As Shilpa Shetty and Raj Kundra celebrate 15 years of marriage on November 22, 2024, let’s look back at the time when Raj gave Shilpa an ultimatum to marry him.
In an old interview with Bombay Times, Shilpa shared that she started working at 17 and got married at 32. By that time, she felt ready for marriage and wanted to have a baby, which she saw as an important reason for getting married.
The actress shared her excitement about taking on the roles of a wife and mother, while also valuing her middle-class mindset. She highlighted that although she had no regrets about marrying during a successful career phase, she also wanted to maintain her own identity and independence.
Shilpa remembered how, during the filming of The Man with Sunny Deol, Raj’s changing schedules led him to give her an ultimatum: either marry him or end the relationship.
Shetty ultimately chose Raj over The Man, and later considered it one of the best decisions of her life, particularly since Sunny Deol had decided to shelve the film.
Shilpa humorously mentioned that if she had made a different choice, she might have been sitting in a salon coloring her hair without Raj by her side. She explained that sometimes decisions need to be made in the moment, and she prefers to live fully in the present without dwelling on the past or future.
She shared that she had the chance to star in the British TV series EastEnders and settle in London, but instead, she chose to focus on beginning a new phase of her life. She prioritized enjoying holidays and finding peace over pursuing that opportunity.
Shilpa Shetty mentioned that when Raj proposed, it felt like the right decision. She shared that she’s not a conventional thinker and was open to the idea of a
live-in relationship
and having a child outside of marriage, but chose to follow traditional paths out of respect for her mother and the value she places on marriage.