Shetty has been embroiled in various controversies including suspected mafia links. In 2006 she was issued with a warrant on charges of obscenity. After taking part in the British Celebrity Big Brother TV show in 2007, Shetty was crowned the winner with 63% of the final vote,after an international racism controversy involving her and fellow contestants Jade Goody, Jo O'Meara and Danielle Lloyd. This was followed by a re-establishment of her status in the film industry in 2007 when she appeared in two successive movies, Life in a... Metro and Apne, with her performance in the former drawing positive reviews.
Biography
Shilpa Shetty was born in a traditional close-knit family in Mangalore that hails from the Bunt community.
She is the eldest daughter of Surendra and Sunanda Shetty, manufacturers of tamper-proof caps for the pharmaceutical industry,and her native language is Tulu although she speaks several other languages at differing levels, including English, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Gujarati, Telugu, Urdu and basic French.
In Mumbai, she attended St. Anthony Girls' High School in Chembur, and later attended Podar College in Matunga. A trained Bharatanatyam dancer, she is also into sports, was the captain of the volleyball team in school, has earned a black belt in karate and is currently a dancesport expert and enthusiast.
Shetty's younger sister Shamita Shetty is also a Bollywood actress. They worked together once in the film Fareb (2005).
At 5 ft 10 inches (178 cm), Shilpa Shetty is among the tallest actresses in Bollywood. It was revealed on 29 March 2009 that Shilpa had purchased a house on St. George's Hill in Surrey, England with her husband Raj Kundra.
Career
Her first leading role was in the film Aag in 1994, which was averagely received at the box office. She had a hit that same year with the film Main Khiladi Tu Anari opposite Akshay Kumar.This was followed by many films which were average to poor performers at the box office. Shetty starred in another big film that year, Aao Pyaar Karen, followed in 1995 by Hathkadi, where she was working alongside actors such as Saif Ali Khan, Govinda and Madhoo, but they failed at the box office. 1997 was one of her busiest years: she appeared in six different films, beginning with the Telugu language film Veedeva Dani Babu. Her first major Bollywood film of that year was the action thriller Auzaar. Shilpa portrayed the character of Prathna Thakur alongside actors Salman Khan and Sanjay Kapoor. In 1998, she had one release, Pardesi Babu, for which she received critical acclaim and won the Bollywood Movie Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 2000, Shetty received much acclaim for her role in Dhadkan which earned reasonable takings at the Indian box office.She received several nominations under the Best Actress category in different award ceremonies. She would later go on to star with Anil Kapoor and Karisma Kapoor in the film Rishtey (2002). Her comic performance as an eccentric fisherwoman was appreciated and she received a nomination under the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award category and various nominations for Best Comedian as well.
2004 was also a good year for Shetty with the release of Garv in which she portrayed a Muslim orphan and disillusioned table dancer starring opposite Salman Khan. According to Shetty, she chose to do the film because she liked the subject. The film was a cop drama.However, she received much acclaim for her performance in Phir Milenge, where she made a sensitive portrayal of a successful city high-flyer who contracts HIV via unprotected sex and becomes a social outcast as a result. The film, based on 1993's Philadelphia, was perceived to have tackled a social taboo as yet unaddressed by Bollywood.The film earned Shetty a Filmfare Best Actress nomination, and provided an impetus for her HIV-related charity work (see below). Film critic Taran Adarsh from indiaFM noted, "Phir Milenge belongs to Shilpa Shetty completely. She delivers, what can be rightly called, the performance of her career. The viewer feels and empathizes with the character mainly because of her effective portrayal. She conveys the pain and the emotional upheaval through her expressive eyes, making it amongst the most memorable performances the year has seen so far."This marked a break from the previous trend of superficial song-and-dance items in favour of roles which have a greater depth of character,exemplified by her film Dus (2005), an action thriller. Although it received average returns at the box office,Shetty stated that she had taken the role in order to reinvent herself by portraying the rather unconventional character of an anti-terrorist squad member.She also starred with her sister in the film Fareb in 2005. Shilpa had one release in 2006, the much delayed Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar. The film was a box office flop, but she got good reviews for her role as a not entirely likeable wife.In 2006, she was a judge on Jhalak Dikhlaja, a Sony Entertainment Television dance show based on the original UK show Strictly Come Dancing.
Shetty was once featured in Mani Ratnam's stage show, Netru, Indru, Naalai.
2007 proved to be Shetty's most successful year at the box office so far. Her first release, Life In A... Metro, won a significant reception, and became the first Bollywood movie to premiere at Leicester Square.The film performed well at the box office, and was declared a semi-hit within three weeks. Additionally, the film was critically acclaimed and Shetty's performance was appreciated, with Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN writing, "It's a terrific performance and unquestionably Shilpa's best to date."Her second release, alongside three Deols, Dharmendra, Sunny and Bobby, the drama Apne, was also a box office success.
