Miss Bollywood without Shilpa?

Post Big Brother, Shilpa Shetty crowned the International face of Bollywood, has rarely been out of limelight. Be it her win on Big Brother, or her infamous kiss with Richard Gere, or her Yoga videos, or her Broadway musical, Miss Bollywood – Shilpa is the flavour of the season!

Before Big Brother ‘happened’, Shilpa Shetty was just another Bollywood star. But post her participation in the reality show, and her subsequent win, she has attained Diva status. The win on Big Brother catapulted Shilpa to instant fame and stardom.

Cashing in on her immense popularity on foreign shores, especially in the UK, Harris International in Dubai, came up with the idea of a musical aptly titled, Miss Bollywood. The musical had a successful run in Germany, UK, and Holland, as the audience couldn’t seem to get enough of the Diva.

Talks are afoot for the musical going in for a second run, as Australia and the US line up to host the musical. Amidst all this, rumours are rife that Shilpa Shetty might be replaced by other Bollywood stars like, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, or Bipasha Basu, due to Shilpa’s alleged differences with show promoter, Farhath Hussain.

Shilpa’s publicist, Dale Bhagwagar, and Harris International’s, M.S. Ajmal, have both denied the rumours. Bhagwagar has said that given Shilpa’s busy schedule due to endorsement contracts and film projects, she might not be available to do the show till mid 2009.

Shilpa Shetty herself clarified that she is not averse to the idea of a second innings for Miss Bollywood, provided she can fit it into her busy schedule.

In the mean time, with Shilpa fever mounting, a biography on the Diva has hit the stalls. Shilpa’s publicist, Bhagwagar, has rushed to clarify that the biography, penned by Julie Aspinall, is not an authorized version. He further added that Shilpa incidentally has never spoken to Julie, and all her comments in the book, are taken from previous interviews in various magazines and shows.