In an exclusive conversation with The Pioneer, actress Sheeba Chaddha opens up about her emotionally layered role as Sushma—a working mother navigating grief, silence, and strength. Drawing from real-life experiences and shared womanhood, she reflects on how deeply familiar these emotions are for working women everywhere. From the quiet intensity of her character to her natural chemistry with co-actor Rajesh Tailang, Sheeba shares how personal truths often shape the most powerful performances
Highlighted Quote: As working women and mothers, we all feel that very deeply. We recognize it a lot, where so much needs to be held in, many times. And that’s quite the way we all navigate life. So yes, very, very familiar
Tejal Sinha
There are actors who dazzle on screen, and then there are those who stay with you—long after the credits roll—because of how rooted, layered, and emotionally true their performances feel. Sheeba Chaddha belongs firmly in the latter category. From playing a caring mother to complex matriarchs, her characters are always infused with quiet power and unspoken vulnerability.
There’s an effortless honesty that Sheeba Chaddha brings to every role—an honesty that doesn’t need to scream or dramatize, but instead lingers in the silences, the gazes, and the quiet unraveling of emotion. In her latest role as Sushma, a mother caught between chaos and grief, Sheeba portrays a woman whose stillness speaks louder than words—and one that she personally finds deeply relatable.
“Sushma’s character reflects certain silence and strength at the same time,” Sheeba reflects. “I don’t think there were specific scenes like that—I think in all the scenes, these two emotions reflect, because that’s quite accurately her dominant emotion.” For Sheeba, the familiarity of this emotional terrain comes from life itself. “As working women and mothers, we all feel that very deeply. We recognize it a lot, where so much needs to be held in, many times. And that’s quite the way we all navigate life. So yes, very, very familiar.”
Her performance doesn’t rest on theatricality. Instead, it quietly mirrors the emotional labor that countless women carry every day. That’s exactly what made portraying Sushma so poignant for her. “I think all women carry a good amount of grief and chaos,” she says. “Particularly, again, I’d say as working mothers and working women, we are very aware of and familiar with these two states.”
There’s a grounded clarity in how Sheeba discusses the role—she doesn’t separate it from reality, but instead folds it into the lived experience of many women around her. In Sushma’s resilience, restraint, and silent heartbreak, there are echoes of people we all know—mothers, colleagues, friends, perhaps even ourselves.
One of the many things that elevates Sushma’s character is the chemistry Sheeba shares with co-actor Rajesh Tailang, who plays her husband in the project. Their onscreen dynamic feels less performed and more lived-in. According to Sheeba, that natural ease comes from a long-standing creative comfort. “Yeah, it helps a lot, the fact that we’ve now worked together for quite a few years,” she says. “It really does feel like home. I’m very, very comfortable—it’s like being with family, and I think he feels the same.”
That sense of familiarity helped them build a believable portrait of a couple weathered by time, routine, and shared history. “It always helps, especially in a zone like this, where people have been together for a long time,” she adds. “When you’re doing that back-and-forth pitch, it’s just easier when you already have that with your co-actor. In something like this, it really helps.”
Sheeba Chaddha’s strength as an actor lies in how she makes the ordinary extraordinary. With Sushma, she doesn’t just deliver a performance—she holds up a mirror. To every woman who’s ever had to carry chaos quietly. To every mother who’s ever juggled grief and grit. And to every viewer who knows that strength often speaks the loudest in silence.