Indian Premier League
In February 2009 Shilpa and her husband Raj Kundra became part owners of the Indian Premier League franchise cricket team Rajasthan Royals by paying approximately US $15.4 million for a 11.7% stake.
Personal life
Shetty is a frequent subject of speculation regarding romance.She previously dated Akshay Kumar, but the couple broke up in 2000 after he started dating Shetty's friend and fellow actress Twinkle Khanna after a previous indiscretion,which led to Shetty's successful suing of Stardust Magazine for publishing a "damaging" report about the affair.
In an interview for The Times of India, Shetty quashed rumours of a romance with film director Anubhav Sinha and claimed to have changed her mobile phone number in order to concentrate on her busy schedule.But in a later interview for The Sunday Mirror, a friend of Shetty said that she was "in love" with Sinha and that he was her "soulmate", but that she could not be with him for fear of parental disapproval, social stigma (Sinha is married with two children, although currently separated) and adverse public perception.She married Raj Kundra on 22 November 2009 and announced on her web site that "I am officially Shilpa Shetty Kundra now!!
Controversies
Alleged mafia links
In May 2003 a controversy erupted over alleged links between Shetty's parents and the Indian underworld. The Surat police issued arrest warrants against her parents on charges of extortion.The Police Commissioner of Surat, D.K. Gupta, told the media that the owners of Praful Sarees had lodged complaints with them after claiming to receive threatening telephone calls from Mumbai-based underworld figures asking for money on behalf of the Shettys. The dispute between the two parties related to a 1998 modelling assignment where Shilpa endorsed Praful Sarees and had only been paid Indian Rupee ₹50 lakh (US$108,500) out of a contractually agreed Indian Rupee ₹3 crore (US$651,000).Agarwal claimed that the full sum had been paid in advance, but he had no knowledge of how much had been paid to Shilpa.Surendra Shetty was refused bail by a Mumbai court although bail was granted to Sunanda,as she had been travelling abroad at the time the warrant was issued. The police further claimed to possess a record of a telephone call between Shilpa's parents and Pankaj Agarwal, the owner of Praful Sarees. The parents denied this and claimed the tape had been "manipulated".Sunanda Shetty held a press conference on 5 June in which she denied that the family had underworld connections and said that the whole fracas was a "plot to tarnish the image of my daughter."She further said that she was "definitely innocent" of the charges and was falsely implicated by Agarwal after he had failed to fully reimburse Shilpa for her work.On June 13 it was reported that after interrogation by the police, Surendra had confessed to establishing contact with associates of Fazl-ur-Rehman, leader of the Mumbai gang.A contradictory story surfaced that although the Shettys' driver, Dilip Pashekar, admitted to introducing Surendra to Rehman's associates, Surendra continued to deny that any links were forged. A senior police official confirmed that Surendra had "vehemently denied" his links even though he and Pashekar were interrogated side by side. Shetty's lawyer later clarified that the reports of confessing to Mafia links were false.
Court hearings revealed that, despite Shetty's denials, print-outs of cellular phone records proved that contact between Shetty and the gang had taken place. On 20 June Surendra Shetty was formally arrested after surrendering to the police, later telling news reporters that the entire issue was designed to malign him and his family. When asked about the underworld's involvement, Shetty said "I do not know, I talked to them only after they called up and said they were agents of Agarwal."Further court hearings cast doubt on the veracity of the evidence tapes; Shetty's defence claimed that it was Agarwal who recorded the telephone calls rather than the police, and that the possibility of dubbing or manipulation could not be ruled out.Shilpa was quizzed by police upon her return to India from overseas filming assignments and denied all knowledge of any involvement between her parents and underworld figures, claiming that she had no knowledge of the case until it became public through the media.She further stated that her mother had power of attorney over her financial affairs and disclaimed any knowledge of payment for the Praful Sarees affair. Sunanda's bail hearing was adjourned three times on health grounds.
Another twist occurred when the Shettys' driver, Dilip Pashekhar, was arrested. On 5 November it was reported that Surendra and Sunanda Shetty, among three others, were chargesheeted, paving the way for a trial commencement in a local court.The trial is still pending. In August 2006 Sunanda said that Shilpa had no involvement with the case and that the arrest of Fazl-ur-Rehman earlier that month would not have a negative effect on her career. Shilpa has threatened to claim damages after an unnamed local tabloid allegedly printed incorrect information about the case.In an interview for Filmfare, she said that she was very "cut up" and "devastated" with the way the case had turned into a trial by media and that they had behaved "unethically".She also said that this was the worst controversy she had ever been through, and expressed her thanks to several film figures for standing by her, including Rajkumar Santoshi and Anil Kapoor.
