Bigg Boss 18 contestant Shilpa Shirodkar reveals she had no work before Salman Khan’s show: ‘I was seeking work, but people were not ready to meet me’

Talking about the reason why she chose to do Bigg Boss 18, Shilpa says, “Honestly, I am a huge fan of the show. Every time I watched the show, my daughter used to say that I should go on it. The family is very happy that I am going inside the house. I was looking for work, my daughter is now 20, and my husband travels a lot for his work, so I wanted to come back to do something for myself. I was trying to look for work and connect with people, but everybody kept telling me there was no work. I am taking this up because I am an actor by profession, it’s my job, so what better platform than this for me?”

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Usually actors who get associated with Bigg Boss often become stereotyped. Shilpa said, “I have been asked this a lot and I have always said that yes I was looking for work before Bigg Boss, but nobody answers your phone and if they do, they diplomatically say that nothing is happening as of now in the industry. They shall call back when there is an opportunity, this has happened with me of late. I am an actor, I want to work, for me, Bigg Boss is also work. People look at it differently, but it’s a job. My goal to do this is to get more work afterward, I am not being fake or diplomatic here, I was seeking work, but people were not ready to even meet me.”

Shilpa has worked with Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Govinda, Chunky Pandey, and others. When asked if she would share her experience of Bollywood on the show, she happily said yes and shared, “I would love to share my experiences in the house, I started with this career when I was 16 and for me, the industry is like my home. I have such a beautiful book of memories, I often meet people and they ask me if I remember anything from my films when I watch them now. But every shot has a story to tell. I hold it so close to my heart, that given an opportunity I would love to share those in the house.”

Shilpa further added, “Every day for us was a learning, it has changed today because people don’t have the time. We made relationships, we were so close to each other because back then films would not get done in 30 days. It would take years for a film to get completed. I grew up with the veterans of the industry and not for a moment did they make me feel that I was new, they were there to teach me, nurture me, and guide me with right and wrong.” Sharing that she is not in touch with anyone now, Shilpa also said, “I am not in touch with anybody, I believe that everyone moves on. I got married in 2000 and left the country, it was a completely different life. So I have not been actively in touch with anybody. But if do need anything and pick a call on them, they will also be there for me.”

The Bigg Boss 18 contestant also went on to share her fond memories of Amitabh Bachchan and Anil Kapoor, she said, “Mr. Bachchan taught me the value of time, for a 4 am shift he would arrive at 3:45, not for once he made anybody wait. He was very particular about that, it also comes down to the passion for the work. You can see what he is doing today, he is still there and he is the same. With Anil Kapoor came the value of discipline, he was so in the character all the time that it was very difficult to have a normal conversation with him on the set if he was doing that particular role. His dedication to his craft, today his hard work is still showing.”