$$$ Koffee With Karan $$$

She held her own on an international reality show, she fought what's bad and what's 'goody' and emerged victorious... today, she is back on the star radar... she is an ambassador against racism and she is a household name in Britain. Karan's first guest is the super glamorous and very hot Shilpa Shetty. His second guest is the acting star of today, who is doing exceptionally well and is going to go from strength to strength in the future, Shilpa's younger sister Shamita. Also, joining them is a woman who means the world to them and has always been a pillar of strength, Shilpa and Shamita's mother Sunanda Shetty.

Karan: Ok, how does it feel to be on the show… I know I am giving too much importance to myself by asking you this question, but how does it feel?
Shilpa: It feels weird
Karan: Weird? That's a first… why would you feel weird?
Shilpa: Its feels wired because you know we have known each other as friends and you can get away with a lot… but, I really don't know… the feelings are mixed …

Karan: But, it's such a sweet innocent, almost like harmless show… So, why should you feel weird?
Shilpa: Am I still on Koffee with Karan?… (laughs)

Karan: But, firstly congratulations on all the success… on Big Brother… how does that feel… how did all that happen?
Shilpa: Well, it came through a common friend… this was a celebrity Big Brother and I knew it had a huge TRP rating in the UK… I didn't know what it entailed … but, I also thought it was huge opportunity for an Indian to go on a show like that… and I took it as a huge compliment… and I had nothing to fear Karan because they tweaked the contracts and all… and Channel 4 has never done that in their entire history… they changed some clauses.

Karan: Like what were your clauses… that you won't wear certain clothes…
Shilpa: I said, I won't wear anything that makes me feel uncomfortable… anything 'UnIndian' …

Karan: You made those clauses?
Shilpa: Ya … and I said, I wont kiss if it's a task.

Karan: Kiss?
Shilpa: I mean you know… if there is a task …

Karan: Oh so, if there is a task and you have to kiss?
Shilpa: Just in case…

Karan: Unless you fall in love with somebody there?
Shilpa: Ya… you know you have to do something to set his heart racing… I am sure they have had some tasks like this in the past… So, I said, I won't do those things… so they said, there is nothing that you have to do, that you don't want to do… worst comes to worst if you feel very uncomfortable… they said, you can leave whenever you want …

Karan: Just walk out.
Shilpa: Ya… they don't tie you down.

Karan: But, did you know what you were in for? Did you ever feel that you were going to be assaulted?
Shilpa: I had no idea.

Karan: Did you expect this Jade Goody episode happening in your life at all?
Shilpa: I don't think anybody expected that

Karan: Were you completely thrown off when it was happening?
Shilpa: Ahhh… when you are in the house… that's your world… you don't know what's happening in the outside world… the way people were perceiving things … it was way way bigger than how we were looking at it …

Karan: She said the most terrible things to you?
Shilpa: Not in front of me …

Karan: What was the worst thing she said to you?
Shilpa: I think behind my back… most of the things were said, that's the reason, it created the furor it did… it became this whole international incident … I think we as a race … Indians, are pretty tolerant… we tend to forgive and forget more easily… and that's exactly what I did. I like to give people the benefit of the doubt and even after those fights I just wanted to move on because I was like, this is just a show and I am going to go back home and honestly Karan, I took up the show because, I didn't think I would last that long. I told Anurag, I left Metro and I told him, listen this is a great opportunity, they have told an Indian to be on the show, Main jaaongi, bahut saara paise bhi de rahe hain, aur mujhe kya karna hain… I just have to be myself… So, I am just going to have a good time and come back… and I said keep the shoot after two weeks, I will be out in 2 weeks (laughs).

Karan: (laughs) So you never thought that you would ever ever win?
Shilpa: Not in my life … it was a dream.

Karan: What about Jade Goody… had you heard of her?
Shilpa: No, I hadn't heard of her.

Karan: Neither have I.
Shilpa: Ya … people in the UK know her.

Karan: Have you been in touch with her… have you had any kind of interaction with her?
Shilpa: No.

Karan: Not at all?
Shilpa: No… not as yet.

Karan: What would you say to her if you ever met her face to face… besides… thank you … laughs.
Shilpa: You know… really… alls well that ends well. I have to thank her because God has been so kind… and what's happened after Big Brother… it's been.

Karan: Spectacular… so, in a way she kind of… started the ball rolling?
Shilpa: No… really… the way things happened were not ideal for great memories, but, it was a great learning curve for me … Big Brother … and as far as Jade is concerned… you know me Karan … I am just too positive.

Karan: You wont let such a thing …
Shilpa: I can't let these things affect me.

