It’s rare to find celebrities who are unguarded and utterly gracious. Bollywood actress and Shilpa Shetty certainly falls into this bracket.
The 39-year-old star makes her own tea from the machine installed in her hotel suite in Dubai and offers to make you one too. The offer sounded genuine enough but she had me floored when she offered a lush looking chocolate cupcake that was laid out on the coffee table near us.
“I can’t have any since it is Navarathri and it’s not eggless. But you should try some, they look so good,” said Shetty, who was on a nine-day vegetarian fast for the Indian festival.
Shetty was in Dubai as the guest of honour at an event celebrating everything shoes at the level Shoe District in The Dubai Mall last week.
“I am here to do what I do best. To shop and to shop some more,” said Shetty with a laugh.
She can certainly afford it.
Shetty, who made her Bollywood debut in 1993 blockbuster Baazigar, became a global star when she was crowned the winner of 2007’s Celebrity Big Brother UK,amidst a vicious racism row. While she was a popular star with superlative dancing skills in India, the grace she displayed while she tackled bullying by her inmates won her brownie points from all quarters.
Instantly, she became one of the most recognised faces in Britain and even had invites to visit the Queen. The poster girl for multi-culturalism, who triggered a global race row, was showered with love and a slew of lucrative endorsement deals came her way. And what finished off the fairytale twist in her life with a flourish was her encounter with her then business partner, now life partner Raj Kundra.
“Raj is the most romantic person I have met,” said Shetty. Together they run a business empire and are proud parents to a 17-month-old Viaan Raj Kundra. From owning an Indian Premier League cricket team to her own perfume and a chain of wellness salons, their union has prospered.
tabloid! takes you into Shetty’s world with an exclusive interview.
Shilpa, the mother
“I am what you call a hands-on mummy. It’s the first time I have ever left him with my mum overnight. It’s difficult to come to terms with that, but I thought it would be selfish on my part to make him travel back and forth between Mumbai and Dubai. Someone intelligent once said to me: you miss the child more than they miss you. When I was growing up my parents worked very hard to give us a good life. They were middle class and they made sacrifices so that we all could go for holidays. Fortunately, I have the choice today to decide if I want to work full-time or not. And my mum, who is my biggest support-system, said if you have the luxury of being able to do so then just make the most of it.”
Shilpa, the career woman
“After becoming mother to Viaan, I am very choosy about the work I take on. It’s a personal choice to stay away from films because our life becomes too erratic. I have been there, done that for 18 or 19 years in Bollywood. When you are an actor, you don’t have time for yourself so how are you ever going make time for the baby? If I decide to take on something, I want to give it my all. This is a self-imposed sabbatical. I am not planning to act in films for at least a year unless something earth-shattering comes my way. Right now, I can only afford to take a day in a week for work. I have meetings at home.”
Shilpa, the wife and being Mrs Raj Kundra
“He is incredibly sweet and romantic. The day I got married, something funny happened. He began emptying my bag and he took my purse out. He took out the [credit] cards out and snipped it into two. I don’t ever have to splurge because it’s my husband who does all the splurging. I am blessed. Whenever I say, isn’t that nice – he surprises me with that gift on Christmas or anniversary. It was love at first sight for both of us. Now, we both cherish Viaan because I became a mother at 37. It was a huge development in our life and I had a difficult pregnancy. We both consider him a miracle.”
Shilpa, the producer
“I turn producer with a film that’s not Shilpa Shetty-esque. It’s this dark comedy that takes on Hindi cinema. It stars Sunny Deol and Harman Baweja and releases on January 11th. The director convinced me to pitch in a cameo.”
Shilpa Shetty, the Celebrity Big Brother sensation
“Every time there’s a racist attack on someone in any part of the world, the first call [to seek a comment] comes to me. Recently, when the girl of Indian origin won Miss America I had reporters calling me for my comment. My take? Why are you asking me this question? We have all moved on from Celebrity Big Brother.People gave me a lot of respect and it was not because of my body of work. It was because they liked the person in me. It’s a huge compliment because actors can be loved for the roles they choose. But there are few actors who are liked because of the person they are. After I won the Celebrity Big Brother UK my sister said: “you got the biggest award of your life. You got the award for playing you.” That thought stuck in my mind. My goal is that after I am dead and gone, I want people to remember me for the person I am.”
Shilpa, the IPL Rajasthan Royals owner
“I am obsessed with cricket. But to be honest, I prefer the IPL format to test matches.”
Shilpa, the yummy mummy
“After my pregnancy, I had put on 22.5 kilos. I looked like a baby elephant. But I shed it all by working out rigorously and following a strict diet. I lost 17 kilos in four month through cardio, yoga and cross fit. I used to do low carb, no-carb every alternate day. When you are a fitness icon, there is a lot of pressure to maintain your figure. At that time, when I went to restaurants I heard people whispering about my weight gain. They expect you to snap back into shape. It took me 10 months to shed all that weight.”
Shilpa, the shopper
“It’s the biggest stress buster. These days, I love shopping for Viaan. There’s this place in Juhu [Mumbai] where they have the cutest stuff for babies. I brought him a colouring board because I am petrified that he would scribble on my precious paintings.”
It’s all in the shoe...
As she checked out the level Shoe District that houses footwear from leading designers, we asked her about her favourite shoe designers:
“Christian Louboutin – his shoes are classic and can be worn for any occasion. I love the feel of Prada shoes and the comfort of Fendi. I like Miu Miu and Nicholas Kirkwood. A shoe can decide how stylish you are.”
http://f0ce5jzsygfv7se5nayqq7sk4o.hop.clickbank.net/
No comments:
Post a Comment