Shilpa Shetty Talks To Subhash K Jha.

First things first, how do you feel?
Wednesday was my first free day. It's snowing here in London. And I'm cosied up with 12 cms of snow. I'm still in a daze. What's going on with my life is more than I can explain. What happened to me in that Big Brother house became an international issue.

How are you holding up as India's new representative abroad?
I'm doing okay. I met the PM Tony Blair last week. I went there to thank him on my country's behalf. It was an embrrassing situation for him. He had to answer questions on racism. It must have been very embarrassing for him.

Was Chicken Curry Served?
Oh yeah! 'Chicken Curry Rules' has become slogan in Great Britain. I drove on Wednesday to Leiscester which is an Indian-dominated area.

I got to know old people from the British Asian community who never watched Big Brother started watching it to see me....Would you believe I haven't seen the entire series of Big Brother.

Do you really believe you were a victim of racism in there?
Initially it was hard for me to tell. In India none of us goes through racist behaviour. All of us are Indians. Once I was in the House lots of things were happening. People who followed the whole series were irked by what they saw.

These are British Asians who have been subjected to this kind of discrimination for years and this was the first time they saw someone they knew and liked standing up against the bullying and racial discrimination they experienced in everyday life. For me to be treated like that was very painful to see.

On reality TV the viewers form a strange bonding with the participants. And it wasn't just the British Asians, it was also the British who were appalled. When I made a statement from in there saying, 'Is this the new Britain' the Britishers didn't want Great Britain to be epitomized by those three girls in there (who bullied me).

Do you feel you were racially discriminated against?
You know if you saw the footage I clearly said, 'It was racist.' I've been working in the Hindi film industry from the age of 17, and I've never been treated like this. I never did anything in the House to hurt them, or to make them feel I was unfriendly.

They had this attitude towards me, and I didn't know where it was coming from. This kind of attitude happens among women who are insecure or jealous. But I was never subjected to this kind of a thing.

Was it a girlie thing carried too far?
There was a groupism, and a divide. So coming back to your question about whether the situation in there was racist, I said it was. I don't like to hold grudges. When I went to the dining room, Big Brother asked me if Jade Goodie's attitude towards me was racist. That's when I realized the gravity of the situation.

I realized the entire Asian communist would be hurt if I used that word. And I had no idea my words were creating a furore across the world. So I revised my earlier opinion, and told all the Indians, Pakistanis and Bangladeshis who were listening that yes it was mean rude, obnoxious and arrogant behaviour. But it wasn't racist behaviour.

Have you forgiven Jade?
Jade Goody did apologize. And I've forgiven her. Anyone who knows me knows I forgive and forget easily. Faroukh Dhony has made a statement that I'm a fake. How dare he?! How dare he take away from the fact that I'm representing my country in Great Britain. A lot of Indians in the UK are very irked by his criticism of me.

So would you invite Jade Goody for your wedding whenever it happens?
(laughs) Jade is just an acquaintance, someone I met as part of my experience at Big Brother. She's neither a friend nor an enemy. We were forced to know one another, and I've moved on. I believe her house has been stoned. She has received death threats.

During a police investigation I was told Jade and the others who behaved badly with me have been treated like criminal offenders. Do I feel sorry for Jade? Of course! I wouldn't wish this on anyone. She's a mother of two. I don't wish bad for anyone. And at the end of the day this was just a game show.

Have you become more socially and politically conscious?
Definitely. When I went to Leicester I couldn't get out of the car. It wasn't mock-hysteria. There was a feeling of pride in every Indian there. It made me cry. Actually the enormity of what has happened has just sunk in.

But believe me I wanted to speak to the Indian press at the first given opportunity. At the meeting with the British PM at the House Of Commons I walked across to the Indian press corps, though the British press resented this.

But they had me for a week-and-half. My own country and cinema will always mean more to me. Yes, I feel I haven't really got my due as an actress in Hindi cinema.

So why don't you stand for the elections as an Indian MP in Britain?
No way! You know I'm totally apolitical.