Shefali Shah Reveals Amitabh Bachchan Recommended Her for ‘Waqt’ Role

Actor Shefali Shah has recalled how Amitabh Bachchan’s recommendation helped her land the role of Akshay Kumar’s mother in the 2005 film Waqt: The Race Against Time, despite her husband and director Vipul Shah initially advising against casting her.

Shefali was barely in her 30s when she played Sumi, the mother of Akshay Kumar’s character, even though she was younger than him in real life. Looking back on the experience in her debut book, The Audacity of Being: A Sort-of Memoir, the actor said the decision eventually had a lasting impact on her career.

According to Shefali, Vipul had originally wanted Jaya Bachchan for the role. Veteran actor Hema Malini was also considered, but the idea was dropped because her pairing with Amitabh Bachchan could make the film feel too similar to Baghban (2003), which featured the two actors.

Shefali said she became interested in Sumi after watching the play Aavjo Vhala, Fari Malishu, written and directed by Aatish Kapadia, on which Waqt was based. However, Vipul initially rejected her request, warning that playing a mother so early could typecast her permanently.

The situation changed when Amitabh Bachchan, who was the film's “unanimous and only choice” for the father’s role, suggested Shefali’s name. She eventually got the opportunity, which she described as an “opportunity of a lifetime” because it allowed her to work with two people she admired deeply.

However, Shefali admitted that she underestimated the professional consequences. She had expected the industry to appreciate her ability to portray a character much older than herself, but instead, she said, “I was bombarded with ‘mommy’ roles.”

She feared becoming the industry's next Nirupa Roy, known for playing self-sacrificing mothers in films such as Deewaar and Amar Akbar Anthony. While she does not blame Waqt entirely for her career trajectory, Shefali believes the decision influenced the roles she was offered afterward.

Despite this, she remains grateful for the film and her experience working with Amitabh Bachchan, whom she described as a humble legend who treated her as an equal.