Suniel Shetty says the Media kept him Alive

Nearing the 30-year milestone in the industry, Suniel Shetty has reflected on his journey in Bollywood.

From once being labelled as wooden and muscled, to his break from acting, Suniel’s career has been a rollercoaster ride.

Now, after having completed 29 years in the industry, the actor is being offered roles that justice to his age and talent.

Suniel said: “In these 29 years, I’ve seen success as well as failure.

“And then, 2015 onwards, I disappeared completely for some years.

“And despite that also, when you see the love (from fans), you realise there must be something right that you’d have done.”

Suniel made his acting debut in 1992 with Balwaan.

He has acted in over 100 films and his major works have been action and comedy films.

Following his debut, the actor has been seen in a variety of roles and films including Border, Dhadkan and Main Hoon Na.

Suniel Shetty called the experience “a beautiful journey”.

He also said:

“People, including the media, kept me alive, and suddenly you feel you have a new lease of life.

“But through my ups and down, I didn’t let go of anything.

“I kept myself fit, relevant, active and continued to do the kind of work I was doing.”

Suniel recalled: “From someone who was called wooden to having delivered iconic films like Border, Hera Pheri, Hu Tu Tu or Mohra, people still talk about these films… so many memes are still.”

Suniel credited people for keeping his career alive during his break:

“Everybody says, ‘I think you suck up to the media’.

“That’s not true at all. They’ve kept me alive.

“And if I don’t appreciate that, they why am I doing whatever I’m doing.”

As Suniel is beginning the next stage of his career, he is grateful to receive roles that are “doing justice to my age, justice to my past work.”

The actor has two children, Athiya and Ahan Shetty.

Athiya made her Bollywood debut in 2015 with the romantic-action film Hero.

She received a Filmfare award nomination for Best Female Debut.

The actress is rumoured to be dating cricketer KL Rahul.

Suniel’s son, Ahan, is set to make his Bollywood debut in Sajid Nadiadwala’s Tadap.

Suniel was recently spotted distributing air purifiers to the Mumbai police.

The Commissioner of Police, Hemant Nagarale said:

“Sunil Shetty’s support at such a time is truly commendable.”