EXCLUSIVE! Shilpa Shetty Kundrra reveals what calmed her through turbulent times

Mumbai (Maharashtra): Shilpa Shetty Kundrra has always dazzled everyone with her beauty and top-notch acting skills. The actress who has been wooing her fans since the early 90s has an array of films and series ready to be released this year. Shilpa who made her comeback after 14 years in 2021 with Hungama 2, will now be seen as Avni in the upcoming rom-com action film, Nikamma. Starring alongside Abhimanyu Dassani and Shirley Setia, the actress will be seen in a never-before-seen avatar. Shilpa sat down with First India Filmy to talk about her role, box office, COVID-19, yoga and more.

Talking about the concept of superwoman, Shilpa stated that every woman is a superwoman. “I feel like even I am a superwoman. I portray so many roles in my personal life, like any woman out there. They just do it selflessly and unconditionally. In this film, my character is a woman in a superposition. Her simplicity and the fact that she is non-corrupt make her super. No matter how strict she is at work, she is equally soft at home. That is why I think she is a superwoman. Also, to play that difference in character was fun for me.”

Mentioning the importance of Indian values in the film, Shilpa revealed, “I am very middle class. I had an emotional scene with Abhimanyu and I had tears in my eyes even after shooting it. So, I would say that I was really excited to do something different like this after doing so many films throughout my career.”

About whether she felt responsible for the film as her other two costars are newcomers, the Dhadkan actress said that she does not care how a film performs as she does her work and forgets about it. “I give my 1000% to a film. If an artist starts thinking about the performance of the film, it will seep into their work. So, I do not want to ever think that I am carrying a film on my back as its performance depends on me. A movie does not work because of the artist, it works because of the content.”

She further added, “Today small artists are getting their deserved recognition. The medium may be OTT, but the audience is watching them and making those artists big stars. So, I feel, this is a different time, this is a different industry now where new artists and new content are being praised. I am happy to be back in this time.”

Elaborating on how yoga has helped her keep calm during turbulent times, Shilpa said, “I am a yogi. That is an exercise I do every night, unfailingly. I have been urging people to try yoga way before COVID happened. Many people wrongly look at it as just an exercise. Yoga will make you discover yourself and align your mind. We have gone through such different pains, so it has deeply affected us. So, I feel, to bring awareness to yourself, you need to meditate.”