Shilpa Shetty Kundra is an Indian actress who mainly works in Hindi films and has been in the industry for almost 30 years.
She made her screen debut in the thriller Baazigar, which earned her a nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Shetty is also a model, producer, entrepreneur, author and wellness influencer.
She gained international popularity after winning the fifth season of the UK reality show Celebrity Big Brother.
Shetty was born on June 8, 1975, in Mangalore, Karnataka, to a Tulu-speaking Bunt family.
Her father, Surendra, and mother, Sunanda, were both manufacturers of tamper-proof water caps.
Shetty has a younger sister, Shamita, who is also an actress.
For her higher education, she attended St. Anthony’s Girls High School in Chembur and Poddar College in Matunga.
She was the captain of her high school’s volleyball team and also studied Bharatanatyam.
Shetty is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer and also possesses a black belt in Karate.
She started her career in modeling after finishing her tenth-grade studies in 1991, and made her acting debut in the 1993 film ‘Baazigar’.
The actress has appeared in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada films, and has received numerous awards and Filmfare nominations.
She was also the winner of the reality show, Celebrity Big Brother UK.
Shilpa Shetty husband
Shetty has been married to actor and businessman Raj Kundra since 2009.
The two media personalities have two children together, a son born in 2012 and a daughter born through surrogacy in 2020.
Kundra has had various investment interests, including cricket and mixed martial arts, and is involved with his wife’s charitable organization, the Shilpa Shetty Foundation.
He has been in the news recently due to his alleged involvement in a p*rnography-related case, for which he spent two months in jail in 2021.
On October 20, 2023, Kundra announced on his social media accounts that he and Shilpa have separated, but did not provide any further details.
Shilpa Shetty career
Shetty is primarily known for her work in Hindi films, but she has also appeared in Telugu, Kannada and Tamil films.
She made her screen debut in the thriller Baazigar (1993), which gained her a nomination for the Filmfare Best Supporting Actress Award.
She has appeared in nearly 40 Bollywood, Tamil, Telugu, and Kannada films, with her first leading role being in the 1994 Aag.
Some of her notable performances include Dhadkan (2000), Rishtey (2002), and her portrayal of an AIDS patient in Phir Milenge (2004).
Shetty rose to international prominence after winning Celebrity Big Brother 5 in the United Kingdom in 2007-08.
She has also worked as a producer, author, and businesswoman.
Shetty runs a chain of wellness centers named Iosis Wellness Centre and has authored several books on health and wellness.
She has received numerous awards and nominations for her work in films, including Filmfare nominations and the Champions of Change award for her contribution to government campaigns.