Suniel Shetty opened up about his four-decade-long journey in the film industry, as well as his marital life with wife Mana Shetty. Although he spoke at length about how the two got married despite parental opposition and how they’ve stood by each other through every high and low, he also reflected on how the meaning of marriage has shifted drastically for the current generation, and said that this isn’t something he is entirely comfortable with.
“Aaj kal bachon mein patience hai hi nahi. Shaadi kuch time ke baad ek samjhauta hota hai, where you have to understand each other, live for each other. Phir ek bacha aata hai, aur patni ko yeh jaana zaruri hai ki husband career banayega toh bache ko main dekh rahi hoon. Husband, of course, saath mein dekhega. Par aaj kal sab cheezon mein pressure bohot ho gaya hai (Kids today lack patience. After a while, marriage becomes a compromise, you need to understand and live for each other. Then comes a child, and it’s important for the wife to understand that if the husband is building his career, she will be the one looking after the child. Of course, the husband will be involved too. But there’s a lot of pressure on everything nowadays).”
Also Read | Suniel Shetty confirms Paresh Rawal’s comeback in Heri Pheri 3 after controversy: ‘Nazar lagjaati hai agar…’
Suniel also pointed out how the digital age has distorted expectations in relationships: “Everyone wants to give advice today. The virtual world tells you how to be a mother, how to be a father, what to eat, what to do. I believe learning through experience is better, from your grandmother, mother, sisters, in-laws. So keep what works for you and leave the rest. But a lot has changed. Now, people are getting divorced even before the wedding takes place.” In the same conversation, Suniel also revealed that he had signed 32 films even before his debut hit the screens, and candidly admitted that back then, he had no concept of what depression even meant.
“Because of Pahlaj ji’s launch, and his godfather-like support, I got those films. Everyone wanted to work with me. I had 40 films even before my first one. We were so confident. I used to think, ‘If I get a chance, I have to hit it out of the park.’ I never thought negatively, like ‘this won’t work’ or ‘it won’t happen.’ It always felt like, it will happen. At that time, we didn’t even know what mental strength meant. Depression kya hai ye koi nahi jaanta tha. Mummy ek phatka deti thi, saara depression nikal jaata tha. Jaise aaj log room mein baith jaate hain, us waqt mummy kehti thi – bahar nikal, room saaf kar, 8 baj gaye hain. Aur agar nahi nikle toh mummy aake jo phatka degi, pitaji sab samajh jaate the (No one talked about depression. If you were down, your mom would just smack you once and all the depression would disappear. Today, people sit in their rooms, but back then our mom would say, get out, clean the room, it’s 8 o’clock already. And if we didn’t come out, she would smack us and our dad would understand everything).”
Back in 2023, Suniel Shetty launched a mental health app called Let’s Get Happi, designed to provide round-the-clock access to real-time therapy. Aimed at supporting mental well-being, the app seeks to address the urgent need for affordable, inclusive, and stigma-free mental health care.
