Being an art collector,
fashion patron
and philanthropist,
Shalini Passi
was always used to packed travel itineraries and social calendar blocked for months, but this year, for the first time, she had a new task at hand – managing a fandom obsessed with her diet,
skincare routine
, wardrobe and her collection of bags. Shalini, a popular name in Delhi’s social circle for years, emerged as the most popular name from the show
Fabulous Lives Vs Bollywood Wives
. Be it her sassy persona, fashion choices or just details about her life, everything about Shalini became a hit on social media in 2024.
‘I am very excited about the new opportunities coming my way,’ says Shalini
‘I am glad that I am getting so much love,’ says Shalini
‘I’m really grateful for the love that I’ve received’
Ask Shalini about how her life has changed in the past few months and she says, “There is always a certain kind of fame attached when you come on a huge OTT platform, what I did not anticipate was the love that I am getting from all corners of the world. And not just love, people are also saying how they have been inspired by me, especially young people. That has inspired me to work harder. All these messages and pictures from around the world have been wind beneath my wings. I’m really grateful for the love that I’ve received from all over the world. After the release of the series, I had planned to go on a vacation and travel in the country. I had to drop that plan to have all the media interactions and interviews. It’s been slightly more hectic than my usual pace, but I’m thoroughly enjoying it.”
‘I dress up as per my mood,’ says Shalini
‘There have been incidents when people saw me, screamed my name and came running for pictures’
She adds that it isn’t just on social media where fans have been following every detail about her, she has had some fun encounters with fans in real life too. She says, “I have had some very interesting encounters in hotels, which have been real-life experiences with fans. For instance, there have been moments when fans started screaming and running towards me in the hotel lobby while I was shooting. I also had fans when I went for Bigg Boss; there were a lot of fans outside Filmistan theatre, even at Mehboob Studios crowd started gathering outside to take pictures. One of my favourite moments was at Sophia College where I had so many women fans, that was amazing. I had some fun incidents in Chennai too when people came up to me to take pictures and, share their stories.”
Addressing the Passi memes, she says, “I love it when people spend so much of their time on memes and get so creative with them”
‘Some odd, bizarre things I read about myself include claims that I have had a hair transplant’
Shalini adds that as her beauty regime, diet plans have now become a social media content. She has also read some bizarre things about herself online. “Some odd, bizarre things I read about myself include claims that I’ve had a hair transplant. And yeah, that was very funny because everybody in my family and my friends know that I’ve had long hair for the longest time. I’ve shaved my hair in Tirupati four times, and it always grows back. The texture of my hair is the same as it has always been like that, it is not what people claim it to be. I’m just blessed to have good hair,” she says.
QUIRKY AND OFFBEAT: From a parrot clutch to a vintage camera sling and an embellished brick phone, Shalini’s unique high-couture bags have been conversation starters in 2024
‘I love it when little girls have ‘Sassy Passi Parties’ and wear hair bands’
From her old wedding pictures to details about her husband Sanjay Passi’s business, almost everything about Shalini Passi is now on social media, but she says that she never considered this to be intrusive. “My old pictures already existed on social media, people just went further and searched them. I feel that a lot of people think it’s an invasion of privacy, but I feel that I’m getting so much love, and I have nothing to hide. If they want to know my age, how many children I have, I think it’s fair enough. I feel that I got onto this platform so that I could be a voice for the people, especially for north India. But I came out as somebody who people were able to relate to. I came out as somebody whose different aspects of personality resonated with various people of different generations. I especially love it when little girls have ‘Sassy-Passi Parties’ and wear hair bands and clips. I think there’s a whole generation of Shalinians who are going to follow what I have done for a long time,” she says.
Shalini Passi with her pet Boston
Shalini’s pug Boston is a perfect poser!
Shalini Passi’s 13-year-old pet dog Boston is no less than a star now that he has also been part of the show. “He is as popular as I am. He was also a part of the show and now he has got a fan following of his own,” shares Shalini with a big smile as she fixes a scarf in the same print as her dress around Boston’s neck. “He has also become very smart now when it comes to shooting. He knows how to pose and will look straight into the camera once he notices them around,” she adds.
