India, Oct. 29 -- on-screen presence is unforgettable-you would know the thespian as the bold Vartika Chaturvedi in Delhi Crime, the restrained Shailaija from Three Of Us, or the menacing Gauri Nath in Human. There are no flawless, holier-than-thou characters that are getting chalked up on the slate, Shah is not for the easy or the ornamental. Whether she's playing a mother, a cop, or a morally grey doctor, there is a seething integrity to her performance.

It is the same honesty that runs through her personal style, too. Nothing is too painfully simple for the star, who adores her all-white wardrobe like anything. And for what translates as this pared-back fashion on the surface, there is a story that's associated with it. Something dee...