Shilpa Shetty

Shilpa Shetty

Shilpa Shetty Kundra (born 8 June 1972)[2] is an Indian actress and television personality primarily known for her work in Hindi films and the winner of Celebrity Big Brother 5.

Shetty was born in Mangalore into a Tulu Bunt family. Her father Surendra and her mother, Sunanda are both manufacturers of tamper-proof water caps in the pharmaceutical industry. In Mumbai, Shetty attended St. Anthony Girls' High School in Chembur, Mumbai, and later attended Podar College in Matunga. A trained Bharatanatyam dancer, she was also captain of the volleyball team at school.[3]

In 1991, after completing her tenth grade examinations, Shetty began her career as a model with a Limca television commercial, and subsequently featured in several other commercials and advertisements, following which she began receiving offers for film roles. Shetty continued to pursue her career as a model, until she became an actress.[4]

Acting career

Debut and early roles (1993–1994)

In September 1992, Shetty signed for and began working on her first film – the romantic drama Gaata Rahe Mera Dil[5] – to be directed by Dilip Naik which tells the story of a girl involved in a love triangle between two men (played by Ronit Roy and Rohit Roy). However, the film went unreleased, which meant that Shetty's debut release was her next film, Abbas-Mustan's thriller Baazigar, alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol. Inspired by the Hollywood film A Kiss Before Dying, the film featured Shetty in the supporting role of Seema Chopra, a girl who is murdered by her revenge-seeking boyfriend, played by Khan. Baazigar proved to be a major box office hit and finished up as the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year.[6] Both the film as well as Shetty's performance received critical appreciation; Shetty eventually received the Best Supporting Actress and the Lux New Face of the Year (now known as Best Female Debut) nominations at the annual Filmfare Awards ceremony.[7]

In 1994, Shetty had three film releases.[6] Her first release that year was the action drama Aag, in which she played her first leading role. Co-starring Govinda and Sonali Bendre, the film saw Shetty portray Bijli, a village belle who is actually a plainclothes policewoman assigned to arrest a murderer (played by Govinda) at any cost. Aag emerged as a moderate box office success and fetched a mixed to positive critical reception, as did Shetty's performance. Shetty next starred alongside Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Raageshwari and Shakti Kapoor in the action comedy Main Khiladi Tu Anari. In the film, Shetty played the dual roles of Mona (a cabaret dancer and a gangster's girlfriend) and her look-alike Basanti (a village belle). The film which marked Shetty's first of many collaborations with Kumar proved to be a super-hit at the box office. Both the film as well as Shetty's performance received major critical acclaim; the success of Main Khiladi Tu Anari proved to be a breakthrough for Shetty. Her third and final release that year was the romantic drama Aao Pyaar Karen opposite Saif Ali Khan. The film which narrates the love story of a wealthy man and his maid (played by Khan and Shetty respectively) under-performed at the box office.[6]

Public recognition and widespread success (1995–1999)

In 1995, Shetty starred in Hathkadi, where she was working alongside actors such as Saif Ali Khan, Govinda and Madhoo, but they failed at the box office. She made her Tamil film debut with the 1996 released Mr. Romeo alongside actors Prabhu Deva and Madhoo. The film was a sleeper musical hit at the box office. 1997 was one of her busiest years: she appeared in six different films, beginning with the Telugu language film Veedevadandi 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.

Critically acclaimed roles; commercial success (2000–2007)

In 2000, Shetty received acclaim for her role in Dhadkan, which earned reasonable takings at the Indian box office.[8] She received several nominations under the Best Actress category in 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 nominations for Best Comedian as well.[9]

In 2004, Shetty appeared in 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 police drama.[10] 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 from 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.[4] 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."[11] 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,[10] exemplified by her film Dus (2005), an action thriller. Although it received average returns at the box office,[12] Shetty stated that she had taken the role to reinvent herself by portraying the rather unconventional character of an anti-terrorist squad member.[10]

In 2005, Shetty starred opposite Upendra in the Kannada film Auto Shankar. The film was a major box office success and it earned her the name "The Gabbar Singh of the South" due to her villainous role in the film.[13] The same year, she starred in the film Fareb with her younger sister Shamita Shetty. Shetty 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.[14] In 2006, she was a judge alongside Farah Khan & Sanjay Leela Bhansali on Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, 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. Her first release, Life in a... Metro, won a significant reception and became the first Bollywood movie to premiere at Leicester Square.[15] 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".[16] Her second release, alongside three Deols ( Dharmendra, Sunny and Bobby), the drama Apne, was also a box office success.

Shetty starred in the unreleased 2010 Indo-Chinese drama The Desire, a film rescued during production by her mother, who stepped in when its producer abandoned the project unfinished.