Indian actress Sheeba Chaddha has revealed an interesting chapter from her life — she was once a junior to Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan during her college days, yet later in her career, she portrayed the role of his mother on the big screen.

In a recent interview with Indian media, Sheeba Chaddha reflected on her journey in the film industry and spoke about her first experience working with Shah Rukh Khan and actress Manisha Koirala in the 1998 film Dil Se. She recalled that her role in the movie was so brief that she can hardly remember it now. During the filming, there was a scene that Manisha Koirala could not perform due to other commitments. To keep the shooting schedule intact, the production team asked Sheeba to wear Manisha’s costume and step into the scene. Although it was a small moment, it became her first notable connection to Shah Rukh Khan on a film set.

Years later, Sheeba was offered more substantial roles alongside Shah Rukh Khan. She acted in the 2017 blockbuster Raees, where she portrayed the mother of Khan’s character. The very next year, in 2018, she appeared again in Zero, once more playing the role of Shah Rukh’s mother. These roles created an unusual dynamic — despite being his junior in real life and only eight years younger than him, she found herself portraying a much older maternal figure to one of Bollywood’s most iconic actors.

Sheeba explained that Shah Rukh Khan was her senior by eight years in college, and she had always looked up to him as an inspiring figure. She admired his charisma and work ethic, qualities that she would later witness firsthand while working with him in films. But the casting choices in Bollywood, she revealed, often have little to do with actual age and more to do with the director’s vision or the story’s requirements.

Speaking about the casting process for motherly roles in the industry, Sheeba pointed out that it is not unusual for actresses to play the mother of actors who are barely a decade younger than them. She even mentioned instances from television where women in their early thirties were cast as the mothers of middle-aged male characters. She found this practice surprising at first, questioning how it made sense for the audience, but soon she learned to adapt.

“When I started, I would think, ‘Why am I playing the mother of someone who is almost my age?’” she said. “But eventually, I realized that this is part of the profession. You either accept it and keep working, or you keep resisting and lose opportunities.” According to her, the industry rarely considers the actual age gap when assigning family roles, and once an actress successfully portrays a motherly figure, she may often be typecast in similar roles.

Sheeba Chaddha has become known for her versatility and ability to bring warmth and authenticity to the characters she plays, whether as a loving mother, a strict matriarch, or a quirky supporting character. In her view, an actor’s job is to immerse themselves in the role, regardless of personal feelings about the character’s age, relationship, or background.

In the case of her roles alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Sheeba approached them with a professional mindset. She did not allow the small real-life age difference to affect her portrayal, understanding that in the audience’s mind, the emotional bond of a mother and son matters more than the actual years between the actors.

Her journey also highlights the challenges faced by actresses in Bollywood, particularly regarding typecasting. Many female actors find themselves offered motherly roles much earlier in their careers than they expect. While male actors are often given romantic or action roles well into their fifties, female actors can be moved into maternal roles in their thirties or forties. Sheeba’s openness about this industry bias has sparked conversations about how casting decisions reflect broader societal views on aging and women’s careers.

Despite these industry realities, Sheeba Chaddha has embraced her roles with grace. She considers every part — no matter how big or small — as a chance to grow as an actor. Whether she is stepping in for a leading lady at the last minute, as she did in Dil Se, or portraying the mother of one of the world’s biggest stars, she treats each opportunity with dedication and respect for the craft.

Her willingness to adapt has paid off. Over the years, Sheeba has built a diverse body of work across films, television, and theatre. She has played comedic, dramatic, and emotional roles, earning a reputation as a dependable character actor. In interviews, she often emphasizes that the true joy of acting lies in telling the story convincingly, not in worrying about whether the role matches one’s real-life persona.

Looking back, Sheeba finds it amusing that a college junior like herself ended up as Shah Rukh Khan’s on-screen mother — not once, but twice. For her, these coincidences are part of the magic of cinema, where imagination can transform relationships and timelines, and where age is often just a number.

In the end, Sheeba Chaddha’s story is not just about working with a superstar she once knew as a senior; it is about resilience, adaptability, and the ability to thrive in an unpredictable industry. By embracing roles that may seem unconventional on paper, she has demonstrated that a committed performance can transcend age, background, and even the expectations of the audience.

Her experience serves as both an insight into Bollywood’s casting quirks and an inspiring reminder to fellow actors: opportunities may not always come in the form you expect, but if you accept them wholeheartedly, they can still lead to memorable and meaningful work.