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'Bullywood' star speaks of fellow contestants' racism
2007-01-17
Bollywood star and reality television contestant Shilpa Shetty, at the centre of a bullying and racism row that has transcended political boundaries, said for the first time that she believed she was being discriminated against as the controversy has continued. In another twist, Shetty and one of women provoking her, Jade Goody, will reportedly go up against each other later this week with one to be voted off "Celebrity Big Brother" by programme viewers. The television show provoked a diplomatic spat Wednesday, as angry government ministers in both countries waded into the dispute, along with distressed relatives and seething viewers and furious fans burning effigies. Shetty, 31, is one of nine stars locked in a London house whose activities are broadcast round the clock by Channel Four. The Bollywood queen for the first time late on Wednesday told a fellow housemate that she thought racism was behind the bullying she was falling victim to in the house -- she has been regularly reduced to tears by a clique which has formed against her. The film star has been branded a "dog" amid regular sniping, and told to clean out the toilet with her teeth by one housemate who some viewers think called her a "Paki" -- which Channel Four denies. She has been asked whether she has "stubble" and whether she lived in a house or a shack, while one housemate has made derogatory remarks about Indian hygiene and said "she wants to be white". After an argument with housemates over stock cubes, during which Goody told her to "go back to the slums", former actress Cleo Rocos said to Shetty: "I don't think there's anything racist in it." Shetty replied: "It is, I'm telling you ... I don't deserve this. I definitely don't deserve it." Meanwhile, according to The Sun, the Daily Mirror and the Press Association, citing unidentified sources, Shetty and Goody will face a public vote to see who will be evicted from the programme -- something housemates have not yet been informed of. Channel Four has denied there had been any overt racism abuse directed against Shetty, though it admitted that there had been a "cultural and class clash" between the glamorous star and some of her British housemates and pledged to clamp down on "unambiguous" racism. Media regulator Ofcom and Channel Four have received than 21,000 complaints from viewers, with Ofcom fielding the most complaints ever for a British television show. The police have also received a racism complaint. Viewers feel Shetty has been singled out by Goody, a former "Big Brother" contestant noted for her ignorance, deposed Miss Great Britain Danielle Lloyd and fallen S Club 7 lead singer Jo O'Meara. British Prime Minister Tony Blair was grilled in parliament on Wednesday and told lawmakers he had not seen the show but backed "opposing racism in all its forms". London Mayor Ken Livingstone had blasted the "racism" towards Shetty, saying it undermined the capital's economy and was "the exact opposite to the approach that London takes towards the different cultures that exist in our city." The row spread to India, where British finance minister Gordon Brown interrupted his Bangalore visit to speak out against the "offensive" comments as demonstrators torched effigies of "Big Brother organisers" in the streets. Indian junior foreign minister Anand Sharma said the government was "seized of the matter" and was looking into all the aspects of the situation. "We will take appropriate action as required," Sharma vowed. "The world knows that India has throughout firmly rejected all forms of discrimination and racism." Bookmaker William Hill said Shetty was the new "hot favourite" to win the show at 6/4 -- but the odds on the show being axed early have tumbled from 20/1 to 5/2. The show's main sponsor, mobile communications retailer Carphone Warehouse, said it had "no intention" of pulling out as viewing figures were boosted to 4.5 million, one million more than watched Monday's shows. Shetty's mother Sunanda told Britain's Sky News television in Mumbai: "To see her cry on television while a bunch of people abuse her is very painful thing for a parent." And Shetty's sister Shamita, a fellow actress, told India's NDTV: "I am very, very proud of her. She has handled every situation in a very dignified manner."
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