My first break

It has been a long, almost agonising journey for Shefali Chhaya. The actress who has won accolades for her gritty performance in Ramgopal Varma8217;s Satya has found the going hard. quot;I started off long, long ago with Gujarati plays. My first role on television was in Campus, but Hasratein was definitely the turning point,quot; she says. And she is right. Shefali had to pick up the threads of Savi from where the high-profile Seema Kapoor had left off. quot;All the while I had played a sister or daughter or friend. This was my first lead role, and that too of a older woman. While everyone was sceptical about casting me, I convinced Ajay Sinha the director that my age didn8217;t matter, it was about attitude,quot; she says.

And even after being acknowledged as a star on the small screen, her film debut turned out to be a humiliating experience. quot;I acted in Rangeela,quot; she says, pauses and adds, quot;You8217;d have missed me if you blinked your eyes for a moment.quot; Savi was the girl whose mother throws tantrumsand who is then replaced by Urmila. quot;On the second day, I realised what was going on and told Ramu that I didn8217;t want his role or his money, and walked out. When I went to see the film, I was so hurt that my husband Harsh had to take me away halfway through the screening,quot; she says. So when the same director approached her for Satya, Shefali flatly refused. quot;He apologised to me for Rangeela. But I was adamant and picked up a lame excuse that there was a love scene which I didn8217;t want to do,quot; she recalls. To her surprise, Varma cut out the scene, and with both real-life hubby Harsh and reel-life husband Manoj Bajpai quot;on her casequot;, Shefali didn8217;t have much of a choice. quot;Today, I am happy I made the right decision, or I might have missed being a part of one of the most brilliant films made,quot; she says.