She has been in the Hindi industry for almost 27 years. Actress-entrepreneur Shilpa Shetty Kundra agrees that stardom does not come easy and that one needs to put in efforts to be successful.

"There is no free lunch in the world, so one has to put in effort to achieve success in any sphere. There are pros and cons but in my case the pros outweigh the cons, so it is enough reason to rejoice," Shilpa told IANS.

Shilpa made her Bollywood debut in the 1993 Shah Rukh Khan-starrer "Baazigar". Since then she has been a part of the cast in many big-ticket films including "Main Khiladi Tu Anari", "Dhadkan", "Indian", "Garv: Pride And Honour ", "Apne" and "Dus". Her performances in "Phir Milenge" and "Life In A... Metro" have been particularly applauded.

Over the past 27 years, how does she look at the evolution of roles for women in Bollywood? "It is a great time for actors and cinema as the medium is evolving, and so are the audiences. There has been a welcome change, (and it is) an opportune time to experiment," she replied.

Shilpa, 45, has even tried television. In 2007, she became won "Celebrity Big Brother" in the UK. She was then seen hosting season two of "Bigg Boss". The actress also judged reality shows like "Zara Nachke Dikha", "Nach Baliye" and "Super Dancer".

What else does Shilpa aspire to do? "(There is) So much to do and achieve. Times have changed, experience is a good teacher and makes actors better. I am looking forward to people seeing a new and better side to my talent after this sabbatical. My approach to cinema is also different," she said.

Comedy, is one thing she wants to try more. "I enjoy watching comedy, so would love to do more of that," she pointed out.

Shilpa married businessman Raj Kundra in 2002. The two welcomed their son Viaan in 2012. They had a second child, daughter Samisha, in 2020 via surrogacy.

She shared the key to her happy and successful marriage. "We have just learned to accept and let each other be. We want to grow in this relationship not grow out of it. We try to do things that make us happy because if we can't be happy we can't keep each other happy. We've learnt to agree even in disagreements," Shilpa said.

Shilpa said that the "bedrock" of her "relationship" is faith and friendship. "We prioritise family. That's what keeps us going," she stated.

(Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in)