Wowed by the corporate culture and technological revolution in showbiz, the popular actor from the 1990s, is happy to start her second innings
Shilpa Shirodkar says working in a corporatised atmosphere will be a different ball game and she is ready for the cultural shock.
“I never missed Bollywood. I didn’t have time to do that. I have a beautiful family. I am very happy being a mother and full-time homemaker,” said Shilpa, who has shifted residence to Mumbai and busy shooting in this Delhi suburb of her comeback vehicle, Zee TV’s new show Ek Muthi Aasman based on the life on domestic helps.
“Now that I have shifted (to Mumbai) after 10 years, I got the offer; it just happened and I agreed to do it. Honestly, I didn’t have to try hard for it,” added the actor who confessed that during the last decade, not even once did she miss the arclights, which she gave up when she got married.
A mother of nine-year-old daughter Anushka, the actor, who won the hearts of many with her work in Kishen Kanhaiya (1989) and Khuda Gawah (1993), is a firm believer in the institution of marriage. “I promote marriage to everybody. I have got a fantastic husband and a beautiful daughter. I lost my parents suddenly, one after the other. But my in-laws are my support system. My sister (actor) Namrata Shirodkar stays in Hyderabad. We have shifted here (to India) to be with them,” Shilpa shared.
Now that Shilpa has begun shooting for Ek Muthi Aasman, she realises how the film and the TV industry have evolved. “The TV and the film industries have evolved undoubtedly over all these years. People have become more professional and disciplined. The whole corporate culture has come in and there’s a lot more exposure and opportunities. I think it would be great working now…it was organised in the 1980s, but it wasn’t like this. It’s beautiful and fun,” said Shilpa.
“There were very few channels earlier and less media attention,” she added.
Shilpa, who also featured in films like Hum, Aankhen and Gopi Kishan, enjoys working with new technologies. “Earlier, while shooting, the director used to say cut after each shot while standing behind the camera…and that’s it. There wasn’t any monitor to see the shot. Sometimes when we used to see the scene, we used to feel terrible. In those days, only a few producers and directors used to agree to reshoot scenes. But now it’s amazing. You can see yourself on the monitor after every shot. You can edit it, add graphics and a lot more. It’s amazing,” said Shilpa.
As far as films are concerned, the 43-year-old would like to work with filmmakers like Karan Johar and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. “Karan Johar makes beautiful love stories and I was amazed to see Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and Go Goa Gone. But I think I am too old to work with Saif Ali Khan and Shahrukh Khan. Beautiful, inspiring films are being made in Indian cinema,” said Shilpa, who also said that Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha are her all-time favourite actors.
Amidst all the good things, she rues the current overdose of glamour and paparazzi. “Back in the 1990s, there was growth for an actor. Her costumes, makeup and dialogues used to change with every film. But now, from first film to the last, an actor pretty much looks the same. I am surely going to have a cultural shock. I have changed…I have grown over all these years and I’ll take my own time to be comfortable in the industry,” said Shilpa.
Asked if she has met her previous co-stars like Govinda and Anil Kapoor, she said: “No, I haven’t. I don’t party. I do attend events. May be after the show, I’ll start meeting people again. Right now I am very happy in my space.”
