Shilpa Shetty: My mother cried after watching Sukhee | Exclusive

In this exclusive interview, Shilpa Shetty talks about her family's reaction to her upcoming slice-of-life film Sukhee, where she plays the titular character

Shilpa Shetty’s upcoming film, Sukhee, will see her play a Punjabi housewife who has lost her sense of self in taking up the family’s responsibilities. She is reminded of her old, fun-loving personality when she reconnects with her friends during a college reunion. 

Directed by Sonal Joshi, the film has a bunch of women at the fore, most prominently Shilpa, who plays the main character, and her bestie, played by Kusha Kapila. However, Shilpa insists this isn’t a typical ‘women-centric’ film, nor is she some flag-bearing feminist in the movie.

"Sukhee is not a film on women empowerment,” Shilpa told Mid-day.com in an exclusive interview. “It is a slice-of-life, light-hearted film. Yes, the protagonist is a woman, but it’s the story of a family. It caters to all age groups – from a seven-year-old to a 70-year-old. You will laugh and cry. It will make you realise how important it is to live your life unapologetically. We women are constantly living in guilt, and men are also going through their own struggles. So, there are many moments in the movie, where the husbands will nudge their wives and say, ‘See, these are the struggles I am going through’, and vice versa.”

The 48-year-old actress insisted that the film tries, in an entertaining way, to highlight certain realities of life that people from all age groups with relate to. 

“When you want to get a message across, you use the crutch of humour. And that’s exactly what our director has done. We have talked about many things through the medium of cinema, and in the most humourous fashion. This is a film that should be experienced in the theatres, and I am so happy that after three years of such a lull, now our film is going to hit the big screen. It is looking very promising,” she said.

Talking about the reaction of her own family members, Shilpa revealed that the film made her mother emotional, while her son looked at her with renewed respect.

“My mother cried after watching the movie, even though she is a very strong woman. But she didn’t cry because I was playing the part. Maybe she cried because I did the part well. She cried for Sukhee, and she laughed with Sukhee. So that is the biggest achievement for me as an artist. I was really worried because my mom likes to see me in a glamorous avatar all the time. And this is not a ‘rondu’ kind of movie. I am not this female protagonist who is trying to preach something. She loved the journey, and the storytelling, and she was entertained. I was really happy and thrilled with that,” Shilpa explained.

“Also my son, he suddenly looked at me with a bit of respect. He was like, ‘Oh, mama!” He is 11,” she added.

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