With the world being online on social media, we have come to realize that reel life is different from real life. But when it comes to celebrities, we fail to acknowledge the fact that in real life, they are not like the characters they play in their movies.
They are not like their airbrushed selves we see during events and award shows. It takes an army of professionals to make them look that way. But outside of work, they’re normal people like us, with imperfections.
Bollywood actor Shefali Shah has been in the industry for over 27 years. She is well-known for her performances in ‘Moonsoon Wedding’, ‘Delhi Crime’ and ‘Jalsa’, among others.
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But it was only recently that she realized that people can be mindless and sometimes critical and harsh when commenting on someone’s look or appearance, even on a popular celeb like her.
Taking to Instagram, the ‘Human’ actor shared a picture of her sleeping on her seat on an airplane. In the lengthy caption to the picture, she penned about a fan encounter that left her thinking.
“The air hostess sweetly took my breakfast order and suggested I don’t keep anything on the side on my seat cause it can slip into the crevices. I’ve lost many things having not taken the advice in the past. I’m grateful for her kind advice and I did listen. She came back, I thought to reinstate the swallowing capacity of my seat but no. She came to appreciate my work and it was so heartwarming and wonderful to hear.” (sic)
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The actor said the crew member who appreciated her work came back to say that she and the other crew didn’t recognize her at first as she looked so different than she does on screen.
“She left me smiling to return yet again. This time to say- “me and the other crew didn’t even recognise you. You look so different than you do on screen, but love your work.” smiled and left. The ‘But’ planted a seed of doubt. Don’t know if what I saw in her eyes was appreciation, compassion, or sympathy.” (sic)
Shah wasn’t sure if it was appreciation, compassion, or sympathy. It almost felt like she was sorry for her for looking so different IRL.
“She almost seemed sorry for me. Not saying but meaning ‘Must be so deceiving and disappointing to look like someone and be appreciated for it but then in life waking up with your real self’. She came back with my breakfast serving me very sweetly. Ever smiling. She wasn’t mean at all she just seemed genuinely concerned at my genetics and awed by my makeup and hair artists magical expertise.” (sic)
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At this point, the actor wasn’t hungry but was left thinking of the crew’s comment on the way she looks outside of her work.
“My appetite had flown out of the sealed window at 1500 ft so I just sat with my coffee thinking maybe she meant I looked different as a character than Shefali does. Now that is a compliment. I want to look like a character, become the role I play. That’s my job, and that gives me immense pride. At least she left me with a choice of ambiguity. I could fill in the blanks as I wished.” (sic)
Apparently, this wasn’t the first time she was subjected to such unsolicited, judgemental comments from people. She was almost once reprimanded for not looking like her characters.
“But trust me this isn’t the worst that has been said to me. Some people have been judgemental and even reprimanding like I broke their trust for looking like myself. Like I’d cheated. A product bought online. Ordered something else got something else.” (sic)
Someone even said to her that she looks good on TV than in person.
“The most epic one was years ago when one person said ‘T.V pe toh achi lagti hai’. I wasn’t angry I was just amused at this ridiculous lack of decency. I wanted to give a smart one back “Atleast I clean up well, what are you going to do with this face you are stuck with”. but It didn’t seem worth it.”
She concluded her post by clarifying that she doesn’t wake up perfectly. “I’m not a mannequin, nor a painting. I am REAL, as real as one can be.”
You can read her entire post here:
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Celebrity or not, people really need to cut down on making loose remarks about others whenever they meet them. How about asking how are they doing or how’s life rather can saying ‘You have gained weight’ or ‘Your complexion looks dull’? A little mindfulness and compassion are what others need and you would too.