★ ‘I’d love to design for Salman Khan' -Shefali Sharma !
Mar 30, 2014 - Natasha Coutinho
It has been a year since Shefali Sharma entered the television industry with her show Bani — Ishq Ka Kalma. Although initially the show had a slow start, it soon picked up on the popularity charts and now the actress is better known by her screen name Bani.
A fashion designing student in real life, Shefali says that it took her a while to get used to her newfound popularity. She says, “Recently, I went to Amritsar for my exams. The minute I entered the college, I found myself being addressed to as ‘Ma’am’. In fact, my own teacher called me ‘Ma’am’. It was so awkward because I have been with these people for years and now suddenly I’m getting this special celebrity treatment.”
The actress says that now she doesn’t get much time to visit her hometown owing to her hectic schedule. Shefali misses everything about Punjab. “I miss my family the most. My brother is seven years younger to me and is currently staying in a hostel for his studies. My sister is two years younger and is studying fashion designing just like me. I couldn’t complete my final year but I plan to do that in the future,” she says. The actress also cannot help but miss the food back home. “You don’t get the same kind of food in Mumbai. I miss my mother’s aloo and gobi parathas. My uncle and aunt, who stay in Mumbai, do send me homemade Punjabi food at times. My mother too visits me sometimes,” she says.
While acting keeps Shefali busy, she admits that she is still equally passionate about her first love —- fashion designing. She says, “Given an opportunity I would love to design for Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit. Both are extremely good looking and can carry off any outfit.” However, when it comes to her favourite actor, it is another Khan who tops the list. “As an actor, Aamir Khan is my favourite he puts so much life into each role. Among actresses, I admire Kajol’s work.”
On her show, recently Shefali’s character had a makeover where the simple salwar kameez made way for Western outfits. The change of appearance wasn’t a challenge for her. She says, “In real life, I’m very comfortable in Western outfits but I did like Bani’s simple look. After the makeover, I had to be tip-top all the time. My nail paint needed to be in place as much as everything else. Maintaining that look was tough. My family back home wasn’t shocked by the transformation because they have seen me in Western outfits. Rather, they were shocked to witness my rude exchange of words with Parmeet (Gaurav Chaudhary) onscreen. They said, ‘Shefali! Tu aise kaise baat kar sakti hai?’” While the change in appearance came easily to her, Shefali had other challenges to overcome. “The scene where I had to drown has definitely been my toughest. I’m scared of water in real life so it was extremely difficult for me.”
It has been just a year since Shefali moved base to Mumbai but she has managed to make a few close friends in the industry. “My co-star Rajji (Neha Bagga) is closest to me. In fact we hit it off right from the start, when we were introduced to each other during the look test. I am also good friends with Toral Rasputra from Balika Vadhu,” she says.