
Actress Shilpa Shirodkar, known for movies like Aankhen, Gopi Kishan, and Bigg Boss, recently opened up about her tough journey in Bollywood. She shared that in the early days of her career, she was called “jinxed” after a film backed by producer Boney Kapoor didn’t work out. Because of this label, people in the film industry stopped offering her roles, and things looked bleak.
However, everything changed when veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty came to her rescue. In an interview with Pinkvilla, Shilpa shared how Rikku Rakesh Nath, Madhuri Dixit’s manager, requested Mithun to help her. Without hesitation, Mithun said, “I will launch her.”

Mithun stayed true to his word. At a big event in Kolkata, he announced that Shilpa would be acting in a Bengali film with him. Later, he introduced her to well-known director Ramesh Sippy, which led to her debut in the movie Bhrashtachar. That was the beginning of her career in Bollywood.
Shilpa said, “I am here because of Dada (Mithun). I got this opportunity only because of him.” She is still full of love, respect, and gratitude for Mithun Chakraborty.
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Even though Mithun supported her, Shilpa was very nervous working with him. As a newcomer, she felt pressure not to make mistakes in front of the senior actor. “He used to come in the afternoon for our scenes together, and I would be so scared that I would try to give perfect shots without any retakes,” she said.
One day, Mithun noticed her nervousness and asked why she looked uncomfortable. Shilpa told him she was afraid to make mistakes in front of him. Laughing, Mithun told her, “You’re crazy!”
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In the end, their chemistry on screen worked well, and Shilpa is forever grateful to Mithun for believing in her when no one else did.