With a new genre of films and new age directors gaining acceptance among audiences, established stars -such as Shilpa Shetty - are ready to experiment with unconventional roles.

Shilpa has three interesting films on the verge of release, "Khamosh", "Fareb" and "Dus", in each of which she plays an unusual character.

In "Khamosh" Shilpa is an escort girl. The actress said: "I am sure the role is likely to take a lot of people by surprise but I found it very challenging.

"The film is a different genre. It has realistic shots and I have a very different look in the film."

Shilpa revealed she depicted her character sans make-up, but with plenty of attitude.

Performing in this psychological thriller wasn't easy since a major part of the film was shot in the rain.

Shilpa said: "It required a lot of patience. We were shooting only at night. The story unfolds on a rainy night. The script required filming in constant rain. But it was worth the effort".

In Deepak Tijori's "Fareb" Shilpa has teamed up with sister Shamita, while "Dus", where the actress plays an assertive woman opposite Sanjay Dutt, Shilpa has experimented with her look once again.

She said the film industry has changed vastly from the time actresses were expected to run around trees and sing songs.

This is just the right time to rediscover her potential the actress felt.

"I have been around for 12 years and I felt it was the right time to re-invent myself.

"I am definitely enjoying myself at this stage by selecting very challenging roles," said Shilpa.