Actor Shefali Shah launched her autobiography, The Audacity of Being, at Godrej Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest 2026. In a session titled “The Choices We Make”, she spoke with journalist and author Jane Borges about the experiences that have shaped her life and career, from childhood and motherhood to her professional choices, self-doubt and the courage to be vulnerable.
Telling her story, honestly
On writing the book, Shah said: “It was my choice to put in what I felt like and skip what I wanted to. I was sure of one thing, that whatever I put in, once I’ve decided that, that’s going to be in complete honesty. And, whether this is good or bad, I’m glad I stuck to that. I know it’s honest.”
She also explained why she chose not to write a scandal-driven account: “I feel a scandal is only important for that much time. After that, it’s not real. And certain conversations don’t just belong to me, they belong to other people. And I have no right to venture into that because this is my book and I cannot disrespect anyone by trying to pass a judgment on what they thought or believed.”
On moving forward after failure
“You fail, you fall down, you get hurt, then you grieve about it for some time, then what? Then you have to get up and move at some point in time,” she said. “Failure isn’t where it all ends. It’s in fact the start of going to build yourself up stronger.”
Read more from the festival in our Mumbai LitFest 2026 wrap-up and award winners.
Disclaimer: The images used in this article have been provided to The Daily Brunch by Godrej Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest.
