Shilpa Shetty Instagram – Only human! Thank you 🙏🏼 for telling my story. Posted @withrepost • @officialhumansofbombay “I was this dark, tall & lanky child who had her life pretty much laid out for her. I’d graduate & work with my dad. Even though in my heart I wanted to do something different, something bigger & better, I never felt like I could. But when I participated in a fashion show, just for fun, I met a photographer who wanted to click my photos. For me it was a great opportunity to step out of my comfort zone. To my complete surprise, the photographs came out really well! That opened the doors of modelling for me. Soon, I got offered my first film! There was no looking back from there, I was going onwards & upwards. But nothing worth having comes easy. I was all of 17 when I entered the industry, I hadn’t seen the world or even understood life. With all the success came scrutiny. I wasn’t ready for it. I didn’t know how to speak Hindi, I shuddered at the thought of being in front of the camera. I reached a point where after a few films my career hit a lull. I tried hard but it always felt like I was lagging behind. It’s not easy to be celebrated one moment & ignored the next. I remember there were producers, who without any reason, threw me out of their films. The universe wasn’t in my favour, but I had to keep trying no matter what. It was at that time that I decided to reinvent & entered Big Brother. It was a chance to do something unique. But it ended up leaving a huge impact! I was publicly bullied & discriminated against just because of the country I belonged to. It wasn’t easy – I was all by myself in that house! But I kept me going – I couldn’t give up, not after reaching this far. When I won, people kept telling me, ‘You’ve made us proud.’ That’s when I knew that all of that struggle & persistence was worth it. I had stood up not just for myself, but for all of those who had faced racism. My life has been filled with ups & downs. There were terrible times, but there have also been some great accomplishments. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it! It’s made me who I am today – a strong independent woman, a proud actor, a wife & a mother. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.”