Awards and honours
- Winner
- 1998: Bollywood Movie Award - Best Supporting Actress for Pardesi Babu
- 2004: Giant International Award for Phir Milenge
- 2005: AAHOA Award for Phir Milenge.
- 2005: Indian "Diva of the Year" by SaharaOne Television viewers.
- 2007: IIFA Special Award for Global Impact.
- 2007: Silver Star Award for her outstanding contribution to humanitarian causes.
- 2007: Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award.
- 2008: Zee Cine Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role - Female for Life in a... Metro.
- 2009: Shetty was among the 10 recipients of the IIFA-FICCI Frames Awards for the "Most Powerful Entertainers of the Decade".
Nominated
- 1994: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Baazigar
- 2001: IIFA Best Actress Award for Dhadkan
- 2003: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Rishtey
- 2003: Star Screen Award Best Comedian for Rishtey
- 2005: Star Screen Award Best Actress for Phir Milenge
- 2005: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Phir Milenge
- 2005: Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female for Phir Milenge
- 2005: IIFA Best Actress Award for Phir Milenge
- 2005: Bollywood Movie Award - Best Actress for Phir Milenge
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Baazigar | Seema Chopra | Hindi | Nominated, Filmfare Best Debut Award |
| 1994 | Aao Pyaar Karen | Chhaya | Hindi | |
| Main Khiladi Tu Anari | Mona/Basanti | Hindi | ||
| Aag | Bijli | Hindi | ||
| 1995 | Gambler | Ritu | Hindi | |
| Hathkadi | Neha | Hindi | ||
| 1996 | Mr. Romeo | Shilpa | Tamil | Dubbed into Hindi and Telugu as Mr. Romeo |
| Chhote Sarkar | Seema | Hindi | ||
| Himmat | Nisha | Hindi | ||
| Sahasa Veerudu Sagara Kanya | Sona | Telugu | Dubbed into Hindi as Saagar Kanya | |
| 1997 | Dus | Journalist | Hindi | Incomplete role |
| Prithvi | Neha | Hindi | ||
| Insaaf | Divya | Hindi | ||
| Zameer: The Awakening of a Soul | Roma Khurana | Hindi | ||
| Auzaar | Prathna Thakur | Hindi | ||
| Veedeva Dandi Babu | Nandhana | Telugu | ||
| 1998 | Pardesi Babu | Chinni Malhotra | Hindi | |
| Aakrosh | Komal | Hindi | ||
| 1999 | Jaanwar | Mamta | Hindi | |
| Shool | Special appearance | Hindi | Item number | |
| Lal Baadshah | Lawyer's daughter | Hindi | ||
| 2000 | Azad | Kanaka Mahalakshmi | Telugu | |
| Dhadkan | Anjali | Hindi | ||
| Tarkieb | Preeti Sharma | Hindi | ||
| Kushi | Macarena | Tamil | Item number | |
| Jung | Tara | Hindi | ||
| 2001 | Indian | Anjali Rajshekar Azad | Hindi | |
| Bhalevadivi Basu | Shilpa | Telugu | Dubbed into Hindi as Sherni Ka Shikaar | |
| Maduve Agona Baa | Preeti | Kannada | ||
| Preethsod Thappa | Chandana(Chandu) | Kannada | ||
| 2002 | Karz | Sapna | Hindi | |
| Rishtey | Vaijanti | Hindi | Nominated, Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award | |
| Hathyar | Gauri Shivalkar | Hindi | ||
| Chor Machaaye Shor | Kaajal | Hindi | ||
| Badhaai Ho Badhaai | Radha/Banto Betty | Hindi | ||
| Junoon | Hindi | |||
| 2003 | Ondagona Baa | Belli | Kannada | |
| Darna Mana Hai | Gayathri | Hindi | ||
| 2004 | Phir Milenge | Tamanna Sahani | Hindi | Nominated, Filmfare Best Actress Award |
| Garv: Pride and Honour | Jannat | Hindi | ||
| 2005 | Dus | Aditi | Hindi | |
| Fareb | Neha | Hindi | ||
| Khamosh: Khauff Ki Raat | Sonia | Hindi | ||
| Auto Shankar | Money Lender | Kannada | ||
| 2006 | Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar | Ahana | Hindi | |
| 2007 | Life In A... Metro | Shikha | Hindi | |
| Apne | Simran | Hindi | ||
| Om Shanti Om | Herself | Hindi | Special Appearance In Song 'Deewangi Deewangi' | |
| 2008 | Dostana | Hindi | Special Appearance In Song 'Shut Up & Bounce' | |
| 2010 | The Desire | Gautami | Hindi,English,Chinese | Filming' |
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