Shilpa Shetty shares the secret to a successful marriage

I would want my son to help his partner when he is a grown man, says Shilpa

NEW DELHI, INDIA: Actress-entrepreneur Shilpa Shetty revealed the secret to her successful marriage is shared chores within the home. Interviewed on the topic, she questioned why only women should cook and do the laundry and added that men should contribute equally to household chores to ease a woman’s responsibilities.

She feels that this leads the marriage into a happily ever after.

Married to businessman Raj Kundra, Shilpa lauded her husband’s efforts in helping her out in household work whenever needed and thereby maintaining a balanced life.

"There is lot of give and take needed in a relationship and that's how it works. That makes the relationship interesting,"  Shilpa told IANS over the phone from Mumbai and added that "there are a lot of men who do the laundry and I would like to say that Raj is one of those men. Whenever we travel abroad, where we don't have any help, we help ourselves. There is nothing to feel sorry about," said the mother of son Viaan, who will turn two later this year.

The mother of  two-year old Viaan said "I would want my son to help his partner when he is a grown man," she said.

Shilpa's stance on the matter comes in reaction to a Nielsen India Survey, supported by Ariel India, conducted on Indian households across five cities which revealed that more than two-thirds of Indian women feel the existence of inequality between men and women within the home.

She was upset by how Indian society teaches girls - but not boys - to learn skills like cooking and doing the laundry.

"I just think that one needs to also condition young boys and that's when you will have a new and brighter India," she said.

"I'm not a feminist but a responsible woman. I salute all the women who are homemakers and I think that's the most difficult job. There is no day off. Women are not only going out and earning bread and butter but also looking after the family," the 39-year-old said.

To cite an example of a woman's quandary, Shilpa said: "Cooking is difficult for all the men. I love to cook and I cook once in a while, but if I am made to cook every day, that will get on my nerves. So, if men can help in something as small as the laundry, then why not?" she added.

Shilpa may be a celebrity to the outside world, but at heart, she said, she's still the girl who comes from a middle class background and has seen her father helping her mother in household work.

"I've seen both my parents work really hard...my dad used to do the house's laundry. When we were young, the washing machine was just introduced, so I remember my dad waiting for the weekend only to help my mother do the laundry," said the actress, whose association with Bollywood goes back almost two decades.

During her film career, she delivered hits including "Main Khiladi Tu Anari", "Dhadkan" and "Life... in a Metro". Not only in India but she also gained international recognition after featuring and winning Britain's "Big Brother" reality show in 2007.

She also runs her IOSIS spa and wellness chain and, to top it all, she is even a film producer.