Shilpa Shetty is unapologetically sassy. She knows how to hook you with some zany quotes. She’s been doing interviews all her life and knows how to draw the readers in. She’ll give you enough dope in one reply that you’ll automatically latch on to the next, looking for another nibble. She’s lived life on her own terms and has worked hard to reach that status. The actress, who is known for her hourglass figure and dance numbers, is now getting roles which satisfy the performer in her. She’s waiting with bated breath for what tomorrow might bring. Excerpts from an engaging interview with the feisty actress.
We’re seeing you in more fulfilling roles in projects like Sukhee and the Indian Police Force. What led to this transition?
My choices have been based on what has been offered to me. I made the best choice out of the array of films that came my way. So it’s never like I was offered fantastic parts because people wanted me to play those parts. But the fact still is that I’ve lasted for 30 years. I must have done something right to last that long. Sometimes, people forget that I’ve also done roles like Dhadkan, Phir Milenge, Life in a Metro and Apne. So there have been a lot of beautiful parts I’ve played in my career before I took a break for around eight years. The sabbatical that I took was purely out of choice. And now that I’ve decided to come back, it’s an interesting phase for me as an artiste because the content is different now. Audiences are different. I think women are definitely being offered meatier roles. Back in the day, it was either touted as a heroine-oriented film or an arty film. Things are changing now. It’s becoming more egalitarian now.
Did those eight years of taking a sabbatical worry you about missing out on work?
I just live in the moment, and I was happy when I wasn’t doing movies because I shifted my focus to television. And while people know me as Shilpa Shetty, the actor, I’ve garnered a lot of love from my audiences whom I’ve catered to through television. There isn’t a single medium that I haven’t dabbled in, whether it is TV, radio, or now, OTT. I have also done stuff on YouTube. And I have my own app too. You can love me or hate me, but you can’t ignore me. (Laughs) I’m everywhere.
What makes Rohit Shetty the perfect director to debut with, for your OTT venture?
I was offered a couple of other interesting scripts in the series format. But when Rohit offered me the role of Tara Shetty, it came with the baggage of being the first female cop in his cop universe. The part was so layered; it was such a huge compliment that he thought of me. When I choose scripts, I want to be part of films where I can be a catalyst for the story to move further. Either you’re a central character or you’re part of the journey. You can’t be irrelevant to the script. I don’t want to do films like that anymore. Saying that doesn’t mean that I want to do heroine-oriented scripts only. I want to do films that are wholesome, entertaining and where I can contribute in terms of versatility.
The opportunities to play versatile roles as an actress are much more today.
Absolutely. Because there are so many more avenues now. Like in television, where you get the opportunity to showcase yourself as a person. The love you get on television is unmatched because it’s not for your character that they love you. They love you for you. And then you have avenues like OTT and theatre, where you’re catering to different people. Everybody’s churning out so much content and also catering to diverse audiences. I’m happy to still be relevant in today’s times. Coming from the ’90s to still be relevant is painstaking. But I’m grateful that I have filmmakers who still believe in me and my talent and are offering me such amazing roles.
You’re known for your fitness. How did that help in the action sequences in the Indian Police Force?
My fitness is the only thing that worked for me in this scenario. In the Indian Police Force, there are some heavy duty action sequences. And I’ve said this before: Rohit didn’t allow or use any stunt doubles for Siddharth Malhotra, Vivek Oberoi, or me. We did everything on our own. We even completed hand-to-hand combat fights in one shot. It’s extremely strenuous. Normally, you do one punch, then there’s a close-up of the punch, then one kick, some duplicate is doing that kick, and it’s pretty much done. I fractured my leg in the process and that too in the last shot that I was so gutted about it. I don’t know how Rohit has even managed it but that shot had to be taken. It was the last shot and I had to do it and make Tara Shetty look as authentic as possible.
What would you tell your younger self today?
Interesting question. I’m still young. Jokes apart, the same thing that I told myself when I was young will never change. My mantra has always been that everything happens for the best. It was written in bold letters outside my bedroom, in my home in Chembur. Today, maybe the mantra has changed. It’s become an affirmation but and it still says the same thing. It sums up the way I live my life: you have to live in the moment. I am where I am meant to be. It’s all happening for the best.
