Suniel Shetty interview: ‘My time with Rajinikanth changed me as a person’
At 62, Suniel Shetty is as fit as a fiddle.
As the Bollywood star strides confidently into GM Modular’s latest showroom on Chennai’s Anna Salai, with selfie-lovers in hot pursuit, it is obvious that this fervor is nothing new to him. If he was not facing the camera, he may have gone on to become one of India’s leading sportsmen, something one can deduce by reading his social media bio that says: ‘Sportsman at heart, actor by art…”
“Well, I’m one of those million kids in India that dreamt of playing cricket for the country. I excelled in it, but maybe I wasn’t good enough. When I watch cricket on TV, I get the feeling that I’m playing there,” he says.
Interestingly, his daughter Athiya Shetty went on to marry cricketer KL Rahul, with whom Suniel shares great camaraderie. “He’s like my son,” grins Suniel.
Suniel Shetty
| Photo Credit:
S Shiva Raj
The Chennai link
In the Nineties, even as the Khans invaded Hindi cinema, Suniel Shetty was one of the highest-paid actors and much sought after for his presence in action films. Hits and misses aside, Bollywood taught him to live in the moment.
“Thirty-five years in the film industry is a long time. To be part of the industry makes me feel blessed. Where else do you get such love and affection? Chennai, for instance, celebrates achievers in sports, movies and politics like no other place does. A young Dhoni comes in from Ranchi and becomes the ‘thala’ of Tamil Nadu… I don’t see any other State in India giving so much love and belief to an individual,” he says.
Suniel himself has a special connection with Chennai; one of his personal favourites, Bollywood film Hera Pheri (2000), directed by Priyadarshan, was shot here. A year later, he shot for a Tamil film (12B). Then, twenty years later, he returned to Tamil cinema, essaying the role of the antagonist in Rajinikanth’s Darbar(2020), directed by AR Murugadoss.
Sunil Shetty, and Rajinikanth and AR Murugadoss during the trailer launch of ‘Darbar’
| Photo Credit:
SUJIT JAISWAL
“I never wanted to do a negative role, but I made an exception with Darbar because this had me opposite Rajinikanth. My time with Rajinikanth changed me as a person. He would talk to everyone on set, be so simple and humble and yet transform into an actor in front of the camera. The minute he is ready with make-up, it’s a different world. Even though he has achieved so much, he remains the same. I took a lot from those beautiful moments for my own life too.”
All about the family
A lot of Suniel Shetty’s success has been the by-product of his fitness, something he proudly shows off. “In school, I played sport because I was fit. When I moved to business, I ran my father’s bars and even there, being fit helped. Even cops addressed me with respect because of my physique and personality. They would want to know how to get rid of their stomach! I made friends easily due to my fitness and discipline,” says Suniel, who also has a martial arts background.
Suniel urges everyone to take fitness seriously. “You need to believe that change can happen. You need to take time out for yourself. I wasn’t born an actor. When I was with my dad’s business, I would work a lot every day, but still found some time to train. I believe that that has given me this lifestyle today.”
He is referring to being busy and relevant even today; Suniel currently has sequels to web-series Hunter: Tootega Nahi Todega and Dharavi Bank, besides Welcome to the Jungle and a new version of Hera Pheri lined up. “I believe I am my own competition. A lot of people compare me with contemporaries who are much more popular; I don’t look at the two who are there, but rather look at the 200 who have gone by and feel blessed. I still believe in giving my best. The happiest part, of course, is a married daughter, a beautiful son who has come into the family. My beautiful family… that, for me, is my greatest high.”
