Shilpa Shetty, who is all set to host Bigg Boss, speaks on life after Big Brother, competition, her new production venture and her personal life. Read on.
You haven’t signed anything big after Big Brother. It made you into an international star but didn’t help your B-Town career?
That’s not true. I was offered a lot of scripts but in the last one year I have been so busy travelling, that I haven’t been able to give the time. Also I didn’t want to waste my time with the kind of scripts being offered to me. So The Man really worked for me and I am doing my own home production by the end of this year. So there are two big films back to back this year. I can only do this much work (smiles).
Do you feel that the desi filmmakers kept away because they felt you’d move west?
That’s the media’s perception, not the filmmaker’s. If the filmmaker has a role written for you he will approach you. Whether you want to do it or not it is left up to you.
You have bought a place in London?
I may buy a house, I may buy anything there but I will not shift out of this country because my home is here.
If you could choose, would you be a big star here or a big star internationally?
I have got both. My priority is obvious, no? I have come back to do films here despite the fact that I was offered a lot of work abroad. I chose to do work here because I rather be a first class citizen here than a second class citizen abroad. Even though I must say I have been an A-list celebrity in UK, I enjoy working here and I enjoy Hindi films. I may do work internationally in the future but I will still continue to be a part of Hindi films.
Have you hiked your price?
I have hiked up my price because I think I deserve it as I have a market internationally. Both my last two releases Apne and Metro, were box office hits. People always pay you what you are deserve, nobody pays you extra. But my price is negotiable depending on the script.
What made you get into production?
It was a smooth transition I guess. We had a good script, a good outline… We developed it and I decided to produce it.
Will you act in your productions?
No. This is one film I had to act in because my director Manish (Jha) felt that I absolutely fit the role.
Will Shamita act in it?
My next home production will have Shamita. It’s too premature to talk about the film. All I’ll say is that I am not planning to go on floors before Jan 2009.
How will you manage production hassles, etc?Sushmita has been struggling for a year to start!
I have a good team (laughs).
Aren’t you involved with too many things? Yoga, charity, film production…
Well I have done it all (laughs). As far as production is concerned, I have a production team to handle that. I handle the creative. So I don’t discuss ke spot boy ko kitna paise dena chahiye and stuff like that. I discuss scripting, how the set should look, the look of a song, etc. The rest is handled by my production team.
Are you deliberately ignoring your personal life?
Ignoring?! Not at all (laughs). Right now, production is priority. The day I have some time.. Maybe I will settle down.
Don’t your parents pressure you to settle down?
Of course. Every parent wants their kid to settle down. My parents want grandchildren but I guess they’ll have to wait (smiles).
Have your family accepted Raj Kunder?
I think all some things are too personal. Like what my parents think. (Laughs) I think it’s too personal for me to comment on these things. I’ll just maintain a silence.
You haven’t been on screen since long. Girls like Katrina and Priyanka have snuck ahead. Comment.
I have lasted 16 years. Let’s see where they are 16 years down the line (laughs). I am very happy for them that they are successful. And moreover, this industry has a place for everybody. All of us have a different image and it’s really unfair to compare one to another.
Do you regret not getting any awards for Metro?
I won an award. I was also nominated.
But it wasn’t recognised to a great extent?
Being nominated means they are recognising your performance. I have been nominated so many times, it doesn’t really matter. In our country, I have no respect for any awards, honestly. You want them but then you feel ‘does it really matter?’ Because at the end of it all, if you go to see there are so many good actors who haven’t received any awards. I want my films to work at the box office. That all that matters.
Tell me about your song in Dostana.
You will see it soon. (laughs). I know there is a lot of hype because I am doing a special appearance after a long time. Songs have really been my forte, and I have a lot of people telling me they enjoy my dancing. I did that song for those fans.
These days it’s all about pairing. SRK-Kajol, Akshay-Katrina, John-Bipasha and Abhishek-Aishwarya, who do you see yourself making a hit pair with?
Hmmmm, I don’t know. I really don’t know.
Mid-Day