Shilpa Shetty Pictures and Shilpa Shetty Biography
Shilpa Shetty (Tulu: ಶಿಲ್ಪ ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ) (born 8 June 1975 in Tamil Nadu, India) is a four-time Filmfare Award-nominated Indian film actress and model. Since making her debut in the film Baazigar (1993), she has appeared in nearly 50 films, her first leading role being in 1994 in Aag. She resides at the centre of the Hindi-language film industry in Mumbai, India. Her younger sister Shamita Shetty is also a Bollywood film actress.
Shilpa was crowned the winner of the British Celebrity Big Brother on 28 January 2007 with 63% of the final vote, after an international racism controversy involving her and fellow contestants Jade Goody, Jo O'Meara and Danielle Lloyd. Shetty has now been estimated in recent polls as one of richest celebrities to date. She has an estimated net worth of £236 Million.
Biography
Shilpa Shetty was born in a strict and traditional close-knit family that hails from the matrilineal Bunt community of Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka although she was born in Mangalore. 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 can speak nearly ten other languages at differing levels including English, Hindi, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Urdu and basic French. One of her nicknames is "Silly Pooh".
Shilpa Shetty
She attended St. Anthony Girls' High School, located in Chembur, and later attended Podar College. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She is also into sports and was the captain of the baseball team in school and earned a black belt in Karate and currently a dancesport expert and enthusiast.
Career
Film career
Shilpa Shetty
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. Although she was a supporting actress alongside Shahrukh Khan and Kajol, the film was a major success and earned her a nomination for Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.
Celebrity Big Brother 2007
Shetty was a contestant in and the winner of Celebrity Big Brother UK. and is the first Indian celebrity included in the Celebrity version. Reportedly paid Rs.31.5m (£367,500 GBP) for her participation, she said to presenter Davina McCall, "I just want every Indian to be extremely proud that I'm 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." Sister Shamita told the Times of India that this "is the boldest decision Shilpa has taken hitherto." The Scotsman reported that PETA backed Shetty to win the contest and urged British viewers to vote for her.
During her time, Shetty instructed fellow housemates Carole Malone and Ken Russell in meditation, flirted with Dirk Benedict but tempers started to fray by Day 7 as a clique formed in the house disapproving of Shilpa's presence. Following a worldwide controversy that publicised her as a target of racist bullying (see below) within the house, Shetty won the contest after gaining 63% of the public vote and described the experience as "incredible and overwhelming". She further thanked the public for "a fantastic opportunity to make my country proud".
Post Celebrity Big Brother
In February 2007, Shetty attended a reception at the House of Commons, by invitation of Keith Vaz MP to meet with then-British prime minister Tony Blair. She was also invited to meet with Queen Elizabeth II at Marlborough House in London in March 2007. During an interview on This Morning, Shetty confirmed that she had been asked to take the role of Preeti Choraria's sister in EastEnders. Shilpa said that after much thought she would be unable to take the role as it would mean all her other arrangements would have to go on hold.
She was also the subject of a Sky One documentary entitled "The Real Shilpa Shetty", which was produced by British television production company Twofour. The large number of commercial offers that Shilpa received after winning Celebrity Big Brother themselves became reason for controversy with an increasing number of accusations about her riding the 'racism' wave to commercial gain. She was on the cover of the first issue of OK! Magazine to be sold in India.
Famous commitments
As well as modeling and acting, Shetty has associated herself with several other commercial and non-profit organizations.
HIV-AIDS
In February 2006 Shetty lent her 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. "I have participated to show my solidarity to people living with HIV-Aids. I will do anything for them to feel wanted and special," she said.
PETA
In March 2006 various sources reported Shetty's 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".
Romanov Vodka
In a May 2006 press conference, it was announced that Shetty would be the brand ambassador of Romanov Vodka. Sami Lala, President of United Spirits, said that Shetty was chosen for her status as an "aspirational icon", and that her "innate style, energy and attitude highlight the core attributes of the brand.
Personal life
Shetty is a frequent subject of speculation regarding romance. However, she has remained tight-lipped whenever questions of marriage are posed to her. Her previous relationships include an affair with actor Akshay Kumar, whom she met on the Main Khiladi Tu Anari set in 1994. The couple split in 2000 after he started dating Shetty's friend and fellow actress Twinkle Khanna after a previous indiscretion, and which led to Shetty's successful suing of Stardust magazine for publishing a "damaging" report about the affair.
Controversies
Shetty has been the subject of several controversies.
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. 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 Rs. 50 lakhs (over $113,000) out of a contractually-agreed agreed 3 crores ($679,000). 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. This was denied by the parents and the tape was claimed to have been "manipulated".
Richard Gere kissing incident
Richard Gere kissing Shilpa Shetty
Richard Gere kissing Shilpa Shetty video
On April 15, 2007, Shetty was kissed several times in jest on the cheek by Richard Gere during an AIDS-awareness event. The pair had appeared at a press conference in New Delhi as part of a campaign to preach safe sex to truck drivers in India and promotion of AIDS awareness. The kiss prompted protesters, allegedly members of the right-wing Hindu nationalist group Shiv Sena, to beat burning effigies of Gere with sticks. Others set fire to glamour shots of Shetty. People demanded an apology from her and threatened to ban her movies in the state. Shiv Sena leaders denied involvement in the protests, but Shiv Sena member of parliament Sanjay Raut observed that that protests are "just a manifestation of the anger of the general public" and that there was "nothing wrong with expressing contempt at such an act"
Similar protests broke out in other cities, including Varanasi, Hinduism's holiest city, and in the northern town of Meerut, where crowds of hundreds of thousands chanted "Down with Shilpa Shetty!" Star News Office was also attacked. The protests did not take any violent turn and the situation was quickly brought under control with some activists being detained.
Shetty responded to these protests by saying "I understand this (kissing) is his (Gere's) culture, not ours. But this was not such a big thing or so obscene for people to overreact in such a manner. I understand people's sentiments, but I don't want a foreigner to take bad memories from here."
On April 26, 2007 an Indian court in Rajasthan issued a warrant for Shetty and Gere's arrest.
The legal action against both Shetty and Gere has been suspended by the Indian Supreme Court until the court decides on the case's proper jurisdiction. Gere has since expressed regret for causing any offense and Shetty has stated: "so much has been blown out of proportion".
Awards and honours
Won
* 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 from local authorities.
* 2007: Silver Star Award for her outstanding contribution to humanitarian causes
* 2007: Honorary Degree of Doctor of Arts by De Montfort University in Leicester, UK. Shetty is the youngest actor from the Indian film fraternity to join.
* 2007: Rajiv Gandhi National Quality Award
Nominations
* 1993: Filmfare Best Debut Award for Baazigar
* 1998: Zee Gold Bollywood Award, Best Supporting Actress for Pardesi Babu
* 2000: IIFA Best Actress Award for Dhadkan
* 2002: Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award for Rishtey
* 2002: Star Screen Award Best Comedian for Rishtey
* 2002: Sansui Viewers Choice Movie Awards, Best Comedian for Rishtey
* 2004: Sansui Viewers Choice Movie Awards, Best Actress for Phir Milenge
* 2004: Star Screen Award Best Actress for Phir Milenge
* 2004: Sports World Film Awards, Best Actress for Phir Milenge
* 2004: Filmfare Best Actress Award for Phir Milenge
* 2004: Zee Cine Award Best Actor- Female for Phir Milenge
* 2004: IIFA Best Actress Award for Phir Milenge
* 2004: Bollywood Awards, Best Actress for Phir Milenge
Shilpa Shetty
biography reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/
