Athiya Shetty on Suniel Shetty: I am going to learn from my father’s mistakes

Actor Athiya Shetty says that she has learnt much from her father, actor Suniel Shetty, but she is unafraid to embrace her own decisions and — sometimes — make her own mistakes.

Being a Bollywood star kid means Athiya Shetty is always in the limelight, and while she’s ready to learn from the hits and misses of her father, actor Suniel Shetty, she’s also prepared to go through her own trial and error when it comes to making the right decisions and choosing the right films.

Athiya Shetty walked the ramp for the designer label Shaymal & Bhumika at the India Couture Week 2017. (Photo: Raajesh Kashyap)

“I learned from [my father’s] career. What I admire about him is that he’s not judgmental. He’s extremely motivating and always by my side; he encourages me and my decisions and has never said, ‘I told you so,’” says Athiya, who lent some Bollywood glamour to the recent India Couture Week 2017, held in Delhi.

At 24, Athiya is two movies old — she made her debut with Hero (2015) and appears in the recent release Mubarakan — and is still treading carefully. She doesn’t shy away from admitting that she seeks advice from her father when it comes to choosing scripts. “I discuss my scripts and things I’m unsure of before I take any decision. [My father] has encouraged me to make my decisions for myself. Everyone has their own journey and their ups and downs. I’m going to learn from his mistakes, but that doesn’t mean I won’t be making my own. I know what I want to do when I look at him and his career,” says Athiya about Suniel.

She’s not insecure about not being seen in frequent releases, and believes that it’s important to take decisions that make one happy. “I want to do films that I’ll feel proud of; they should teach me something,” says Athiya.

The actor, who made her debut opposite another star kid, Sooraj Pancholi, son of actor Aditya Pancholi, believes that nepotism exists everywhere. “It’s not just in Bollywood. There are many outsiders in Bollywood and you’ll find people from different parts of the world and cultures coming together. But what matters is the audience’s feedback and their decision as to whether they want to watch you [on screen] or not,” shares Athiya.