SHILPA SETHI

Shilpa Shetty is as famous for her long legs and a great bod as she is for her movies. Big Brother catapulted her back into the limelight just when we thought she is another has-been and Bollywood opened it’s arms out for her again.

Basics on Shilpa
Shilpa Shetty was born on 8th June 1975 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. She belongs to the Bunt community in Mangalore and speaks Tulu. Her parents are Sunanda and Surendra who are into manufacturing tamper proof caps for the pharmaceutical industry. She has a younger sister Shamita who is an actress too.

Shilpa studied at the St.Anthony’s High School in Mumbai and then at the Podar College. She was actively involved in sports and dance while growing up. Besides being trained in Bharathnatyam, she also holds a black belt in karate and was the captain of her school’s volleyball team.

Standing at 5.10”, Shilpa is one of the tallest actresses in Bollywood. She faced the camera for the first time when she got the Limca campaign in 1991.

Shilpa Shetty was going out with Akshay Kumar who eventually married actress Twinkle Khanna. She was also linked with director Anubhav Sinha who was married.

Shilpa Shetty has spoken out against animals in circuses and supports PETA. She was also part of a BBC program to promote awareness on AIDS.

Shilpa Shetty in Big Brother
She won the Celebrity Big Brother UK 2007 after a racial controversy. She was invited by MP Keith Vaz to meet former Prime Minister Tony Blair at an event at the House of Commons. She was also invited to meet Queen Elizabeth II at Marlborough House in 2007. The British production company TwoFour produced a documentary The Real Shilpa Shetty. She turned down an offer to be part of the soap East Enders.

Shilpa in a Soup
In 2003, her parents were said to have links with the underworld which was denied.

She was charged with obscenity in 2006 when she dared to bare her navel for photographs that were published in a Tamil newspaper.

Shilpa was part of the Celebrity Big Brother UK 2007 and was at the receiving end of racial abuse from contestants Jade Goody, Jo O’Meara and Danielle Lloyd. It evoked a strong response internationally. She was applauded for handling it with grace but was also accused of using it to promote herself.

She was in trouble when Richard Gere kissed her during an AIDS Awareness event. There were protests against this as it was said to be “against Indian culture”.

Shilpa Shetty’s Movies
1993 to 1997 Shilpa Shetty’s first movie was Baazigar (1993) in which she had a few scenes before getting thrown off the terrace. The movie was one of the biggest hits of the year. She acted opposite Akshay Kumar in Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994) which was also successful. She had average to moderate success in movies like Hathkadi, Chote Sarkar and Himmat in 1996 and Dus, Insaaf and Zameer in 1997.

1998 to 2003 She was seen in Pardesi Babu (1998) with Govinda and Jaanwar (1999) with Akshay Kumar and Karishma Kapoor. She appeared in an item number in Shool (1999). Dhadkan (2000) performed well and she did a great job as Anjali torn between her husband and former lover.

She acted in Telugu and Kannada movies like Bhalevadivi Basu and Madhuve Agona Ba in 2001. She was nominated for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress for her role in Rishtey (2002) as a fisherwoman. Her other releases in 2002 included Junoon, Badhaai Ho Badhaai and Chor Machaaye Shor.

2004 to 2009 In 2004, Shilpa Shetty was seen in Phir Milenge with Salman Khan and Abhishek Bacchan as Tamanna, an AIDS patient. She came together for the first time onscreen with her sister Shamita in Fareb (2005). She received positive reviews for her role in Life in a Metro (2007). She was seen in a song sequence in Dostana (2008). She will be seen in Sunny Deol’s The Man.