Suniel Shetty Talks About Not Showing Up On 1st Day Of A Film Shoot, Feeling Nervous Shooting With Rajinikanth

In a moving letter, Bollywood star Suniel Shetty discussed his experiences with anxiety and how he copes with it.

Suniel Shetty talks about dealing with fear.

New Delhi: In a moving letter, Bollywood star Suniel Shetty discussed his experiences with anxiety and how he copes with it. Suniel discussed times in his life, including his early days on film sets and his work with superstar Rajinikanth, where fear had an impact in a post shared on LinkedIn. The actor also admitted that he was really anxious when his daughter Athiya Shetty introduced him to her then-boyfriend, cricketer KL Rahul, who is now her husband.

Suniel wrote, "I was petrified on my first day on a film set, and almost never showed up. 30 years later I still felt nervous on my first day of filming with the great Rajinikanth Sir.” Recalling the moment when he met his son-in-law KL Rahul for the first time, he wrote, “At home, I felt jittery when Athiya was bringing Rahul over to meet us as a family for the first time.”

Talking further about his encounters with fear and his coping mechanism, he shared, "Everyone, without exception, knows what fear feels like. We’ve all faced it at some point – in both, our professional & personal journeys. But here’s the thing – what if we treated fear like it could be our ticket to something big? In my years in films and business, I’ve learned a thing or two about those scary moments. With time, I trained myself to treat fear like little signals that I’m standing on the edge of something great."

He continued his post, "It’s almost like my mind telling me, “Hey pay attention, something important is happening here! Think about it – whenever we’ve faced something new, whether it’s stepping onto a movie set for the first time or diving into a new venture, we naturally feel fear or nervousness. Just like when you’re hiking up a steep mountain and your heart pounds, fear is a sign that you’re climbing towards a breathtaking view. It’s the moment before the curtain rises on a stage where you’re about to shine. It’s that split second before you take a leap, that could redefine your journey.”

He argued for removing the frequently negative connotation attached to fear. "Why should we give fear a negative meaning? If we remind ourselves that fear is not necessarily a bad thing, and instead treat it like a sign from above, and use it to give that opportunity our best shot, we really could be making the best of it. Can we remind ourselves that fear is a natural part of growth? Can we treat fear like it was a gym for courage? Sure, fear can make our knees wobble and make us jittery, but from my experiences – it’s been like my personal trainer during some of the most important moments of my career and life. Also, here’s the truth – at most times, what we fear isn’t even real. It’s just a collection of doubts. The more you face those fears head-on, the more you’ll realise they take care of themselves. Next time you feel fear, just take a deep breath, stand tall and remind yourself that you’re on the brink of something goooooood. It means you’re pushing boundaries for bigger dreams. Fear is good,” he wrote.