I had no godfather/godmother/filmi family backing me, but I made it only because I just believed in my talent, and my audience reposed their faith in me. So, I always say that my godfather in B-town has been my audience. Without them, I would be nowhere.
I like the fact that I come with a lineage and have a filmi background.
I have no filmi background.
I come from a non-filmi background.
I am not a star kid, my parents are from Delhi, my dad manages a business, my mother is a professor, I have no filmi background, so if I don't have skills, I don't stand a chance in this industry full of star kids and people with influence.
I have realised I do not have any back up, or filmi background, or any influential person who is making movies for me. I have to take this journey on my own, and be careful. For me, if I do something wrong, I am not going to get second chances.
I loved the Godfather. I thought that was the best interpretation of our life that Ive ever seen. Godfather I and Godfather II - the other one stunk.
There is so much that I have learnt from Shilpa. She also didn't come from any filmi background, so I took lessons from her mistakes.
It's very tough for someone who doesn't have a filmi background to get work in Bollywood. It's not a smooth ride unless you are really lucky. But I think one has to be prepared for that.
I entered politics from a filmi background and had no idea about that world. Slowly, I realised that it did not suit me, and that's when I decided to get out of it.
Humanity is in my heart. Do I suffer fools? No. Am I a stickler for my profession? Yes. I am a task master? Yes. My military background, football background, I'm a team player all the way, and I love winning.
It has been a contented journey, as I made it without a filmi background tag, but at the same time, a lot remains to be done because there is much good music in me.
My family is my biggest critic. Since they come from a non-filmi background, they give me an audience's point of view. They have been very supportive of me.
So when it comes to being a role model to women, I think it's because of the way that I feel about myself, and the way that I treat myself. I am a woman, I treat myself with respect and I love myself, and I think that if I'm holding myself to a certain esteem and keeping it real with myself, then that's going to translate to people like me.
I am a Democrat and I love my party and I want them to have good policies and good candidates, so I hope to be supportive in some way, but I don't intend to be any kind of 'godfather' or something like that.