Has that helped you get better at dealing with rejections or not having regrets?
I don’t know if it’s better or worse but I think I’m able to handle it. I’ve seen so many highs and lows. I can’t say I’m unaffected. Everything affects us. We’re humans, right? But I am someone who believes that you have to learn from it, and that’s the circle of karma. If you do not learn from an incident, it will keep coming back in the same pattern. So you have to learn from what you have gone through, good, bad or ugly. And you have to move on.
One thing you wish you had from this generation of actresses and one thing you’re happy you didn’t.
The one thing I wish I had are the roles they get now. Women are able to have an equal role as men today. And it’s amazing to see that. And one thing I’m glad wasn’t there earlier is social media. Social media and promotions were not there then and thank God for that.
Speaking of Dhadkan, as you mentioned earlier, do you think it will find an audience if it is remade today?
I don’t think so because it was a film that was made 20 years ago. That generation was different. People resonated with that movie. I’m talking about girls and boys because, at some point, maybe they did face rejection. The boys faced rejection because the girls listened to their parents. They would give up their love for their parents. Can you see that happening now? I have a son who is teaching me all the new terminology. There’s just too much content for the viewers to devour. And they want new things. That value system is not the same. So I feel a film like Dhadkan in this age may not work.
How nostalgic do you feel about the sequel to Life In A Metro?
I’m very upset that I’m not a part of it. I told Anurag Kashyap that there should be a passing shot there, like a flashback. He’s a brilliant director and I wish him well. I’m looking forward to this version of Metro.
We see you being quite active on social media.
Yes, I’m pretty active, because if you go to my social media, you will see 70 per cent of my posts are about health and fitness. I aim to push people to become healthy. I was at a play area recently with my daughter, and a woman came up to me and burst out crying. It was such a moment when she said, ‘ I look at you every day. I see you on social media, and I live my life thinking that if you can do it, I can do it.’ Sometimes I put up these positive quotations. My social media is first 30 per cent about my outfit or what I’m doing in terms of projects and 70 per cent is about offering advice and tips to people.
Social media remains a facade, right? Nobody knows what you’re really going through at that point…
Nobody will ever know what we’re going through. It’s a hard life. Being in the limelight, we’re living in a fish bowl sort of scenario. It’s not easy. But that’s my journey, and it’s my choice. And I love it.
We’re seeing you in more fulfilling roles in projects like Sukhee and the Indian Police Force. What led to this transition?
My choices have been based on what has been offered to me. I made the best choice out of the array of films that came my way. So it’s never like I was offered fantastic parts because people wanted me to play those parts. But the fact still is that I’ve lasted for 30 years. I must have done something right to last that long. Sometimes, people forget that I’ve also done roles like Dhadkan, Phir Milenge, Life in a Metro and Apne. So there have been a lot of beautiful parts I’ve played in my career before I took a break for around eight years. The sabbatical that I took was purely out of choice. And now that I’ve decided to come back, it’s an interesting phase for me as an artiste because the content is different now. Audiences are different. I think women are definitely being offered meatier roles. Back in the day, it was either touted as a heroine-oriented film or an arty film. Things are changing now. It’s becoming more egalitarian now.
Did those eight years of taking a sabbatical worry you about missing out on work?
I just live in the moment, and I was happy when I wasn’t doing movies because I shifted my focus to television. And while people know me as Shilpa Shetty, the actor, I’ve garnered a lot of love from my audiences whom I’ve catered to through television. There isn’t a single medium that I haven’t dabbled in, whether it is TV, radio, or now, OTT. I have also done stuff on YouTube. And I have my own app too. You can love me or hate me, but you can’t ignore me. (Laughs) I’m everywhere.
What makes Rohit Shetty the perfect director to debut with, for your OTT venture?
I was offered a couple of other interesting scripts in the series format. But when Rohit offered me the role of Tara Shetty, it came with the baggage of being the first female cop in his cop universe. The part was so layered; it was such a huge compliment that he thought of me. When I choose scripts, I want to be part of films where I can be a catalyst for the story to move further. Either you’re a central character or you’re part of the journey. You can’t be irrelevant to the script. I don’t want to do films like that anymore. Saying that doesn’t mean that I want to do heroine-oriented scripts only. I want to do films that are wholesome, entertaining and where I can contribute in terms of versatility.
