Actress Sheeba Chaddha, who began her Bollywood journey in 1998, still remembers her first film Dil Se with Shah Rukh Khan and Manisha Koirala.
A graduate of Delhi’s Hansraj College, she shared the same campus as Shah Rukh, though he was her senior. Years later, she would find herself portraying his mother on screen.
The tiny role that led to a big memory
In a candid chat with Siddharth Kannan, Sheeba laughed about her debut role, “My role in ‘Dil Se’ was so small that I barely remember it, but I do remember going to Darjeeling for the shoot and seeing Shah Rukh.”
One snowy day, Manisha Koirala wasn’t available for an important scene. Director Mani Ratnam approached Sheeba with an unusual request: to wear Manisha’s costume and act as her body double. She agreed, unknowingly adding an odd but memorable credit to her career.
Years later, Sheeba appeared alongside Shah Rukh again in Raees and Zero, both times playing his mother.
“He’s my college senior, but I never reminded him of that fact,” she said with a smile.
During Raees’ promotions in Delhi, Shah Rukh spoke warmly of her in interviews, “An actress is playing my mother in this film, pay attention to her, she’s amazing,” he had said, despite not sharing a single scene with her.
A gentleman on set
Sheeba also recalled a moment from Zero, “There was a scene where he was getting beaten, and I had to save him. Before the shot, he came to me and asked, ‘Can I touch you?’ I said, ‘Yes, it’s fine, let’s do it.'”
For her, the fact that he knew her name before she even arrived on set was a gesture that stayed with her.
Born and raised in Delhi, Sheeba’s love for theatre began early. She attended workshops, performed extensively, and studied English literature at Hansraj. Her filmography includes Parzania, Delhi-6, Luck by Chance, and Talaash. Her role as Nain Tara Tiwari in Dum Laga Ke Haisha was widely praised.
She went on to earn Filmfare nominations for Badhaai Do and Doctor G, winning for Badhaai Do.