During the Dainik Bhaskar Asia Awards of Excellence 2026 held in Macau, actress Shilpa Shetty spoke about success, fitness, family, and life. She said that she does not limit herself to a single identity, but rather believes in discipline, positive thinking, and learning.
Shilpa stated that for her, success is not just about name and achievements, but also the pride of her family, the love of people, and balance in life.
Question: After so many years of success, fame, and achievements, if asked, ‘Who is Shilpa Shetty Kundra?’, what would be your answer?
Answer: First of all, thank you to the Dainik Bhaskar Group for inviting me here. As for the question of who Shilpa Shetty is, I am first and foremost a human being. I want people to remember me as a good person. My achievements, my fame are separate matters.
Whether as an actor, entrepreneur, or wellness activist, my true identity is that I am a simple and good person.
For Shilpa Shetty, discipline and balance are her true strengths.
Question: When you look back at your journey, which chapter feels most special?
Answer: To be honest, I don’t like looking back. I prefer to live in the present. I like to enjoy the ‘now’. This has been my life’s mantra – be in the present and live that moment. Right now, I am here and completely with all of you. This is the same lesson I teach my children as well.
Question: You have reinvented yourself in every era and set new benchmarks. What is the secret to this reinvention?
Answer: Life is where learning never stops. For me, every day is a new experience and an opportunity to learn. I don’t like to stand still. The day you feel you have achieved everything, that’s the day growth stops. Even today, I feel like a newcomer and I still have a lot to prove. This is just the beginning of love, let’s see what happens next.
Question: What is the biggest difference between today’s Shilpa and ‘Baazigar’s Shilpa?
Answer: The easy answer is – age. But age is just a number. You cannot stop aging, but how you age is in your hands. It all depends on lifestyle, discipline, and consistency. People think I am genetically blessed or that I don’t do anything, but that’s not true. I live a balanced and positive life. Perhaps that is the difference.
Question: What is fitness for you – passion, profession, or lifestyle?
Answer: For me, fitness is a lifestyle. Many people want to get fit for a wedding or to make someone jealous. But I want to stay fit because I want to live every moment of life with my children. Not just physical fitness, mental fitness is also important. I practice pranayama and give myself time.
Especially to women, I would like to say that taking time for yourself is not wrong. If the women of the house are happy, the whole family will be happy.
For Shilpa Shetty, fitness is not a show-off, but a way of discipline, balance, and living a better life.
Question: Your cheat meal videos go viral. It was also your birthday recently, so what is your favorite cheat meal these days?
Answer: Look, whether it’s fitness or food – cheating is not good in anything. Just as you can’t cheat in marriage, you can’t in fitness either. I only have a ‘binge day’ on Sundays. But I’ve noticed that people watch my Sunday videos and start doing the same on other days too.
I believe that if you maintain balance, discipline, and exercise throughout the week, you can eat your favorite thing one day a week without guilt. But that doesn’t mean eating a kilo of biryani, a whole pizza, and half a kilo of cake. Everything should be done with balance.
And most importantly – don’t feel guilty while eating, because stress affects digestion.
Question: What is a myth about you and what is something people don’t know?
Answer: People think I party a lot and am outgoing. But the truth is quite the opposite. I am in the hospitality business, I have my own restaurants, but I don’t like noise and commotion. In reality, I am a homebody. On Saturday nights, I often put my children to sleep and am in bed by 9 PM, wearing pajamas. I like that life.
Shilpa Shetty is also a businesswoman, but considers acting more challenging.
Question: You are a businesswoman, an actor, and a star. What is more difficult – acting or business?
Answer: Both are different worlds; they cannot be compared. In business, many tasks can be delegated, but in acting, I have to perform myself. You cannot send someone else there. That’s why acting is more challenging for me. But one thing always remains special – the bond formed with the audience is true and special. Seeing love in people’s eyes always makes me emotional.
Question: Who maintains the most discipline at home – you, Raj, or the children?
Answer: Parenting is a partnership. No one person can do everything. Sometimes I become the good cop and Raj the bad cop; sometimes the roles reverse. Balance is essential in running the house and raising children.
Question: Any funny or embarrassing moment from your film life that you still remember today?
Answer: There are many. There are some that I want to forget. But there’s an interesting story related to ‘Baazigar’. People still talk about that scene where I’m smiling while falling. At that time, VFX didn’t exist. We shot that scene many times. Even today, if you look closely, you can see the string used in it.
But I learned one thing from that – films are not made just with money, they should have a soul. ‘Baazigar’ had that very thing, which is why people still remember it today.
Question: You have achieved a lot. But what is it that still excites you like a child today?
Answer: When I see fruit on a tree, I feel happy. I feel like going and plucking it myself. When I am in a place where people don’t recognise me and I can move around normally, I feel good. I am still a child at heart and don’t want to lose my childhood.