Future ready

SHILPA SHETTY'S CAREER GRAPH SEEMS TO BE UPWARDLY MOBILE ONCE MORE. TANISHA BHATTACHARYA CAPTURES THE CHANGES

Shilpa Shetty is unapologetically sassy. She knows how to hook you with some zany quotes. She's been doing interviews all her life and knows how to draw the readers in. She'll give you enough dope in one reply that you'll automatically latch on to the next, looking for another nibble. She's lived life on her own terms and has worked hard to reach that status. The actress, who is known for her hourglass figure and dance numbers, is now getting roles which satisfy the performer in her. She's waiting with bated breath for what tomorrow might bring. Excerpts from an engaging interview with the feisty actress.

We're seeing you in more fulfilling roles in projects like Sukhee and the Indian Police Force. What led to this transition?

My choices have been based on what has been offered to me. I made the best choice out of the array of films that came my way. So it's never like I was offered fantastic parts because people wanted me to play those parts. But the fact still is that I've lasted for 30 years. I must have done something right to last that long. Sometimes, people forget that I've also done roles like Dhadkan, Phir Milenge, Life in a Metro and Apne. So there have been a lot of beautiful parts I've played in my career before I took a break for around eight years. The sabbatical that I took was purely out of choice. And now that I've decided to come back, it's an interesting phase for me as an artiste because the content is different now.

Audiences are different. I think women are definitely being offered meatier roles. Back in the day, it was either touted as a heroine-oriented film or an arty film. Things are changing now. It's becoming more egalitarian now.

Did those eight years of taking a sabbatical worry you about missing out on work?