Suniel Shetty Turned 57. Here Are Some Lesser Known Facts About The Actor

One of Bollywood's most loved actors Suniel Shetty, fondly known as 'anna', turned 57 on August 11. The actor, whose chiseled physique can give all the young heartthrobs of Bollywood a run for their money, is certainly ageing like fine wine. The actor has stolen a million hearts in his career spanning over 25 years. And As Suniel Shetty who still enjoys a massive fan following completed another year around, we take a look at his some lesser known facts about the actor;

1. SUNIEL SHETTY'S LOVE STORY
Suniel Shetty has been happily married to Mana Shetty for 27 years now and the couple's love story seems straight out of a Bollywood film. As per reports, Suniel, who hails from a Tulu-speaking family was instantly smitten by Mana, who has a part-Hindu and part-Muslim cultural background, when he first saw her at a restaurant. The actor, who was yet to make his Bollywood debut asked a common friend to organise a party so as to get introduced to Mana. The duo instantly hit it off, however, owing to their cultural differences, it took the couple 9 years to convince their parents. Suniel and Mana finally tied the knot in 1991.

2. SUNIEL SHETTY'S FIRST FILM COINCIDED WITH ATHIYA'S BIRTH
Not many know that Suniel Shetty stepped into the industry just two months before the birth of his daughter Athiya Shetty. The actor's first film 'Balwaan' co-starring late actress Divya Bharti hit screens on September 11, 1992 while Athiya was born on November 5, 1992. In addition to this, interestingly, Athiya's debut Bollywood film 'Hero' released on September 11, which was the same day Suniel Shetty's first film released 23 years ago.

3. HIS FITNESS MANTRA
A glance at Shetty's Instagram profile and it is hard to believe that the actor has just turned 57. Needless to say, the actor takes his fitness very seriously and believes that inspiration and motivation is all it takes to a physical strength. He reportedly once said that he is not bound to one specific exercise but rather practices multiple in a phased manner.

4. BLACK BELT IN KICK BOXING
Suniel Shetty, who was at the peak of his career in the 90s, was often known as an action hero for his roles in films like 'Gopi Kishan', 'Shastra', 'Sapoot', 'Rakshak', and 'Border'. However, not many know that the actor actually has a black in kick boxing. 

5. FROM SUNIL TO 'SUNIEL'
Suniel Shetty, born on August 11, 1961, earlier spelt his name as 'Sunil'. The actor later added an 'e' to his name citing numerological reasons.

'Dhadkan' (2000) a Dharmesh Darshan directorial is certainly one of Suneil Shetty's most memorable films till date. Suniel's heartwarming performance as love stricken Dev touched the hearts of many. Shilpa Shetty played Suniel's love interest Anjali in the film which also starred Akshay Kumar. Suniel garnered immense praise for his stand out performance in the action-drama 1994 film 'Mohra'. One of the actor's most critically acclaimed films is 'Border' (1997) which follows the story of a small battalion of Indian soldiers who go up against a huge Pakistani strike force. 

More recently, the actor turned producer with his production banner Popcorn Entertainment Pvt. Limited. The actor's company associates itself with television production, event management and film production