Shilpa Shetty is an Indian film actress and model. Since making her debut in the film Baazigar (1993), she has appeared in nearly 50 Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Kannada language films, her first leading role being in the 1994 Aag. Her performances in Dhadkan (2000) and Rishtey (2002) were appreciated, while her portrayal of an AIDS patient in Phir Milenge (2004), won her many accolades. Her younger sister Shamita Shetty is also a Bollywood film actress.
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 OMeara and Danielle Lloyd. This was followed by her comeback to films in 2007 when she acted in two successive movies, Life in a... Metro and Apne, with her performance in the former drawing positive reviews.
Shilpa Shetty was born in a traditional close-knit family that hails from the matrilineal Bunt community of Mangalore in Tulu Nadu in Karnataka. Although she was born in Tamil Nadu, she describes herself as a Mangalorean.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 and was the captain of the volleyball team in school and earned a black belt in Karate and currently a dancesport expert and enthusiast.
Shetty currently lives in Mumbai with her parents and younger sister Shamita Shetty, who is a Bollywood actress.At 5 ft 10 inches (178 cm), Shilpa Shetty is among the tallest actresses in Bollywood.
Shetty started her career by modelling for Limca in 1991 at age 16, and made her film debut in 1993 with Baazigar, portraying a woman murdered by her psychopathic boyfriend. Shetty took the supporting role of Seema, co-starring alongside Shahrukh Khan and Kajol; the film was a major success and earned her a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.
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 Pyar Karen followed by Hathkadi in 1995 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 small 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 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.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 1993s 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.She delivers, what can be rightly called, the performance of her career.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 wife with negative shades. In 2006, she was a judge on Jhalak Dikhlaja, a Sony Entertainment Television dance show based on the original UK show Strictly Come Dancing.
2007 proved to be Shettys 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. In addition to that, the film was critically acclaimed and Shettys performance was appreciated, with Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN writing, "Its a terrific performance and unquestionably Shilpas best to date." Her second release, alongside three Deols, Dharmendra, Sunny and Bobby, the drama Apne, was also a box office success.
Shetty was a contestant in and the winner of Celebrity Big Brother UK. and is the first Indian celebrity included in the Celebrity version.She said to presenter Davina McCall, "I just want every Indian to be extremely proud that Im in here". As for her participation, she stated: "I have zero expectations. The only thing I really hope to keep is my self-respect and my dignity."
As well as modeling and acting, Shetty has associated herself with several other commercial and non-profit organizations.
In February 2006 Shetty lent support to a BBC World Service Trust television show designed to tackle the problem of HIV-AIDS in India.The project, which also involved other celebrities Vivek Oberoi, Dia Mirza, and Raveena Tandon in separate episodes, featured Shetty as she shadowed a young achiever whose work involved raising awareness about the condition. According to reports, she participated in order to show solidarity with HIV-AIDS sufferers.
In March 2006 various sources reported Shettys joining PETA as part of an advertising campaign against the use of wild animals in circuses.According to a PETA India press release, Shetty is a long-time PETA supporter and has assisted the campaign by posing for photographs in a figure-hugging tiger costume. She explained that her crouching in a cage was uncomfortable during the photoshoot, but that her discomfort was insignificant compared to the pain suffered by the creatures. "These once dignified animals only leave their cages, which are barely larger than the size of their bodies, for a few minutes each day to be forced into the ring to perform tricks which make no sense and are upsetting to them. The best way to help animals suffering in circuses is to boycott the circus"
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