The opportunities to play versatile roles as an actress are much more today.
Absolutely. Because there are so many more avenues now. Like in television, where you get the opportunity to showcase yourself as a person. The love you get on television is unmatched because it’s not for your character that they love you. They love you for you. And then you have avenues like OTT and theatre, where you’re catering to different people. Everybody’s churning out so much content and also catering to diverse audiences. I’m happy to still be relevant in today’s times. Coming from the ’90s to still be relevant is painstaking. But I’m grateful that I have filmmakers who still believe in me and my talent and are offering me such amazing roles.
You’re known for your fitness. How did that help in the action sequences in the Indian Police Force?
My fitness is the only thing that worked for me in this scenario. In the Indian Police Force, there are some heavy duty action sequences. And I’ve said this before: Rohit didn’t allow or use any stunt doubles for Siddharth Malhotra, Vivek Oberoi, or me. We did everything on our own. We even completed hand-to-hand combat fights in one shot. It’s extremely strenuous. Normally, you do one punch, then there’s a close-up of the punch, then one kick, some duplicate is doing that kick, and it’s pretty much done. I fractured my leg in the process and that too in the last shot that I was so gutted about it. I don’t know how Rohit has even managed it but that shot had to be taken. It was the last shot and I had to do it and make Tara Shetty look as authentic as possible.
What would you tell your younger self today?
Interesting question. I’m still young. Jokes apart, the same thing that I told myself when I was young will never change. My mantra has always been that everything happens for the best. It was written in bold letters outside my bedroom, in my home in Chembur. Today, maybe the mantra has changed. It’s become an affirmation but and it still says the same thing. It sums up the way I live my life: you have to live in the moment. I am where I am meant to be. It’s all happening for the best.
Has that helped you get better at dealing with rejections or not having regrets?
I don’t know if it’s better or worse but I think I’m able to handle it. I’ve seen so many highs and lows. I can’t say I’m unaffected. Everything affects us. We’re humans, right? But I am someone who believes that you have to learn from it, and that’s the circle of karma. If you do not learn from an incident, it will keep coming back in the same pattern. So you have to learn from what you have gone through, good, bad or ugly. And you have to move on.
One thing you wish you had from this generation of actresses and one thing you’re happy you didn’t.
The one thing I wish I had are the roles they get now. Women are able to have an equal role as men today. And it’s amazing to see that. And one thing I’m glad wasn’t there earlier is social media. Social media and promotions were not there then and thank God for that.
Speaking of Dhadkan, as you mentioned earlier, do you think it will find an audience if it is remade today?
I don’t think so because it was a film that was made 20 years ago. That generation was different. People resonated with that movie. I’m talking about girls and boys because, at some point, maybe they did face rejection. The boys faced rejection because the girls listened to their parents. They would give up their love for their parents. Can you see that happening now? I have a son who is teaching me all the new terminology. There’s just too much content for the viewers to devour. And they want new things. That value system is not the same. So I feel a film like Dhadkan in this age may not work.
How nostalgic do you feel about the sequel to Life In A Metro?
I’m very upset that I’m not a part of it. I told Anurag Kashyap that there should be a passing shot there, like a flashback. He’s a brilliant director and I wish him well. I’m looking forward to this version of Metro.
We see you being quite active on social media.
Yes, I’m pretty active, because if you go to my social media, you will see 70 per cent of my posts are about health and fitness. I aim to push people to become healthy. I was at a play area recently with my daughter, and a woman came up to me and burst out crying. It was such a moment when she said, ‘ I look at you every day. I see you on social media, and I live my life thinking that if you can do it, I can do it.’ Sometimes I put up these positive quotations. My social media is first 30 per cent about my outfit or what I’m doing in terms of projects and 70 per cent is about offering advice and tips to people.
Social media remains a facade, right? Nobody knows what you’re really going through at that point…
Nobody will ever know what we’re going through. It’s a hard life. Being in the limelight, we’re living in a fish bowl sort of scenario. It’s not easy. But that’s my journey, and it’s my choice. And I love it.
Next Story