From flunking 10th exam to feeling blessed about never being compared to sister Namrata Shirodkar; Bigg Boss fame Shilpa Shirodkar recalls childhood upbringing and more

In a heartfelt conversation on Gauahar Khan’s podcast, Bigg Boss OTT 3 fame Shilpa Shirodkar opened up about her early life, family, and entry into showbiz. From flunking her 10th standard to growing up in a simple Maharashtrian household with famous roots, Shilpa shared personal anecdotes with wit and warmth. She also spoke about her bond with sister Namrata Shirodkar and why she never felt overshadowed. Here are the highlights, shared across eight powerful reflections.

Shilpa fondly recalled her grandmother Meenakshi Shirodkar, a well-known Marathi film actress. However, acting wasn’t something the family had expected. “It wasn't a planned move. Mere jaise sabko pata hai meri dadi jo thi wo actress reh chukki hai Marathi films mein,” she said. “Lekin maine kabhi nahi socha tha ki main actor banungi yaa Namrata model banegi.” Despite having showbiz roots, the Shirodkars never imagined a future in glamour, making their journeys all the more organic.

Speaking on the family's good looks, Shilpa joked, “We are just blessed. Good genes — what can I say? My grandmother, my mother, my father — super, super handsome man.” She stressed that they came from a modest background, “a basic Marathi, simple middle-class family,” and never chased glamour. “We didn't have anyone to guide us in this process,” she added, making their success self-made and grounded.

Academics weren’t Shilpa’s strength, and she owned it with humour, “Namrata we were both going to school, ghar aate the, mujhe dance mein bahut shauk tha, mujhe padhai mein bilkul kuch samajh mein nahi aata tha toh mere report card mein hamesha red marks hote the. So my mother was like you know you don't want to study. I don't know this concept about feeling bad if you don't get good marks. Mujhe aisa lagta tha jo bhi exam deti hoon na I have nailed it aisa lagta tha. I used to come back and tell my mother, arey maa you just relax.”See more: Bigg Boss 18’s Shilpa Shirodkar recalls how filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt convinced her mother to allow her to step into the industry​

Despite performing at opposite ends of the academic spectrum, Shilpa shared that her parents never compared her to Namrata. “She was just the opposite. Hamare school mein 60 students hote the. So Namrata used to be from the top five and I used to be from the bottom five. I don't know whether this is for me and all but I never felt bad because ek good side tha mere parents ki unhone kabhi bhi hume chhota nahi dikhaya yaar dono bheno mein kabhi comparison nahi diya.”

“I don't have a complex of not being able to achieve what my sister could achieve. So wo complex kabhi tha nahi ki I am not an over achiever or you know I need to do better because hum dono bheno mein bahut prominent difference tha. She was academically great. She used to sing, I used to dance. I was very good at gymnastics and dramatics and that wasn't her forte. So we knew where we had our skills and our talents where they lie,” she said.

Shilpa’s upbringing was humble yet dynamic. Her father played Ranji Trophy and worked with Air India, while her mother balanced a job at a hotel and modelling. “To make extra money, my mother used to model,” Shilpa revealed. “She was very beautiful.” Their modest home was filled with ambition, hard work, and encouragement — shaping Shilpa into the grounded person she is today.

Shilpa’s acting journey started early. “I used to go with my mother to shoots. I was this rolly polly, fat but chubby child,” she said with a smile. That’s when she auditioned for a Johnson’s Baby Oil ad and eventually signed a big film. Her career began unexpectedly, but she embraced it fully. “I didn’t plan it, but it happened,” she added.

Shilpa’s turning point came with her 10th-grade results. “I failed, then gave supplementary. Passed one subject, failed the other,” she admitted. When her mother encouraged her to try again, she made a bold choice. “I said, I can either act or do this. I can’t do both.” That decision marked her shift into acting full-time, and the rest, as they say, is history.