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.Shilpa Shetty 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.
She 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.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".
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.
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 amd 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.
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.
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". 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.
In a May 2006 press conference, it was announced that Shetty would be the brand ambassador of Romanov Vodka.
Awards and honours
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Shilpa at the premiere of the stage musical "Miss Bollywood" October 2007
Shilpa on set of Life in a Metro with Shiny Ahuja
Won
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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
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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
