Shilpa Shetty on ex-flame Akshay Kumar: all that was long back

Shilpa Shetty talks about patching up with former boyfriend, Hollywood plans for husband's book; her relations with Sanjay Dutt and more in a candid interview with HT.

Shilpa Shetty has been in the centre of several controversies over the course of her career.



Earlier this year, her T20 cricket franchise came under scrutiny when her husband Raj Kundra was accused of being involved in spot-fixing.



Then, an altercation between former partners Raj and Sanjay Dutt (they founded the mixed martial arts series, Super Fight League) had negatively affected her equation with the actor. However, seems to have mastered the art of balancing her relationships.



She has not only maintained a cordial bond with Sanjay and his wife, Manyata, but she has also gone ahead and rekindled her friendship with alleged ex-boyfriend, .



In this interview, she talks about treading the fine line, putting acting on the backburner and her upcoming reality show.

How have you managed to maintain your friendship with Manyata Dutt, despite issues between Raj and Sanjay?

There was no problem between Sanju and Raj. The media blew things out of proportion. We love Sanju and he and Manyata are like family to us. There’s no question of a rift. We can’t hold Sanju responsible if someone else falters.



You and Raj played cards with Akshay and Twinkle Khanna at Amitabh Bachchan’s Diwali party. Does that mean you’ve buried the hatchet with Akshay?

(Laughs) People make too much out of stuff that doesn’t even exist. We’ve all grown up and moved on. It was a great night and Diwali is a night to forget all about the past and start afresh. I guess we all had fun and all that (their past relationship) was very long ago.



You announced that you won't be acting anymore.

I haven’t done a film for two-three years. I can’t be a full time actor, and there’s no such thing as a part-time actor. I don’t think I will take up acting assignments for at least another year. But I have Nach Baliye (NB), endorsements and my business ventures, so I’m very busy. It’s a conscious decision to focus on other aspects of life, especially my son, right now.

Will you dance on stage with (husband) Raj (Kundra)?

No, I don’t think Raj would be open to performing on a public platform.



Is it true that the rights to Raj’s book (How Not To Make Money) have been sold for a Hollywood film project?

Talks are on, but unless there’s something final, we can’t talk about it.