Shilpa Shetty (Tulu: ಶಿಲ್ಪ ಶೆಟ್ಟಿ) (born 8 June 1975 in Tamil Nadu, India) is an award-winning 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.

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".

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 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 budding Bollywood actress. They worked together once in the film Fareb (2005).

At 5 ft 10 inches (178cm), she is one of the tallest actresses in Bollywood and regularly wears 3 inch heels making her around 6 ft 1.

Film career

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.

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 received several nominations under the Best Actress category in different 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 various nomination for Best Comedia 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. Unlike the similar Chandni Bar, Garv was a cop drama that did not make the same social impact but which Shetty chose to do because she liked the subject. However, she received much acclaim for her performance in Phir Milenge which critics consider as her best performance so far, where she makes 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 1993's Philadelphia, was perceived to have tackled a social taboo as yet unaddressed by Bollywood and earned Shetty a Filmfare Best Actress nomination, and also provided an impetus for her HIV-related charity work (see below). The actress was also a guest judge on the Indian Idol television show.
Shilpa at the London premiere of Life In A... Metro
Shilpa at the London premiere of Life In A... Metro

This marked a break from the previous trend of superficial song-and-dance items in favour of "meatier roles" 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.

Shetty was once featured in Mani Ratnam's stage show, Netru, Indru, Naalai.

The year 2007 proved to be her most successful year at the box office so far. Her first release, Life In A... Metro had decent reviews at the box office, receiving a hit status. The film was also critically acclaimed and Shetty's performance was appreciated by audiences and critics as well. Her second release, Apne was a good performer at the box office, receiving a semi-hit status.

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

[edit] Nominations
Shilpa on set of Life in a Metro with Shiny Ahuja
Shilpa on set of Life in a Metro with Shiny Ahuja

* 1993: Filmfare Best Debut Award for Baazigar
* 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 Movie Award - Best Actress for Phir Milenge