Shilpa gears up for action

Shilpa Shetty, the actress who kept the tabloids busy last year with the Richard Gere kiss fizz and of course, the Big Brother class act, is convinced that controversies do not catapult people to fame.

But she agrees that for those who are already famous, they do keep them there. "You got to be somebody before controversies can do the trick," she says.

After her run away success in the past year, this diva with an attitude is shifting focus to movie production with the launch of her company S2 Global production. "The movie we are working on is going to be heavy on action. I am playing the action heroine lead and it is quite a meaty role. It will be scripted by Mayur Puri, who worked on the screenplay of Om Shanti Om and directed by Manish Jha of the Matrabhoomi fame. This is going to be a very different film, something that Indian cinema has never seen so far," she says.

After Life in Metro happened, she is looking at roles which give her a chance to both prove herself as an actress and keep up her glam image. "The glam quotient of an actress need not be toned down to prove her acting prowess. I wish more movies were made on the same lines," reflects Shilpa. There was a lot of media speculation about her playing Bond's girl in Quantum of Solace. The heavy-weight production house Eon Production had supposedly wooed her with a whopping sum. But sources close to her say that she has refused to take up the role, because her family was not too happy with her showing more skin.

The actress recently released a DVD called Shilpa's Yoga targeting the European market in which she reveals her fitness secrets to maintain a toned body while retaining all feminine curves. When asked about her 'impending marriage plans' with businessman Raj Kundra, she says, "I do not understand why the media is so interested about my marriage plans. When it happens, I will be the happiest person to announce it." About PETA, she says, "I love animals and any cruelty to them in any form is unacceptable." Shilpa has two dogs and four cats, and also fish in her tank.

Though she's busy, Shilpa still manages to find time for her other interests like the HIV campaign, spirituality and her work with PETA. "I have always believed in Karma. My visits to holy shrines are a way of saying thanks to God, who has given me so much in life," she says.