Shamita Shetty: Close Encounter.

By Fuad Omar.

Somewhere in MHADA, Andheri, seven floors up awaits a palace with a king, a queen and two princesses. I had secured my royal invite and headed on my way to interview royalty. The palace is Shamita Shetty's abode, a beautiful apartment flanked with images and statuettes as far as the eye can see, but all in a graceful and simple manner. The Ganesha figures watche over the kingdom, sprinkling on its inhabitants the luck the family has been blessed with.

Mama Shetty greets me as I enter and is more than hospitable for the castle's queen, offering a smile, a drink and conversation. Within minutes dressed in sporty casuals (but not as much as her previous screen incarnation Ishika), the princess arrives, flashing a dazzling smile my way. After I'm seated and offered another drink, she settles on her throne and thus begins an enchanting encounter. Ladies and gentleman, Shamita Shetty:

I begin by reminding her of Mohabbatein's worldwide success, and in particular its position in the UK Box Office top ten, asking how it feels to be part of such a phenomenon and what it was like being one of the key contributors to the Mohabbatein experience.
"It feels great, I learnt a lot during the making of the film. We went through a course with Barry John and were given a lot of training in every aspect of acting from scenes to songs. It was one big learning experience," she says rolling her eyes back as she reminisces causing her to smile the magical Shetty smile.
"Aditya is great to work with, he's very encouraging and especially with us newcomers he used to really push us and enact every scene so we knew exactly how he wanted it to be performed."

I wonder if she saw any similarities between the headstrong Ishika and herself or was she totally detached from the character she played so expertly in Aditya Chopra's second masterpiece.
"I can relate to Ishika quite a bit. A part of me is like her, I'm not an arrogant brat, but my experiences in school were like hers."

Shamita's entry into films was by default and she was not totally unaware of what she was getting into when she was offered a role in one of her favourite filmmaker's projects. Her elder sister's experiences served an educational purpose for the younger sibling who fast learnt the hectic schedule of life on the sets.
"I was getting a lot of offers but I never really wanted to get into the industry. I was doing my fashion designing and after finishing the course and getting my diploma I was offered this film and role which was perfect. I liked the role as it was something I would be comfortable with because Ishika is young and sporty, so I did it. I pretty much knew what went into making a film because my sister has been here for seven years and I've visited the sets so many times. The number of re-takes and shots didn't bother me because I was prepared for it."

I remember spotting Shamita on the sets of Mohabbatein in Longleat, Wiltshire and one of the sequences shot on that day was in the trademark London weather, which brings us on to her love for London.
"London was REALLY cold and I hate extreme climates, so if there's one thing I remember about that place it's the cold! There was one scene which was my introduction scene where I'm supposed to turn and give this expression and breathe hard with a certain look. I remember it was so cold I could not get it right because the lower half of my body was just so stiff and there was a blower on me for effect so it was really difficult to do and so the end result is what you see on screen done with harsh expressions! If there's one thing I remember about Longleat it's the cold climate and it was horrible!"

She shakes her head and giggles as she remembers those days for a few seconds, before we go on to talk about the media speculation with regards to star relatives appearing on screen and the expectations that come with the package of being Shilpa Shetty's sister.
"Being a sibling is tough because you are always compared, but having said that I think I've escaped lucky in that I have not been compared as much to my sister as I could have been, and I hope this continues!"
Shamita is not as tall as her sister, but just as distinct. It seems unfair to compare someone who's been in the industry for seven years and gained as much experience with someone who is just one film old and a different person altogether. Yet as is the norm in the Indian film industry, the numbers game is a forever evolving ranking and being a sibling is labelled as one of two things: sibling rivalry or someone very similar. Those expecting any of these will be disappointed, Shamita is carving her own niche.

We talk of a typical day for her, now that she's made her entry into films, and she describes how routine has kicked in, so those who ever thought being an actress was a walk in the park should think again:
"I get up at 9 when I'm not shooting and have a healthy breakfast consisting of something like egg whites on toast and some fruit. An hour or two later I'll do a two hour workout, then come home and eat lunch. After that I'll get busy with whatever I'm doing like going out or staying in and working on the computer. If I am shooting I'll try and do my workout early in the morning before I leave and shoot all day and come back. Shooting is usually around a 9am-9pm shoot so it takes a lot out of you."

