A Bollywood film promoter in Ireland has said that the entry of Indian actress Shilpa Shetty into Channel 4’s Celebrity Big Brother house is a sign of how Bollywood actresses have a limited lifespan in the industry. Bollywood is the name given to the popular Mumbai-based Hindi-language film industry in India.
Siraj Zaidi of Bollywood Ireland told Metro Eireann that most Bollywood actresses have a career-span of “not more than 10 years; their prime is in their twenties. Shilpa is now 31, and at this stage the offers decline for major parts.” He added that some Bollywood actresses also leave their careers to pursue a family life.
However, possibly India’s most well-known actress is Aishwarya Rai – who, at 33, is still enjoying a strong career in Bollywood. Zaidi said that Shetty was never one of Bollywood’s major actresses, but could now carve out for herself a successful career in UK television. “Who knows what the springboard would be for her,” commented Zaidi, adding that The Irish Times had recently featured her in its entertainment section because of the Celebrity Big Brother exposure.
The reality show draws several million views each night, and Shetty is one of 11 contestants.
Other ‘housemates’ include a Sunday Mirror columnist, a glamour model, the former A Team star Dirk Benedict (aka ‘Face’), many one-time pop stars, the controversial film director Ken Russell, and Michael Jackson’s brother Jermaine.
Shetty has reportedly been paid 31.5m rupees (£362,300) to appear in the hit show. The Times of India has reported that her agent – Jasvir ‘Jazz’ Barton – has said that the actress plans to be “dignified” during the show, which isn’t noted for its decorum.
Just as with the recently launched Indian version – retitled Big Boss – the housemates are meant to live under relentless public scrutiny, with viewers voting to evict the celebrities from the house one-byone.
Barton said it was likely Shetty would cook a curry for her housemates and would probably appear in “a mix of Asian and Western clothing” to highlight her origins and culture.
Shetty has stated that she wants to make India proud, but it is dubious as to whether she will succeed. Bollywood films tend to be conservative in content, although Siraj Zaidi says this is gradually changing.
“There will be an element of envy [of Shetty qithin the entertainment industry]... but by intellectual Indian people she will be looked down upon.”
This year’s Celebrity Big Brother began airing on 3 January and will run for 25 days.
