Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty sought to put a racist bullying row behind her after winning Britain’s Celebrity Big Brother, a triumph tipped to elevate her career beyond Bollywood.
The 31-year-old also won a cash prize of £100,000,and more publicity than she could have imagined due to the bullying she endured at the hands of three of her housemates which caused an international uproar.
However, Shilpa was quick to play down allegations that she had been the victim of racial abuse. “Things happen and people make mistakes and we are all human beings and we are all fallible,” she said. British Asians threw their full weight behind Shilpa.
Apart from bagging Rs90 lakh by winning the crown, Shilpa Shetty has collected Rs45 crore in interview contracts and endorsements abroad. She is also rumoured to have bagged a Hollywood film.But will her career turn around back home in too? Prasoon Joshi, executive chairman, McCann-Erickson India, says, “Firstly Big Brother is an international show and the audiences who judged the final verdict were not Indian. Moreover, the show is not even popular in our country. Therefore, if the brand value of Shilpa Shetty goes up in India, it will be because of Indian media drooling over her success.”
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