The Indian Chamber of Commerce and Young Leaders Forum hosted Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra at a special session at JW Marriott Kolkata on January 13. Wearing a chic black suit over a white shirt with an embellished bow, the Bolly diva waltzed on the podium as the Get up and dance number played on the big screen with Shetty flaunting her hourglass figure. Outgoing chair of YLF, Arihant Parakh, who was hosting the last event of his tenure, engaged in a friendly tete-a-tete with the star guest that ranged from Shilpa’s choice of joining the reality show Big Brother in 2007, to what charms her about Calcutta and her debut OTT release Indian Police Force.
The evening started off with Shilpa talking about the various roles she has played in her life — actor, restaurateur, YouTuber — but the most challenging role has been of a mother. “Everything else can be delegated but the one job that’s most challenging and cannot be delegated is the role of a mother. To be a mother and a professional simultaneously is the most difficult job as a woman,” said Shetty impressing everyone with her answer and making an instant connect with all the mothers in the audience. She added, “In comparison to the time that my parents gave us while we were growing up, I know that Raj (Kundra) and I give much more time to our kids. Our children are also learning about our time, our work ethics. I don’t feel guilty when I am away from them because I give my 100 per cent when I am with them.”
Shilpa who is passionate about yoga and overall well-being, also talked about launching her yoga and wellness app ‘Simple Soulful by Shilpa Shetty’ and what drove her to start the initiative. “I felt terrible as a practising yogini to see no one among the Indian celebrity circuit had launched an app on yoga, a practice that is ours. I wanted to make that change. Hence, I invested a lot of money and started an app.” Shilpa who doesn’t eat after 7.30pm, even gave tips that were worth making a note of. “You are what you eat. You have to live in awareness. Think clean. Eat clean. Live clean. I always say it’s 40 per cent nutrition and 30 per cent some kind of regimen. You can’t stop the ageing process but you can definitely choose how you want to age.”
Shilpa Shetty was in a candid and cheerful mood
Arihant took Shilpa down memory lane of participating and winning Big Brother, the American reality show. She said, “I think I was saturated as an actor. I had Life In A Metro and I was doing Apne and I got this huge opportunity. For the first time, I got to be on my own. It was a different experience and I am happy I did that show as it threw light on the fact that we Indians are so resilient and so many others could relate to it.”
From a past project that propelled her to international fame, the talk segued to her big break on OTT with Rohit Shetty’s Indian Police Force, in which Shilpa plays a cop. “Just to be able to be a part of Rohit Shetty’s universe is a huge compliment as an artist. Also, the character is called Tara Shetty and for the first time in 30 years of my career, I was playing someone whose title was Shetty! Also, the role had so much meat on the bone.”
Lastly, we had to know what Shilpa liked most about Calcutta and she said she loves the old-world charm and the food of the city. “I love coming here. It’s a beautiful city; a tram still runs here, right? It’s the only city where there is an old-world charm. Also, many a calorie to burn off when I come here. So, a couple of dozen rosogullas, my favourite dessert, are going back with me. I love mishti doi and I love the gur sandesh, chingri malai curry and machher jhol. I love the food here.”
The evening concluded with a visual round that made Shilpa nostalgic and also proud of what she has achieved as an artiste, yoga practitioner and mother.
