Over the past six months, Shilpa Shetty and her husband Raj Kundra have repeatedly made headlines. From allegations of fraud to reports that her upscale and much-loved restaurant, Bastian, has closed, the couple has faced sustained public attention.
However, in a recent interaction, Shilpa made it clear that the chatter surrounding her has not shaken her resolve. She stressed that she was closely and personally involved in shaping the brand and still believes strongly in the integrity of her work.Reflecting on the challenges of living under constant scrutiny, Shilpa spoke about how public life can sometimes invite negativity, but she chose to remain consistent.
“It’s a very difficult road to always be in the public eye. There’s something called ‘Nazar’, we always discuss it. When you’re constantly discussed and talked about, it’s a competitive field, and people can go to any lengths, unfortunately.
We are not that kind. “I believe there is enough room for everyone to succeed,” she said in an interview with Curly Tales.
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When asked if the recent spate of coverage has affected her emotionally, Shilpa admitted that it has, but she has learned to manage it.
“It’s sad. I think we’ve always stood our ground. As a company and as people, we’re known for our integrity. Like you asked me earlier, does it hurt you? How do you deal with it? I’m human. There are so many times I sit down and think, why don’t we talk about the good things? Why do we only pick on these things? But I think as a celebrity, the unfortunate part is that my name has become such a clickbait.”
So I took it in my stride.She added that ultimately trust and credibility are what are most important to the public, which is why the company continues to perform well. “But people are very smart. They know how to separate right from wrong. We still thrive and the brand is successful because they like it. We give them what they want.”Shilpa also explained why she chose to break her usual silence and address online speculation about Bastian’s alleged lockdown.
Usually, she avoids responding to rumours, but this time it went beyond her personal image. “I never sought clarification because I believe as an actor or a celebrity, you should never complain or ever explain. So I maintained a stoic silence. But this time it was about a brand, a brand we put a lot of love, passion and effort into.”
There was something coming up in the near future, and this wasn’t the right time for me to announce it.
But I had to go to social media. And the PR we gained from it, people thought it was bad PR, but you can’t build that kind of PR for the love of money. We actually got this PR organically.Sitting next to her during the interview was Ranjit Bindra, the original founder of the brand, who brushed off concerns about negative publicity with humor. “Not at all. Any kind of publicity is good publicity.” Shilpa echoed this sentiment, adding, “Even in negative PR, there is always a positive outcome because we both are very positive in terms of our mindset.”Earlier in the conversation, Shilpa also revisited her first meeting with Bastian, not as a business partner, but as a restaurant in 2016. That visit eventually laid the foundation for a lasting collaboration. “I am very happy that I met Ranjit. I met him in Bastian when I came there as a customer in 2016. That’s when we started talking, and he told me that he was opening another outlet in Worli, which has also become a special place.
But I want to share with you the story behind it, I was not convinced at all because that site was just a barren space at that time. He was simply convinced that he would turn it into a top-notch restaurant. We opened during Covid, but this is where the Bastian brand really took shape. Today, we have eight restaurants under four different brands under Bastian’s management.
