Actor Shefali Shah believes that sharing personal stories also comes with a responsibility to respect the privacy of the people involved. While her debut book, The Audacity of Being: A Sort-of Memoir, offers readers a glimpse into her life and experiences, she has been mindful of how much she reveals about the people closest to her, including her husband, filmmaker Vipul Amrutlal Shah, her children and her friends.
In an exclusive conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Shefali spoke about the decisions she made while writing the memoir, explaining that she consulted her sons before including chapters about them. “One of the big things was when it is about, let’s say, Vipul. Or the kids. Or a certain friend. It’s their story as well. So I have to maintain that respect,” she explained. Shefali Shah seeks her sons’ permission before sharing their pictures online For Shefali, writing about her family was not a decision she could make entirely on her own. She acknowledged, “When I was thinking of certain things, when I wanted to write my kids’ chapters, I asked the boys. I mean, I have to take their permission even to put a photograph on social media. So I asked them, and they were like, ‘Okay, about this, not about this.’”
The same consideration informed her writing process. Rather than treating her memoir as an account of her experiences alone, Shefali recognised that the people who have been part of her journey have their own perspectives and personal boundaries.
“I was very clear that this is not about picking on anyone. This is what I feel. Is it right or wrong? I don’t know. This is the way I’ve lived my life. This is how it is. This is my perception of things. I’m not saying this is the right thing,” she said. Why Shefali Shah chose not to share certain details in her memoir While a memoir invites readers into an author’s personal world, Shefali said she did not approach the book with a fixed set of rules about what she would or would not disclose. Instead, she relied on her own comfort level when deciding which experiences to include.
Asked how she determined what she would not reveal, the actor explained that the decision was straightforward. If she did not feel comfortable discussing something, she chose not to write about it.
“It was what doesn't work for me. I mean, there wasn't a… it was just like, no, I don't want to talk about it. It's really as simple as that,” she said.
“And that's exactly how I chose it. So there wasn't like, you know, there isn't a line as such. It is my story. I am telling it. I'm telling it as honestly as I want,” she said.
The actor also emphasised that honesty remained essential to the writing process. While she was comfortable leaving certain details out, she did not want to include anything that was untrue.
“And the thought was that if I put in something, it won't be false. That's that was primary. It can't be false. So there might be something I don't want to talk about. I won't talk about it. But it can't be false,” she added.
Published on October 1, 2026, The Audacity of Being: A Sort-of Memoir brings together Shefali’s personal experiences and reflections.
Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Shefali Shah confesses she was not convinced about writing a memoir as her debut book; says, “I have copyright over my own story”
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