/> Her first post Big Brother release Metro has been a bit of an under-performer overseas. Her newly-gained popularity didn't seem to translate into much boxoffice out there.

Shilpa disagrees. "I believe it's done very well. As for London, it was wrong to believe that my presence would turn a Bollywood film into a crossover film. It isn't possible! For a film abroad to make an impact requires at least three months of ground work.

How could I be expected to turn a film into a success? And by just holding a premiere at Leicester Square one can't get non-Indian audiences interested. It was rated PG 15 in England, which meant families couldn't see Metro.

Out there they don't have servants to take care of kids while grownups go out. Nevertheless, Metro is going to make back its money."

She then makes a pertinent point, "It's ironical that Anurag Basu who comes from a small town (Bhillai) has actually conceived film that's so modern and metro-centric."

The buzz in Bollywood is that Big Brother hasn't translated into any really major film offers for Shilpa in Bollywood.

She laughs out aloud. "Hello! It's my choice to do the amount of work that I'm doing. At the moment my hands are completely full. And let me remind you, before or after Big Brother, I always did only two films a year.

I've exhausted my quota for this year with Metro and Anil Sharma's Apne which has shaped up into a really heart-warming film. Next year I've time for just one Hindi film. That I'll be signing soon. Now I'm busy with my Bollywood musical in London. Then I've my business ventures to attend to."

Shilpa soon leaves for London to start rehearsing for her musical. "This musical could take up one year of my time. But I don't want to spend that much time on it. But I do want to use the stage to show the true Bollywood, the songs dances, the works."