/> The sinfully-talented Shefali Shah has got herself another feather in her cap.

She has just won the Best Actor Award at the Tokyo Film Festival for her lyrical performance as Kasturba in Gandhi My Father.

The award is specially prestigious because there are no separate awards for best actor and actress in Tokyo. That is to say, they preferred Shefali's Kasturba to Darshan Jariwala's Gandhi and also all the other performances, male or female at the Tokyo film festival.

When I caught up with her in Australia where she's with her husband and children at the moment, Shefali sounded jubilant but baffled.

"I had no clue Gandhi My Father had been entered for the Tokyo Film Festival! I'd have loved to be there to represent the film and to receive such a huge honour. I've no clue why I wasn't informed! I wouldn't even have known I had won if my director Feroze Khan hadn't called me on Sunday to tell me."

Being one of the main players of a very prestigious film shouldn't Shefali be more informed on the progress of Gandhi My Father?

"What can I say? I'm just happy being part of the film. Yes, it saddens me that I'm not a more prominent part of the film's progression. But at the end of the day my performance is being appreciated. I'm also relieved that I'm not flooded with mother's roles after playing Kasturba, though a couple of them did come my way."

In the meanwhile Shefali is on the verge of signing a big film. "I'll be doing Rakeysh Mehra's next (Delhi 6). My other film Black & White with Anil Kapoor seems to be delayed. I also have Rituprano Ghosh's Last Lear where to my relief I play my age.

Maybe a little late in the day. But I've realized I need to act my age on screen. I can't be doing mother's roles prematurely as I've done in Gandhi My Father and in my husband's Waqt."

Sadly Shefali was left out of the Toronto Film Festival where Last Lear was screened. Nobody told me the film and its actors were going. I'd have happily funded my way to Toronto. It's such a huge honour. In fact my husband Vipul asked me to make my way to Toronto on my own. But how could I, when I wasn't invited."

She sighs, and laughs, "I just have to stop being so clueless about these things. I need to take myself and my career seriously after Gandhi My Father and Last Lear."