The actor was arrested after his maid accused him of raping her and was later sentenced to seven years imprisonment. He is out on bail currently until his appeal hearing. The 'Gangster' star, whose 2012 release 'Ghost' was a box office dud, says he is staying out of the limelight and not taking up new projects for the time being.
"I have made a deliberate effort to keep out of any media glare or attention because I just feel that I would be happier to come out at a time when I would feel as comfortable as I did earlier. This is the reason I am not doing movies," said Shiney on the sidelines of Delhi International Film Festival.
"This is a chosen lifestyle. I was pretty much the same earlier except there were a lot of film releases which were happening so I had to come and promote them besides that I have never been a part of any particular clan or page 3 club," he added.
Shiney, who started his career with 2005 hit 'Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi', says there was a time when he thought of quitting showbiz because he had lost interest in it.
"I decided not to continue pursuing my career and quit the industry. For me acting was never a profession, it was my passion and it continues be so. So to do it well it has to come from the heart and when it wasn't I decided let me not do it till the time I feel right about it," he said.
The actor, who is married and also has a daughter, says the rape incident has changed him as a person and made him more grounded and rooted. "The whole incident has taught me a lot. I now realise the value of my loved ones even more," he said.