Karan: Move on …
Shilpa: And the day she came and apologized to me… people do think and assume that she was told because of the whole thing that was happening in the outside world. I had no idea what transpired between them, but the day she came and apologized to me … it was over. I buried the hatchet right there and then and I hugged her and I said, let bygones be bygones and for me I maintain that… and because you know there were lot of things that I didn't know of…

Karan: Were you angry, when you found out?
Shilpa: I was not angry… I was just so shocked …it was so hurtful… because, I was going out of my way… I was cooking… I had become like a maid servant in the house… (laughs)… because I thought it would be very rude… for me to cook food for myself and eat it and monopolize the kitchen, so let me also cook for them…

Karan: You were the good old Indian.
Shilpa: But, I guess perception is something that each person has their own.


Karan: You know you have been working in this industry… and you have had your share of ups and downs… you have had your success and there was this whole phase of failures… and you were still holding… you were looking great… you have always been known for your terrific body… for your dance abilities… but yet, success eluded you... mainstream success eluded for a long long time… did you at times feel disillusioned… that things were not going as well as you had imagined them to?
Shilpa: Ah… Well, I don't know… how to answer that Karan, because, I am someone who has never given up very easily. I have constantly tried to re-invent myself… as far as success goes… I think I did pretty well compared to a lot of my peers.

Karan: And you, survived… you have been here for years…
Shilpa: Yes… and I have been working since the age of 17 and I may have not had the Karan Johar's and the Yash Chopra's backing me… or I never had the opportunity to work with you guys.

Karan: But in your repertoire of films… you had like a Dhadkan… Phir Milenge
Shilpa: Ya… that was my comeback… success I think, Dhadkan did very well, then after that I tried to re-invent myself… with a Rishtey… it wasn't a commercial hit… but people appreciated my work… I was nominated… after that I again tried to do something different with Phir Milenge.

Karan: And everyone, loved you in that film …
Shilpa: Ya… but very conveniently people forgot all of that and they very conveniently degraded my body of work… I don't know why… either the media takes it upon them to make sure to make me feel bad.

Karan: About yourself…
Shilpa: Ya … I don't know why…

Karan: What's with this whole… emergence again of this Akshay Kumar fiasco … from where did that come?
Shilpa: What was that? I have no idea.

Karan: Isn't that your past… that has been buried?
Shilpa: I don't even want to talk about Akshay because it a closed chapter in my life.

Karan: No, no, I am not asking you to talk… I know you have moved on …
Shilpa: I know, just me elaborating about it … and it was just not discussed here… it was discussed in Britain also.

Karan: Do you think there was this certain section of the British press that felt that ok, there is too much praise of Shilpa, now dig up the past…
Shilpa: You know, how all this happened I hope…

Karan: How did that happen?
Shilpa: It is the Indian press that did it… you know, amongst all the press… all over the world… God has been very kind… may be a show like Big Brother worked as a catalyst for a huge issue like racism.

Karan: Sure
Shilpa: So, obviously I was splashed on all the papers… people were writing about me… loads was written about me in Britain… but let me tell you… 99 % was positive in Britain … and the worst articles that I got was here in India… and that is what hurt me… because I was representing my country… and I don't want to sound like a beauty pageant (laughs) contestant … but, on a more serious note, I was going as an Indian and even before I was entering the house… the last thing that I said was, I hope I make every Indian proud… and I lived by that… and I am proud that I could actually go there and show the world a different India… a modern India and that's we who we are today, we are not regressive, we are extremely modern, we speak very good English…

Karan: And that is not the way we are perceived?
Shilpa: Exactly…

Karan: You think it is the Indian press who dug up the past and brought this entire Akshay Kumar episode back …
Shilpa: It was horrible.

Karan: There was this whole article that was written … what did he have to say … did you ever had word with him…
Shilpa: I know that he hasn't said those things… and he knows that I haven't… we would never go down to the extent of bringing down each other's dignity… I have a lot of respect that he is married.

Karan: He is a father
Shilpa: He is a father… and he is very happy for me I am sure, that I have moved on and I have made it in life… and we respect each other as individuals and that is what is important… but, the press really goes out of their way to make sure that there is trouble and I think they have gone right from making personal attacks on me to… I think they have reached the lowest ever… when they brought the whole Akshay angle… character assassinated my parents… they called me a B- grade actress, an item girl… it's so sad because Karan I think lets be fair … don't call me a B-grade actress… I have worked right from Shah Rukh to Govinda to Anil to Sunny to Salman to… you name it… I mean how can you call me …

Karan: There is no way …
Shilpa: And I did one item song in my entire life and they made me into an item girl… I don't understand this… and what hurts me the most Karan is that you are given so much respect and love outside your country and you come back to your own country and daggers are drawn… its just not fair…


Karan: Welcome to Koffee with Karan Shamita, you have been stressed out… like I am some kind of a mad person who is going to attack both of you…
Shamita: All of us are really scared… of the rapid fire round

Karan: Those are such fun, sweet questions …
Shamita: Fun for you …
Shilpa: Sweet Questions?

