Many Bollywood actresses began their careers with a range of roles but eventually won hearts by portraying iconic maternal characters. Legends like Reema Lagoo, Farida Jalal, Himani Shivpuri, and Nirupa Roy famously played the mother of actors close to, or even older than, their own age. But did you know about the actress who portrayed her own college senior’s mother on screen, not once, but twice? Surprisingly, she is eight years younger than the superstar in question.
The actress is none other than Sheeba Chaddha, known for her nuanced performances in Badhaai Do (2022), Doctor G (2022), and many others. She began her film journey in 1998 with a minor role in Dil Se.
In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, Sheeba Chaddha opened up about her experiences in Bollywood. She shared that she had played the on-screen mother of her college senior, none other than Shah Rukh Khan.
Recalling her very first film, she said: “I had almost no role in Dil Se. It was so small, I barely remember it. But I did get to shoot in Dalhousie and saw Shah Rukh Khan. Manisha Koirala wasn’t present during my scenes, and one day, as she was unavailable, Mani Ratnam personally asked if I would wear Manisha’s costume and act as her body double for a snow sequence.” Though her part in Dil Se was minimal, years later Sheeba shared the screen with Shah Rukh in Raees (2017) and Zero (2018), portraying his mother in both films.
Sheeba revealed that although Shah Rukh Khan is her college senior, she never reminded him of their shared academic past. She recalled: “When I was filming for Raees, Shah Rukh mentioned in a Delhi interview that there’s an actress playing his mother in the film, and how amazing she is. We didn’t even have a scene together, but that’s the kind of person he is.”
She also spoke fondly of his professionalism and respectfulness during the shoot of Zero, where he played a dwarf: “We had a scene where he was being beaten and I had to rush in and hug him. Before the scene, he came up to me and asked, ‘Can I touch you?’ I said, ‘Yes, of course.’ He’s incredibly thoughtful. He even knew my name before he arrived on set. That really stays with you.”
Discussing the reality of being cast in maternal roles, Sheeba said: “Half the time I’m playing a mother to sons who are only 10–12 years younger than me. It happens a lot in television—sometimes even a 30-year-old woman is shown as the mother of adult men. I was shocked at first, but I accepted it. I told myself: it’s just work. Do it and move on. If you resist, you’ll end up with no work.”
Sheeba Chaddha continues to shine on screen, gracefully navigating typecasting while delivering powerful performances that resonate with audiences across generations.