Shamita must have the energy of the sporty Ishika to be able to do so much in one day, and the image of her dressed in sporty clothes and running shoes pops into my head. On the spur of the moment I ask who's your inspiration?
"Probably my Mom, she's a really strong person and I love the way she deals with situations."

Shamita lives with her parents, her sister, her peccanese dog Champagne and a black cat nicknamed Munna. She chooses her company wisely and throughout my visit to her palace, one thing was clear: the Shettys are a very close-knit and welcoming family, showing graceful hospitality and glowing with warmth.

I can't help but shudder at the manner in which the Indian film press treats its stars, more so after meeting Shamita and her family who certainly do not deserve the onslaught of abuse film stars are usually bombarded with in print due to vindictive motives and vested interests. Shamita has fortunately been spared any wild accusations so far and we hope the Indian filmi press begin to take more responsibility for what they write, realizing that since their reach is half of India's people, a rumor can go a long way and cause irreparable damage to any star and publishing such malicious lies is a deviation from talent of any journalistic nature, and simply an example of gross irresponsibility.

"I have no clue why they operate like this. I guess our magazines here are sold with a strong gossip content and I don't know why they do what they do, it's something I ask myself too," she says shaking her head as I send a silent prayer hoping this warm girl is never on the receiving end of what the print industry is capable of.

I remind her of when we first spoke over the phone and there was music blaring out over her voice and I thought she was in rehearsals or shooting for some funky new song, but in actual fact that's just how Shamita likes her music to be played: Loud. Her favourites include pop diva Madonna who she's a big fan of and Celine Dion. Hence the conversation steers to the princess' pastimes and how she likes to unwind when she's not playing sporty girls or working on future ventures.
"I listen to a lot of music, music is like my life. It has to be playing in my room 24 hours a day. I've started reading recently too, I like to read murder mysteries and suspense thrillers, but also I like reading something that is health related and is informative too," she says as I take another sip of my chilled coke, becoming more at home in the royal surroundings.

What else is the young Shetty doing and in what ventures can we see her again on the big screen I enquire, before the princess replies:
"I'm doing one film which is a Sanjay Dutt-Chandrachur Singh starrer called Mohabbat Ho Gayi Hai Tumse (I've Fallen in Love with You), Mohabbat in the title again. That one starts at the end of the month and my role is very different from my debut one as it's more an Indian one and has a very emotional subject. There's a lot of scope for performance there and the subject is really nice. Another thing I like is that the film has a debut director Rishi Talwar, and with new directors you know they are going to give it their all because it's their big break. That attracted me to the project as well as the very emotional subject - so I took it up. Then there's one more film with Partho Ghosh in which I'm opposite Bikram Saluja, and it also has Manoj Bajpai and Mahima Chaudhary in the film." I nod my head impressed with the two star studded films she has lined up when she surprises me further by telling me about the third film she has on hand.
"There's also a South Indian film directed by Shankar's assistant and is called Chocolate.". She stops and looks at my face, followed with a two second silence before we both cannot hold back the smile at the title (obviously touching on a food we both share a passion for).
"And," she continues while I compose myself, still beaming at the film title, "it's with Prashant," completing what she was saying.

We go on to discuss many things including her fans, the letters she gets and how international cinema is not one she has ruled out as contributing to, so if we're lucky Shamita Shetty could be in the next big Hollywood or British blockbuster.

On a final note I ask her to give a message to her international fans and after pausing for a moment and again flashing that dazzling smile and with a sparkle in her eyes, speaks clearly into the dictaphone in her soft voice:
"Spread the message of love, that's all. There's just so much hate in the world that I think we all need to spread the message of love!"

The interview ends here and I bask in the kingdom's positivity for a while before leaving the princess to return to her royal duties. She sees me off to the palace doors and thanks me for coming, leaving me with a memories of an enchanting encounter and hopefully some of the good luck which resonates in the air of her abode. There is a saying that good things happen to good people, and if this is true Shamita Shetty has a lot of good things coming her way.

Photographs: Subi Samuel
Outfit: Reza Shariffi