After watching Shefali Shah in Satya, Mira Nair thought she didn’t know English: ‘I had done my job’

Speaking about her role in the feature and how she got on board Monsoon Wedding, the actor told journalist Smita Prakash, “This was just after Satya. Mira Nair reached out to me (with Monsoon Wedding) and said ‘I don’t know whether you speak English,’ which meant that I had done my job in Satya.” The actor said after that interaction which lasted a few minutes, Shah bagged the job of a lifetime.

Shefali also spoke about how playing Ria was something she could relate to as women everywhere have to face this issue at some point in their lives: “Like I said earlier, everyone’s gone through it. I remember walking in a crowded market and being touched inappropriately and feeling crap about it. And, never ever saying anything because I wouldn’t say it was guilt but it’s just…shameful. A lot of people think, did I do anything? You feel guilty, shameful and you feel ‘bhool jao (forget it). Shove it under the carpet kind of thing’. Honestly, I don’t think I gave it so much thought that it’s an important conversation to speak. It was just something that struck straight inside me.”

Monsoon Wedding premiered in Cannes, and went on to bag the Golden Lion award at the Venice International Film Festival. It was also nominated for a Golden Globe that year.