Suniel Shetty now owns all three buildings where his dad worked as a waiter and restaurant manager: ‘He would sleep in a rice sack’

Actor Suniel Shetty spoke about the tough life that his father experienced after running away from home in Mangalore at age nine, and rising up the ranks of the Mumbai restaurant world through sheer hard work. Suniel said that his father would wipe tables initially, and then worked his way up to the role of restaurant manager, and eventually, owner. He said in a new interview that he bought all the three buildings that his father worked at in the catering industry.

Chatting with comedian Bharti Singh and her husband Haarsh Limbachiyaa on their podcast, he said, “My dad ran away and came to Mumbai as a child. He didn’t have a father, but he had three sisters. He found work in a South Indian restaurant at age nine, because that’s the thing about our community, we support each other. His first job was cleaning tables. He was so little, he would have to make four rounds of the table just to clean all sides. He would sleep in a sack meant for rice.”

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Suniel said that his father displayed incredible tenacity as he rose up the ranks. “His boss bought three buildings, and dad was eventually asked to manage them. When the boss retired, dad bought all three buildings. Today, I still have all three buildings. And that’s where our journey began.” He said that in context of his dad’s achievements, he hasn’t done anything.

Suniel Shetty made his acting debut in 1992 after several false starts. He said that his father urged him to take the leap, even though Suniel had worked for several years in the catering business alongside him. “My dad was a very humble man, but if anybody said a word against his kids or his staff, he would turn into a lion. He would have one line: ‘Bech daalunga sab kuch ko, gaon chale jaunga, par naainsaafi nahi jhelunga (I’ll sell everything off and return to my village, but I will not tolerate injustice)’.” Suniel’s father died in 2017.