Too many platforms both a boon and bane for actors: Shilpa Shetty

Mumbai: Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty believes the new era, where there are many platforms and options for actors, is both a boon and bane for the film industry.

Shetty, one of the most popular stars of the 1990s and 2000s, said diversification means actors are now required to make more strategic choices about the roles they take on.

“We are facing a difficult time in cinema. Today, films, whether helmed by women or men, are finding it difficult to (grab attention) it’s the content that the audience is looking for. The taste of the audience has changed. There are too many platforms available, so audiences are spoilt for choice.

"So, actors have to make the right choices. Having too many platforms has become a boon and bane, so it’s a double-edged sword,” the actor told PTI on the sidelines of the Jagran Film Festival.

Shetty expressed gratitude to fans for helping her maintain her popularity for all these years.

“The last few years have been amazing. Even while I wasn’t doing films, the TV audience has always given me a lot of love. We tend to underestimate the masses, and TV caters to the masses. The fandom is what gives us all the popularity.” One of the pivotal aspects of her career, Shetty said, has been the memorable music of her films.

“Sometimes films flop, but the songs were super hits. So, I have survived because of those songs, and I’ve to give credit to each film. Each song has been like a milestone in my life.

"I did a film called Shool, in which I wasn’t even the heroine, but I did one song, Main Aayi Hoon UP Bihar Lootne, and I survived for the next four years.” Of her extensive filmography, Shetty expressed a special fondness for movies like Dhadkan, co-starring Akshay Kumar and Suniel Shetty, Indra Kumar-directed Rishtey, and Anurag Basu’s Life in a... Metro.

“I've matured a lot as a performer. I love Dhadkan, it is a love story in which two men are vying for you, it's a dream for every heroine. It was my re-invention as well; it is one of my favourite movies I can watch repeatedly. It’s the Mughal-E-Azam of my career, as it was in the making for five years,” the 49-year-old actor said.

“Life in a Metro, was the most difficult part that I have played, and the film for which I worked extremely hard is Rishtey. I didn’t get credit for the work I did in that film. It was a film where I put my heart and my soul into doing emotional scenes, and the Marathi twang was very difficult as an artist to do,” Shetty added.

The actor will be seen next in Druva Sarja’s pan-India movie KD-The Devil. The period action entertainer, directed by Prem, also stars V Ravichandran and Sanjay Dutt.