Raj Kundra recalls awkward moment before family met Shilpa Shetty: ‘Actresses drink, they smoke'

Raj Kundra has opened up about the early days of his relationship with Shilpa Shetty, recalling how his family initially reacted to the news. Appearing on Farah Khan’s YouTube vlog, the businessman-turned-actor spoke candidly about his love story with the actor.

Raj revealed it was love at first sight for him, though his father wasn’t sure at first. “My father said, ‘Arre yaar, kya actresses ke saath lag gaya hai? Daru piti hai, cigarette piti hai’ (What are you doing with an actress? They drink alcohol, they smoke cigarettes),” he recalled.

He explained that his father’s doubts quickly faded after meeting Shilpa. “They met her and said, ‘Tu ja side mein, we live with her now,’” Raj joked. Shilpa responded with a smile, adding, “My in-laws love me more than they love Raj.” Farah called it the “best” moment as the couple laughed.

The two first crossed paths in 2007 during the launch of Shilpa’s perfume line *S2* in the UK, where Raj helped with promotions. Their professional collaboration soon turned into a relationship, leading to their wedding in November 2009. They welcomed their son Viaan in 2012 and their daughter Samisha through surrogacy in 2020.

More recently, the couple made headlines after announcing the closure of Shilpa’s popular Mumbai restaurant Bastian Bandra, long known as a celebrity hotspot. The announcement, shared on Instagram, coincided with legal trouble. Shilpa and Raj have been accused in a Rs 60 crore fraud case filed by businessman Deepak Kothari. Their lawyer Prashant Patil has dismissed the allegations, stating that they are “false and baseless.”

Despite personal challenges, both continue to stay active professionally. Shilpa is judging *Super Dancer Season 5* alongside Geeta Kapur and Marzi Pestonji, while also preparing for her return to Kannada cinema with KD: The Devil. The film features Dhruva Sarja, Sanjay Dutt, V Ravichandran, and others.

Raj, meanwhile, is promoting his Punjabi film Mehar, co-starring Geeta Basra, which released on September 5. Through humour and honesty, Raj’s story highlighted how first impressions gave way to warmth, and how Shilpa became deeply cherished within his family.