Shilpa
Recalls
Being
A
Dark,
Tall
&
Lanky
Kid
"I
was
this
dark,
tall
&
lanky
child
who
had
her
life
pretty
much
laid
out
for
her.
I'd
graduate
&
work
with
my
dad.
Even
though
in
my
heart
I
wanted
to
do
something
different,
something
bigger
&
better,
I
never
felt
like
I
could.."
How
She
Stepped
Into
The
World
Of
Modelling
&
Films
'But
when
I
participated
in
a
fashion
show,
just
for
fun,
I
met
a
photographer
who
wanted
to
click
my
photos.
For
me
it
was
a
great
opportunity
to
step
out
of
my
comfort
zone.
To
my
complete
surprise,
the
photographs
came
out
really
well!
That
opened
the
doors
of
modelling
for
me.
Soon,
I
got
offered
my
first
film!
There
was
no
looking
back
from
there,
I
was
going
onwards
&
upwards."
The
Actress
Admits
She
Didn't
Know
How
To
Speak
Hindi
&
Shuddered
At
The
Thought
Of
Facing
The
Camera.
"But
nothing
worth
having
comes
easy.
I
was
all
of
17
when
I
entered
the
industry,
I
hadn't
seen
the
world
or
even
understood
life.
With
all
the
success
came
scrutiny.
I
wasn't
ready
for
it.
I
didn't
know
how
to
speak
Hindi,
I
shuddered
at
the
thought
of
being
in
front
of
the
camera.
I
reached
a
point
where
after
a
few
films
my
career
hit
a
lull.
I
tried
hard
but
it
always
felt
like
I
was
lagging
behind.
It's
not
easy
to
be
celebrated
one
moment
&
ignored
the
next.
I
remember
there
were
producers,
who
without
any
reason,
threw
me
out
of
their
films.
The
universe
wasn't
in
my
favour,
but
I
had
to
keep
trying
no
matter
what."
Shilpa
Shetty's
Big
Brother
Stint
"It
was
at
that
time
that
I
decided
to
reinvent
&
entered
Big
Brother.
It
was
a
chance
to
do
something
unique.
But
it
ended
up
leaving
a
huge
impact!
I
was
publicly
bullied
&
discriminated
against
just
because
of
the
country
I
belonged
to.
It
wasn't
easy
-
I
was
all
by
myself
in
that
house!
But
I
kept
me
going
-
I
couldn't
give
up,
not
after
reaching
this
far.
When
I
won,
people
kept
telling
me,
‘You've
made
us
proud.' That's
when
I
knew
that
all
of
that
struggle
&
persistence
was
worth
it.
I
had
stood
up
not
just
for
myself,
but
for
all
of
those
who
had
faced
racism."
On
A
Parting
Note
"My
life
has
been
filled
with
ups
&
downs.
I
went
from
being
the
shy
girl
to
someone
who
was
front
&
center
on
the
silver
screen.
There
were
terrible
times,
but
there
have
also
been
some
great
accomplishments.
I've
enjoyed
every
minute
of
it!
It's
made
me
who
I
am
today
-
a
strong
independent
woman,
a
proud
actor,
a
wife
&
a
mother.
And
I
wouldn't
have
it
any
other
way," said
Shilpa.