Shilpa Shetty reinvents herself!
Asha Singh

Barely two years ago, Shilpa Shetty’s career hit rock bottom for the first time since she made her debut with ‘Baazigar’ in 1993: she did not have a single film on hand. It was then that she wanted to quit for good and perhaps, settle down with her beau, Akshay Kumar.

The relationship did not work. But ‘Dhadkan’, a film that took four years in the making, hit the screen and changed everything. From a "special appearance heroine" doing senseless dance items, Shilpa was back in the reckoning, giving the likes of Karisma Kapoor and Aishwarya Rai a run for their money.

"Just as I had been written off, ‘Dhadkan’ came along and gave me a fresh lease of life," narrate the actress. "Now I can prove myself with my performance, rather than my dance numbers. It was such a pleasant change sitting in a scene in ‘Dhadkan’ and watching Mahima (Chaudhary) dance."

Shilpa has just replaced Karisma in Anil Kapoor and Satish Kaushik’s ‘Badhai Ho Badhai’ and has bagged the female lead in Sunny Deol’s ‘Indian’. There’s another love story with Sunny and Sunil Shetty and yet a fourth, ‘Junoon’ with Chandrachur Singh as her co-star.

Then there’s Salman Khan recommending her to his producers after she wowed him with a power-packed performance in an Andhiyaman film they are doing together. And of course, there’s Dharmesh Darshan wanting to repeat her after ‘Dhadkan’.

"For once, I am getting the kind of roles I had dreamed of," she declares. "It may not be the kind of films, say Nutan or Nargis could get to play, but well, I can see myself getting there now. After seven-and-half years, I am getting somewhere!"

An "intuitive" actress, as she describes herself, Shilpa’s only training came from watching old classics like ‘Mughal-e-Azam’, ‘Padosan’, ‘Mother India’ and ‘Mrs Parkington’ repeatedly as she grew up. For her role models, she has (apart from Nargis and Nutan) Sridevi, Rekha and Julia Roberts.

But ask her about her "dream role" and she’d say ‘Chaalbaaz’ "Sridevi was superb while playing the twin sisters, Anju and Manju I like her as Chandni in ‘Chandni’ also, but in ‘Chaalbaaz’, she had a double-dynamic to a role. I doubt if any of our existing actresses would be able to pull off such a class act."

And what about her male favourites?

"Amitabh Bachchan without doubt," she replies. "He has such class and panache that it is unthinkable for someone like me to share the same frame with him. There are others as well, but I would rather not name anybody lest I miss someone out and they feel hurt."

On a personal level though, she counts as her friends Aamir Khan ("he can be very passionate about what he believes in"), Sunil Shetty ("he is a successful businessman also and manages to balance two careers with amazing acumen and intelligence") and Salman ("we’re old friends since ‘Auzaar’ and ‘Dus’).

Much as her name is linked with several men — from stockbroker Ketan Parikh to tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi — Shilpa insists that with the recent turnaround in her career, marriage has become a "distant dream". Nevertheless, she has drawn a wish list for the man she would share her life with.

"My husband does not have to be good looking, but he has to have a good personality. He should be a self-made man, financially independent and not insecure about me. There must be a lot of understanding from my side and trust from his..."

"He should respect me and be proud of what I am doing," she continues. "I don’t mind if he is sober because I am quite a prankster myself and I know I’d make life fun for both of use. But the other qualities have to be there. If even one is missing, I know I’d never be happy with him."

“Comedy is serious business”

As the son of legendary comedian Johnny Walker, he should have had everything going for him. But little did Nasir Khan realise that in Bollywood there is many a miss between a hit and a slip. This talented young man talks to Nutan Sehgal about himself and his future.

My father had an indirect influence upon me. Since he was a very respected actor of his time we had well-known film personalities coming almost daily to meet Daddy. I was very star struck and decided to join films when I grew up.

When I told him about my decision he didn’t discourage me. However, he warned me about the uncertainties of a career in films and said that I should be prepared for failure.

Well he told me to become a professional in some other field and then try my hand at acting. If I clicked it was great, if not, I could always do some kind of a job that matched my skills.

I went to America where I did an advanced course in computer designing. I came back to India and showed the degree to my father. That’s when he allowed me to join films.

Yes, but Ialso realised what my father meant when he talked of uncertainties of stardom.

I was signed to do a pivotal role in ‘Ram’ being directed by Salman Khan’s brother, Sohail. But the film was canned. Then Bobby Khan offered me ‘Dum Dum Diga Diga’. This film too hit a roadblock and was dumped. I was hoping to get great mileage from Mehmood’s film, ‘Dushman Duniya Ka’ but that too didn’t materialise.It was a very disappointing start.

No, I never thought of quitting even after such a disastrous start. My father too helped boost my morale and told me not to give up so easily.

Not too long. One day a friend suggested that I try my hand at advertising films. So I started making rounds of ad agencies. Soon I was signed up by leading brands like Pepsi, Limca, Asian Paints, Ruf & Tuf, Nestle Milkmaid and more. Besides earning good money, it gave me some experience in acting and provided a much-needed exposure.

Yes even in films things have started to change dramatically for me. Right now I am doing Indra Kumar’s ‘Aashiq’, Raj Kumar Santoshi’s ‘Lajja’ Mehul Kumar’s ‘Kitne Door Kitne Pass’, N. Chandra’s ‘Ishtyle’ and Umesh Mehra’s ‘Mohabbat’. As you can see they are some of the biggest film-makers in Bollywood.

I don’t see any clash there. I will keep doing modelling, TV and films as long as the roles are challenging.

My father was the king of comedy. No one can match him — least of all me. But yes, if I get a good comedy role I’d certainly be very serious about it as comedy is very serious business. I’ll try and do such a good job of it that even my father pats my back with pride.

— NF

Marriage agrees with Madhuri!
Gautam Grover

MARRIAGE to Dr Sriram Nene has made one obvious difference to Bollywood siren Madhuri Dixit. From a time when she was criticised as one of the worst-dressed heroines in Hindi cinema, she is today every fashion designer’s dream come true.

Ritu Beri, the grand dame of Indian fashion has for once, agreed to design her clothes for a film, ‘Yeh Raaste Hai Pyar Ke’. What is more, she has featured Madhuri prominently in her latest style book, ‘101 Ways to Look Good’.

The actress does not however, show up in ‘A Celebration of Style’, Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla’s book. But the celebrity designers are for the first time, working on embroidered saris, drapes and brocades Madhuri wears as a courtesan in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s ‘Devdas’.

"Madhuri’s warm smile and stunning looks have made up for her poor dress sense in the past," says designer Manish Malhotra who worked with her in ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’. "Even in those gaudy outfits, long earrings and heavy make-up, she made her presence felt."

Agrees Anna Singh who clothed the actress in nearly 20 films, including ‘Beta’, ‘Rajkumar’ and ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’. "As a person Madhuri is not very inclined towards glamour and fashion, which she treats as mere professional requirements," she points out.

"I remember how she once ruined the charm of a rich, cream sari with some beautiful pearl work. Without a second thought, she pinned a gaudy brooch on it! But then, while most actresses are products of what they wear, Madhuri is so hugely talented and beautiful."

Designers are also noticing how she has lost weight after marriage and is looking even better. "She doesn’t need elaborate outfits or excessive make-up anymore," says Beri. "Her full smile is easily her strongest feature."

— MF