Athiya Shetty: My grandfather is larger than life for me as he has never discriminated between a boy and a girl

Athiya Shetty, 22, is not just stylish but she is also simple, genuine, quiet, affectionate and sensitive. And while she is mature and confident, she is also completely mad and stressed out, but prefers to not show her emotions until she knows the person completely. Ahead of her debut film Hero being directed by Nikhil Advani, she opens up to Bombay Times in her first ever interview. Excerpts from our conversation with this clear star in the making:

READ: Hero: Things we liked in the trailer

Let's talk about your childhood?

I am born and brought up in Mumbai. My dad got into the film industry around the time I was born. I went to Cathedral first for a bit, after which my parents shifted me to the American School as they wanted me to do the IB programme. I was amongst the first few Indian kids along with Tiger and his sister Krishna Shroff to join the school. Shraddha Kapoor and Tiger were two years older to me and they were classmates. While Tiger would always be bullying and troubling me, Krishna and I were best friends. I used to look at Shraddha in awe when I was in school, as she was good at everything. She was a drama student, she used to dance, she used to sing. Even at that time everyone knew that she would be an actor. She is also extremely warm. I remember she, Krishna, Tiger and me would be doing dance performances together and she would be choreographing it. Our school, of course, is really happy and proud now that we have all gone into Bollywood. My mom would make sure I had my breakfast and would go and and drop me all the way to school every day from Altamount Road in town to Bandra Kurla Complex. While growing up, I never went to my dad's set. The only time I went was once at the shoot of Hera Pheri and then when he was shooting with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for JP Dutta's Umrao Jaan. I would sit in Aishwarya's room seeing her dress up and do her makeup and I just loved the whole process and that really kind of triggered something in me. I used to love watching films since I was young. I can recite the full dialogues of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge.

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Tiger Shroff is extremely humble and an amazing human being: Athiya Shetty

I was actually a very filmi child but was never allowed any film magazines at home and since we lived in town, we were very disconnected to the filmi world, except for Tiger and Krishna. But I loved watching movies and dancing in front of the mirror, singing songs and would go every Friday to watch films. I watched every film, bad, good and can never walk out of a film. It can be atrocious but I will make everyone watch it. I was also a good student. I need to give a 100% and do well in everything I do. I did a lot of theatre in school and loved performing in front of people.

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What is Tiger Shroff like?

He is such an amazing human being and is extremely humble and that is the nicest thing about him. Now he has such a fan following and everyone loves him, but he is still the same person. He is so down-to-earth. He was like that in school also. There is no change in him and he is extremely hard-working. I would go to Krishna's house every weekend and she would be in my house every weekend and we were joined at the hip and are best friends till today. Our dads too were friends and our mums were also very close.

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You don't look like the conventional actress?

Tiger would always make fun of me, as I would be such a filmi child reciting all the dialogues. But I was a tomboy, and still am, as I always played a lot of sport, be it football or basketball.



How did you get your first film Hero?

It was actually my younger brother who always dreamt of becoming an actor and not me. For me, it was always a hidden thing. And even though my dad was never against my coming into films, I don't know why I never told him or showed any interest to him. So after Class XII, I had given my IB exams and was going to the US to see where I wanted to apply and all of that. We were on our way back from New York and I was sitting at Heathrow Airport and was feeling stressed out. I remember going to all these colleges and forget the academics, I was just looking out for film and theatre and my mom noticed it. Moms instinctively know how you feel. I was visibly distraught and upset and she asked me, 'What do you want to do? Why are you so confused?' And I told her, 'I really want to become an actress.' So that's how I broke the news to them at Heathrow Airport. My dad was very supportive and he said, 'So long as you know what you want to do and are willing to give your 100%, I am fine.'

He is a very realistic person and is also my biggest critic. I am so lucky that he will not mollycoddle me and tell me I am the best, but will tell me straight up. He told me, 'You need to understand that every Friday holds something different and with success, there is failure. So you have to be able to handle both equally and with the right amount of respect for yourself and others and the right amount of attitude.' He never glorifies things, never gets excited, which is what I really need in that one person in my life and he is that. So I went to New York Film Academy with a really good friend of mine (Aadar Jain, younger brother of Armaan Jain) and lived in New York all alone in an apartment for a year. That was a life- changing experience for me as it made me grow up. My dad was really scared leaving me there alone. He taught me how to iron and my mom taught me how to cook. Be it making my bed, cleaning the house or looking after the keys of the house, I did all of that. I was 18 then. I learnt the importance of living alone and being comfortable by being yourself. It taught me a lot. It was an amazing time and a transition in life. But I loved staying alone and discovering myself. I was not the type of person while growing up who could be alone and always needed people around me, but I learnt to be alone and live in silence. It really helps you switch on and off. So many kids there thought that I was a spoilt brat, as my dad was paying for my education and that was so alien to me. I returned after a year and signed Hero that is being produced by Salman Khan sir.

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Who do you love the most in the world?

I am very close to my parents, but I love my grandfather the most. Right in this moment, he can't speak and is paralysed so I try and spend as much time with him. He has been such an inspiration in my life. I have heard so many stories from him on how he came to Mumbai and made his life. For me, really what makes him so larger than life is that he doesn't discriminate between a boy and a girl. The fact is that he sent both my buas even at that time to the US even though he did not have the money, but he thought it was important for a girl to get an education. As important as it is for a boy. He always encourages me to work and would always say, 'Why are you at home? Why are you not at work?' I would go and buy vegetables with him every morning as a kid. I remember he bought me my first DVD of Dil To Pagal Hai. I admire him for his modern values. He is so liberating.

Talk about your father Suniel Shetty?

He is extremely emotional. He sees an India-Pakistan match and he will have a tear in his eye and I am like, are you kidding me? But my childhood was extremely happy, full of love and simple. He never let us experience his career hits or flops. That's all a child can ask for, a happy home and he gave that. As a child, when we went to a restaurant and someone would come and ask for his autograph, I would get so irritated, but now I understand the importance of that. How it can make that person feel so special. He always said, 'Whenever you can make a difference to a person's life, make it. They meet you once in your life and then they hold that image for the rest of their lives. So make that special.' My mom is extremely calm and is my backbone. The thing I love about her is that even if I make a mistake, she will never point it out. Instead, she will just help me move past my mistake. Though I was not allowed sleepovers, my parents have never been strict with us, but we were good children. I had so much respect that I would never want to let them down in any way.

Are you religious?

My nani too was a huge part of my growing up and so because of my nani, I believe in Shirdi Sai Baba a lot. She believed a lot in nazar, so I believe in it too. Also, like her, I am very superstitious. I always wear this black thread on my ankle from Shirdi all the time and if it breaks, I feel nervous. If a black cat crosses my path or a ladder is passing, I wait for it to pass.

Have you had a serious relationship?

I have had a boyfriend in the past when I was around 18. I am not the type of person to ever have flings. I would not invest my time and energy in a person when I know it's not going to work out.

Your father said that you are an extremely emotional person?

I am a sensitive person and am emotional, but will never show it. I am a giver as I feel for people, but I don't give to everybody. But if I connect with the person and genuinely feel for the person, then I will.

Who would you give to?

My grandfather, my parents, my brother and Sooraj Pancholi, as he is my best friend. Sooraj is extremely emotional, has a huge heart and wears his heart on his sleeve.

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