to stop being so clueless about these things. I need to take myself and my career seriously after 'Gandhi My Father' and 'The Last Lear'."

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Gandhi My Father