Karan: But, tell me, how did it feel when Shilpa went through all if this… you back home… you and dad… and mum
Shamita: When we were not in touch with her?

Karan: Ya … because you know, she didn't know what was happening in there? But, all of you did?
Shamita: None of us knew what was happening… in fact, when the press wanted us to comment… we actually kept away from the press for some time because we didn't want to make any comments till we saw actually what was happening.

Karan: But you'll saw what was happening?
Shamita: No, not really.

Karan: Because, you'll were not in London…
Shamita: Ya… and our press out here was making it look like she was being tortured in the house… ya… and you know we have this friend in London… who would call us everyday and tell us what was happening in the house… and we were literally surviving on that information… for us, it was horrible, because all we saw was Shilpa crying on every news channel.

Shilpa: Terrible … did I have my liner on?
Karan: laughs…
Shamita: You had your earrings on too…
Shilpa: Laughs… the first thing she told me was… even in your saddest moment … we never caught you once without a glamorous pair of earrings… laughs …

Karan: laughs… and your liner on …
Shamita: That's Shilpa …

Karan: But when you finally found out where it was going… were you more relieved…or more stressed out?
Shamita: Yes… definitely relieved … also so happy when she won.

Karan: You were in London?
Shamita: No… I wasn't but mumma was… and I remember you know… this friend of mine kept me on speaker phone for 15 minutes and I actually heard her scream and I was like, I was jumping in my room and I went and woke up dad… and I was like, daddy, Shilpa won… it was an amazing feeling… because you know what, she has never really won anything… laughs.

Shilpa: Thanks Shamita… you can't say those things on camera
Shamita: Ya… I mean it was an amazing feeling.

Karan: Both of you'll are looking so stunning… so hot… you'll are obviously competing for single men now… because both of you are not in relationships
Shilpa: No… no … on that front we are not competing with each other… because her kind of men and my kind of men are very very different.

Karan: And what is your kind of men Shilpa?
Shamita: Ya… what is your kind of man?

Karan: Ya … who is he?
Shilpa: Honestly there is no …

Karan: We have only one reference really… and he is married now… but beyond that…
Shilpa: One tight slap…(laughs)… no, but really… there is no stereotype.

Karan: Don't tell me things like… the man who loves me
Shilpa: No, I will tell you for Shamita… everything starts and ends with a great body… for me… he has to have a heart of gold.

Karan: Oh god… that's a cliché
Shilpa: Very boring na I am… what to do.

Karan: I much prefer Shamita's choice … he should have a good body.
Shilpa: She is the fun one.

Karan: But is there any one in your life Shamita… you have been through a series of relationships.
Shamita: Series of relationships… laughs… really?

Karan: You have had a few na… more than Shilpa has?
Shilpa: Laughs.

Karan: But haven't you been a little more active than Shilpa has?
Shamita: What active… I beg you'll please stop.

Karan: But I am happy for you… you should be happy… you are young.
Shamita: But, there is no one right now.

Karan: No one right now… and Shilpa there is no Prince charming right now?
Shilpa: No …
Karan: And are you dying to get hooked up …
Shilpa: I would love to have someone special… I don't deny that.


Karan: So tell me, you dabble in astrology… but, you don't do it commercially I know… but, you are wonderful and fantastic at it.
Sunanda: I don't know what to say.

Karan: But, did you see good things… in the case of Shilpa?
Sunanda: Yes.

Karan: What were your thoughts?
Sunanda: I think in a nutshell, I would say… she is destiny's child… she has had her ups and downs … she is going through her ups now.

Karan: And you saw that coming… did you tell her about it?
Shilpa: She had told me very long time ago that you know you are going to be someone who will achieve a lot more than people can imagine… international fame… and I always thought she has a bias… every mother thinks a world of their child… but you know, as things are unfolding… a lot of things what she said… has come true… they continue to come true…

Karan: Fabulous… were you at all disturbed when everything was happening inside the house… there was so much being said.
Sunanda: I think she is a very brave child and she did handle the entire situation with a lot of dignity… I was happy that she could walk out whenever she wanted to … since she stuck around … we knew she was in a position to cope.

Karan: You were all sad about the things that were being said to her on the show?
Sunanda: No, I wasn't sad about things that were being said to her in the show… I was sad by the remarks that were being made about her participation in the show within the country.

Karan: Ok … you think the media was being unfair?
Sunanda: I can't generalize… not all were unfair… but, a section was.

Karan: You have been a strong sense of support to both of them… and they are both absolute stunners… so, why are they still single?
Shilpa: What can my mother do in that?
Sunanda: They have to make the choices.

Karan: Are you worried at all?
Sunanda: Not at all .. great things are in store.

Karan: There is no rush?
Sunanda: There is no reason to worry.