Actress Shilpa Shetty recently featured in a post for Humans Of Bombay, in which she opened up about the hurdles she faced during her career as an actress. The 43-year-old actress, who starred in over 40 films since her debut with the 1993 cult-classic Baazigar and was easily one of the top actresses in the Nineties, said Bollywood happened to her by chance after a random photoshoot but it wasn't all rosy for her: "When I participated in a fashion show, just for fun, I met a photographer who wanted to click my photos. For me it was a great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone. To my complete surprise, the photographs came out really well! That opened the doors of modelling for me. Soon, I got offered my first film! There was no looking back from there, I was going onwards and upwards."
"But nothing worth having comes easy. I was all of 17 when I entered the industry, I hadn't seen the world or even understood life. With all the success came scrutiny. I wasn't ready for it," said Shilpa, adding that speaking Hindi was a barrier for her and that she was petrified about being on camera. "I didn't know how to speak Hindi, I shuddered at the thought of being in front of the camera."
Shilpa Shetty, who hasn't featured in a fully-etched role since 2007's Apne, said she "reached a point where after a few films my career hit a lull. I tried hard but it always felt like I was lagging behind. It's not easy to be celebrated one moment and ignored the next," and added that she would be dropped out of films for no particular reason: "I remember there were producers, who without any reason, threw me out of their films. The universe wasn't in my favour, but I had to keep trying no matter what."
Shilpa Shetty, who famously won the British reality TV show Celebrity Big Brother Season 5, said she signed up for it in her attempt "to do something unique": "But it ended up leaving a huge impact! I was publicly bullied and discriminated against just because of the country I belonged to. It wasn't easy - I was all by myself in that house!"
"But I kept me going - I couldn't give up, not after reaching this far. When I won, people kept telling me, 'You've made us proud.' That's when I knew that all of that struggle and persistence was worth it. I had stood up not just for myself, but for all of those who had faced racism," added Shilpa. During Shilpa's 26-day stay in the house, she alleged being subjected to racial discrimination, which lead to an International racism controversy.
Shilpa Shetty rounded off her post with these words: "There were terrible times, but there have also been some great accomplishments. I've enjoyed every minute of it! It's made me who I am today - a strong independent woman, a proud actor, a wife and a mother. And I wouldn't have it any other way." She married businessman Raj Kundra in 2009 and the couple are parents to a son named Viaan.
Read her post here:
Shilpa Shetty currently judges the reality show Super Dancer 3.
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