Shilpa Shetty is a happy soul these days. The actor was hugely appreciated in her film, The Desire-A Journey of a Woman, at the New Jersey Independent South Asian Cine Fest (NJISACF) that concluded on October 23. Apparently, the audience was moved by the actor’s performance in the film and the panel too couldn’t stop raving about Shilpa’s performance. In fact, if insiders are to be believed, the actor was among the front-runners for the Best Actress award. But the honor was bestowed upon an Italian actress since Shilpa couldn’t be present at the fest.

Elated by the response, Shilpa says, “Getting nominated in the Best Actress category is as good as winning the award. I am happy my performance is being appreciated.”

In the film, Shilpa is paired with Chinese actor Xia Yu. She plays a devout classical dancer whose life takes a turn when she falls in love with a Chinese artist. Later, as the film progresses, she becomes a monk. National Award-winning director R Sarath has made the film.

Apart from bagging the Best Background Score, Shilpa’s mother Sunanda Shetty, who bailed the film out when it was on the point of getting shelved, walked away with the Best Production by a Woman Producer award. The theatrical release of the film in India and abroad is yet to be fixed. “My mom is looking to release it early next year. This year too many big releases happening,” says Shilpa.