Suniel Shetty (born Sunil V. Shetty;[1] 11 August 1961) is an Indian actor, film producer, entrepreneur and television personality who is predominantly active in Hindi films. In a career spanning over 30 years, he has acted in over 100 films.[2]
He is the owner of the production house Popcorn Entertainment Private Limited.[3]
Suniel Shetty made his debut in Hindi films in 1992 at the age of 31 with Balwaan, opposite Divya Bharti.[7]
He was one of the highest paid Bollywood actors in the 1990s.[citation needed] He was involved primarily in action films throughout the 1990s, playing the male protagonist in most of the movies he acted in during the decade.[clarification needed] From early 2000, he appeared mainly in multi-starrers in across genres.[clarification needed]
Shetty won the Filmfare Award for Best Villain in 2001 for Dhadkan.[10] In 2009, Shetty bagged South Asian International Film Festival's Best Actor Award for his role in Naxalites based Indian movie Red Alert.
The actor has entrepreneurial ventures as well. He produced films such as Khel – No Ordinary Game (2003), Rakht (2004) and Bhagam Bhag (2006) under the banner of Popcorn Motion Pictures.[11]
Along with Mukesh Chhabra, he has also started an online casting company, F...the Couch (FTC). FTC is a digital platform that discovers new talent in Bollywood provides a platform to new artists to make a place for themselves in Bollywood.[12] Apart from being part of this project, Shetty has also been actively involved in realty and restaurant business.[13]
Shetty in 2015
Shetty also acted in Tamil films, he made his debut in tamil films by 12B (2001) and after 18 years he appeared in his second Tamil film Darbar with Rajinikanth in 2020.[14]
In 2023, Shetty portrayed ACP Vikram Chauhan in Hunter Tootega Nahi Todega, an action thriller web series that follows his character's journey into the dark alleys of Mumbai's crime world.[18]
Other work
Fittr
In 2019, Shetty invested an undisclosed amount in a Pune-based online health and fitness start up Fittr. Its founder Jitendra Chouksey launched Fittr in January 2016 as a community on Facebook to address the challenges in the fitness industry. Fittr now claims of over 100,000 fitness transformations, and a highly engaged community of 550,000 members. The platform's mobile app has been downloaded more than 500,000 times since September 2018.[19]
Television
Shetty has appeared as a host for India's leading fitness reality shows Biggest Loser Jeetega on Sahara One.[20] and
India's Asli Champion Hai dam? on &TV.
Restaurant
The actor owns Mischief Dining Bar and Club H2O, in Mumbai. Both the places are running successfully.[21][22] He co-owns the water adventure park attached to cafe H2O. He closed down Mischief Bar in 2010, and instead opened a new restaurant called Little Italy. The restaurant was first owned by his father when it was an Udupi restaurant, Suniel then changed the restaurant into a bar, and then back into a restaurant with the different name with his father's blessings.[23]
Celebrity Cricket League
Suniel Shetty is captain of the Mumbai Heroes cricket team in the Celebrity Cricket League.[24] He is also the co-founder of Ferit Cricket Bash that was launched in December 2018.
Hiru Golden Film Awards
Suniel Shetty was participant in the Hiru Golden Film Awards 2014 and 2016 in Sri Lanka as a special guest.[25]
R House
He started his luxury furniture and home lifestyle store in Mumbai, Worli in 2013 with his wife Mana.[26]
Brand ambassador
Shetty is the brand ambassador of HYPE Luxury, a luxury mobility platform that offers luxury cars, yachts, and private jets for rent.[27][28]
Philantropy
Suniel Shetty is involved in a number of Philantropic initiatives. He is an advisor for Vipla Foundation, an NGO that works towards empowering underprivileged communities through education, skill development, and social welfare initiatives to create sustainable and inclusive growth.[29][30]
In 2008, he contributed in the rescue of 128 Nepalese women from sex trafficking in Mumbai, and arranged for their return to Nepal. He has credited Mumbai police officials for the successful rescue.[31][30]
Since 1991 he is married to Mana Shetty (née Monisha Kadri), a businesswoman, designer and social activist born to a Gujarati Muslim architect and a Punjabi Hindu social activist.[32] They have two children, a daughter Athiya Shetty[33] and a son Ahan Shetty.[34]
Both Athiya and Ahan have made their acting debuts respectively, Athiya in the film Hero (2015) and Ahan in Sajid Nadiadwala's film Tadap (2021), theHindi remake of Telugu film RX 100.[35] Mana runs an NGO for under-privileged kids.[36] Athiya married Indian cricketer KL Rahul on 23 January 2023.[37]
^"Sunil Shetty returns to action". Hindustan Times. Indo-Asian News Service. 4 January 2011. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2011. A Black Belt in kick boxing, he kept the decade packed with more of muscle power in outings like Waqt Hamara Hai, Bhai, Border, Mohra, Suraksha, Shastra, Rakshak, Krishna, Aakrosh and Dus, to name a few.
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