Actress Shilpa Shirodkar, known for her work in both television and film, recently opened up about her close-knit relationship with her sister, Namrata Shirodkar, and her brother-in-law, superstar Mahesh Babu. Though the bond between the sisters has grown over the years, Shilpa reflected on how time and shared life experiences have made them inseparable.
In a candid conversation with Zoom, Shilpa said, “She’s obviously two years older than me, but conventionally, in my family, everything has happened the other way around. I started working first, I got married first, I had a child first, so everyone feels like she’s younger than me. But Namrata is my everything. I think I became closest to her after I got married, actually. And then, after my parents passed away, my equation with her completely changed. I became her child. She worries about me a lot. In fact, I think she worries more about me than she does about her own kids… and also about Anushka!”
Their relationship has since evolved from siblings to confidantes. “I know she’s always there for me, come what may. She has my back. She’s also my friend now. I can tell her anything and everything. She has an opinion about everything, which can be really irritating, but I’ve now learned how to handle her. So when I don’t agree with something, I just laugh and talk to her,” Shilpa Shirodkar said with a laugh. “I think I bring a lot of joy into her life. I’m a very humorous person, you know, I joke around a lot, I make fun of everything, and I’m very loud. Sitara (Namrata’s daughter) is just like me, very loud. But Namrata, yeah, always thinks of me before thinking of anyone else.”
‘Mahesh Babu is one of the finest human beings I know in this world’
In the same conversation, Shilpa Shirodkar also spoke about Mahesh Babu, highlighting how grounded he remains despite being one of India’s biggest stars. “We were very simple people. Mahesh, to me, is my brother-in-law and one of the finest human beings I know in this world. He stands by family rock solid,” she said. Shilpa also pointed out that, like herself and Namrata, Mahesh has suffered personal loss, having lost several close family members in quick succession. “Our men have done a lot for us. It’s not easy for a man to stand by a woman who has gone through so much emotionally and mentally. But our men have done everything for us. Because it just happened so suddenly, to lose two healthy people just like that. Mahesh has gone through a lot, losing his family, and you need to show up for your people,” the actor added.
