Actress Shefali Shah recently hailed Jaideep Ahlawat as her “favourite co-star”, saying that his rise to fame mirrors the changes that OTT platforms introduced to the film and television industry.
The 52-year-old actress spoke at the ongoing seventh edition of the Dehradun Literature Festival. Heaping praise on her co-star, Shefali said that Ahlawat’s filmography brings her immense joy and that he deserves all of it.
“He is so cool. The OTT has changed our lives. We were all considered talented, but where would we be placed in those big commercial films? So, when I see his growth, it makes me so happy,” Shefali said at the three-day literary festival at Doon International School.
Recalling the time she felt a sense of pride when she saw an Amul hoarding featuring Ahlawat after released, Shefali added, “If Amul’s hoarding is there, that is the ultimate. I felt so happy to see him – I still getting goosebumps. He deserves all the accolades.
The 53-year-old actor opened up about the roles she had to turn down. These include , Mira Nair’s adaptation of the celebrated novel by Jhumpa Lahiri and , the critically-acclaimed crime drama directed by Meghna Gulzar.
“I didn’t turn down these projects because I wasn’t interested. At the time, I was already committed to other films. While ‘The Namesake’ was happening, I was working on ‘Gandhi, My Father’, and when ‘Talvar’ came up, I was busy with ‘Dil Dhadakne Do,'” she shared.
Shefali recently returned as DIG Vartika Chaturvedi in the third season of her Emmy-winning series, which released on November 13.