Shilpa Shetty

Inspired by the Hollywood film A Kiss Before Dying (1956), the film featured Shetty in the supporting role of Seema Chopra, a girl who is murdered by her revenge-seeking boyfriend, played by Khan.

Baazigar proved to be a major box office hit and finished up as the fourth-highest-grossing film of the year.

Both the film as well as Shetty's performance received critical appreciation; Shetty received nominations for Best Female Debut and Best Supporting Actress at the annual Filmfare Awards ceremony.

Shilpa Shetty Kundra (born Ashwini Shetty on 8 June 1975) is an Indian actress and television personality.

In 1991, after completing her tenth-grade examinations, Shetty began her career as a model with a Limca television commercial and subsequently featured in several other commercials and advertisements, following which she began receiving offers for film roles.

Shetty continued to pursue her career as a model until she became an actress.

In September 1992, Shetty signed for and began working on her first film – the romantic drama Gaata Rahe Mera Dil – to be directed by Dilip Naik which tells the story of a girl involved in a love triangle between two men (played by Ronit Roy and Rohit Roy).

However, the film went unreleased, which meant that Shetty's debut release was her next film, Abbas-Mustan's thriller Baazigar, alongside Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol.

She made her screen debut in the thriller Baazigar (1993) which gained her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.

She had intermittent success in the rest of the decade, such as in the action films Main Khiladi Tu Anari (1994) and Jaanwar (1999).

In 1994, Shetty had three film releases.

Her first release that year was the action drama Aag, in which she played her first leading role.

Co-starring Govinda and Sonali Bendre, the film saw Shetty portray Bijli, a village belle who is actually an undercover policewoman assigned to arrest a murderer (played by Govinda) at any cost.

Aag emerged as a moderate box office success and fetched mixed critical reviews, as did Shetty's performance.

Shetty next starred alongside Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Raageshwari and Shakti Kapoor in the action comedy Main Khiladi Tu Anari.

In the film, Shetty played the dual roles of Mona (a cabaret dancer and a gangster's girlfriend) and her look-alike Basanti (a village belle).

The film, which marked Shetty's first of many collaborations with Kumar, proved to be a super-hit at the box office.

The romantic drama Dhadkan (2000) marked a turning point in Shetty's career.

This was followed by roles in Indian (2001) and Rishtey (2002), which earned her a second Filmfare nomination for Best Supporting Actress.

Shetty received praise for playing a woman with AIDS in the drama Phir Milenge (2004), which earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress.

She subsequently appeared in the action thriller Dus (2005), the ensemble drama Life in a... Metro (2007), and the sports drama Apne (2007), and gained attention for the song "Shut Up & Bounce" in the film Dostana (2008).

This was followed by a hiatus from acting.

In 2006, she ventured into reality television by judging the dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa.

Shetty has worked with PETA since 2006 as part of an advertising campaign against the use of wild animals in circuses.

In early 2007, Shetty joined the fifth season of the UK reality show Celebrity Big Brother, ultimately winning the season.

During her stay, Shetty received international media coverage and attention for the racism she endured from several of her housemates.

Her win was followed by a spot hosting the second season of the Indian version of the show, Bigg Boss in 2008.

From 2009 to 2015, she was a part-owner of the Indian Premier League team Rajasthan Royals.

Shetty was born in Mangalore, Karnataka in a Tulu speaking Bunt family.

Her mother Sunanda and late father Surendra Shetty were both manufacturers of tamper-proof water caps in the pharmaceutical industry.

She is Shamita Shetty's elder sister.

Shetty has since appeared as a judge on several dance and music reality-competition shows, including Zara Nachke Dikha (2010), Nach Baliye (2012–2020) and Super Dancer (2016–2021), and she has made appearances on Indian Idol (2021–2023).

She returned to acting in 2021 with the comedy film Hungama 2 and has since starred in the action series Indian Police Force (2024).

In addition to her screen work, Shetty is a celebrity endorser for various brands and products, and she has been vocal about personal issues such as feminism, vegetarianism and animal rights.

She is also a fitness enthusiast and she launched her own Yoga DVD in 2015.

She is involved in several fitness campaigns such as the Fit India Movement, launched by the Government of India.

Shetty was awarded the Champions of Change Award for her work on the Swachh Bharat Mission cleanliness campaign.

Shetty revealed her Bengali ancestry in 2016, during a visit to a fashion show in Dhaka, where she also mentioned her future plans on visiting her ancestral homestead in Sylhet and acting in a Bangladeshi film.

Shetty was educated at St. Anthony's Girls High School, Chembur and at Podar College in Matunga.

A trained Bharatanatyam dancer, she was the captain of the volleyball team at her school.