Film actress, businesswoman, producer, model, writer, devoted mom, Shilpa Shetty is so much more… And all this besides looking half her age and unbelievably lovely at 46! Here’s reliving a hat-trick of times the actress, known for her films like Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Dhadkan and Life in a Metro, showed us she is a champ…
Shilpa was the target of racism and bullying by the other housemates on ‘Celebrity Big Brother 5’ on UK television. She was mocked for her Indian accent, branded as "The Indian" and was referred to as a "dog" by one housemate. One contestant mentioned that she disliked Shetty touching her food because she did not "know where her hands have been" while calling her "fake" and "a mole".
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Shetty had been reduced to tears on several occasions, confiding to fellow housemate Ian Watkins: "I feel like I'm losing my dignity." The screening of the racial comments led to the show being suspended during the 2008 season and sponsors cancelling. After the show, some of the contestants apologized to Shilpa and she was quick to forgive. She 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." You go, girl!
In 2007, American actor Richard Gere hugged and kissed a compliant Shetty repeatedly on the cheek during an AIDS-awareness event. This saw a number of protesters across the country beating burning effigies of Gere with sticks. Others set fire to glamour shots of Shetty. Some groups demanded an apology from her and threatened to ban her movies in the state.
Shetty responded, "I understand this (kissing) is his (Gere's) culture, not ours. But this was not a big thing or so obscene for people to overreact in such a manner. I struggle to understand these people's sentiments, but mainly I do not want a foreigner to take bad memories from here."
In April 2006, a Madurai court issued non-bailable warrants against Shetty and actress Reemma Sen for "posing in an obscene manner" in photographs published by a Tamil newspaper. The pictures were alleged to have violated the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act 1986, Young Persons (Harmful Publications) Act 1956, and the Indian Penal Code Section 292 (Sale of Obscene Books).
Shilpa responded, "As far as my photographs go, what is obscene about it? If navel-showing is obscenity, then our traditional Indian outfit – the traditional sari – should be banned in the first place."
