Born on August 28, 1977 into a Maharashtrian family, television industry's most talked-about 'Bhabhiji' Shilpa Shinde's father Dr Satyadeo Shinde was the judge of a High Court, and mother Geeta Shinde is a homemaker. Shilpa Shinde pursued psychology at K.C. College, Mumbai, however, she didn't obtain her bachelor's degree. (All photos/mid-day archives)

Shilpa Shinde had emerged victorious in the Bigg Boss Season 11 after treating viewers with her noteworthy antics. Shilpa beat Hina Khan and Vikas Gupta to bag the coveted trophy in 2018. She was also seen with comedian Sunil Grover in the cricket-themed web series Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan.

Shilpa Shinde played a character with negative shades in the 1999 TV series Bhabhi but gained recognition in the 2001 show Kabhi Aaye Na Judaai. The show which ran till 2003, tells the story of a united family, which finds itself confronted with the biggest temptations of all times - money. Shilpa starred alongside Pooja Ghai, Aaanchal Anand, Pamela Mukherjee, Prabhat Bhattacharya, Jaya Bhattacharya, Tarun Khanna, Ram Kapoor and others.

Shilpa earned appreciation from viewers for her role as Chitra in the series Sanjivani after which she did shows like Hatim, Waris, Mayka and Chidiya Ghar. Shilpa played Koyal in Chidiya Ghar, which is considered as her breakthrough role opposite Paresh Ganatra but quit the show in March 2013 due to problems in her personal life and was replaced by Shubhangi Atre, who played the part for a year. After returning in June 2014, she quit in September over creative differences.

Shilpa Shinde takes her roles very seriously in real life. She left the 2013 show Do Dil Ek Jaan because she felt her character was not given enough attention. She played a godmother named Daya Mayi on the show, which starred Ayaz Ahmed and Nikita Sharma.

Shilpa Shinde became a household name in 2015 with the popular TV series Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai. This light-hearted comedy show was a hit with viewers and everyone liked Shilpa's performance as the lead. Shilpa played the character of Angoori Bhabhi on the show but decided to leave the series in 2016 after having several issues with the makers and accusing them of mentally torturing her. Interestingly, Shubhangi Atre, who earlier replaced her in Chidiya Ghar, was brought on board as Shilpa's replacement.

Shilpa Shinde even won the 'Best Comic Actress Award' for her performance in Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain. The show inspired by the 1995 sitcom Shrimaan Shrimati, which starred Reema Lagoo, Jatin Kanaika, Archana Puran Singh and Rakesh Bedi, revolves around two neighbouring couples, the Mishras and the Tiwaris, in which the husbands are attracted to each other's wives and attempt various tropes to impress them while constantly failing to do so.

Shilpa Shinde believes that no work is inferior and has readily accepted roles of any kind. She does her roles with great dedication. Shilpa feels that even though the role might be small it is still important. Interestingly, Shilpa was initially cast to play glamorous neighbour Anita Mishra, who would be eventually portrayed by Saumya Tandon but got locked in a simple housewife Angoori Tiwari, after Rashami Desai opted out due to personal reasons, and went on to garner acclaim.

Shilpa Shinde blamed the production team of the popular TV show Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai for her departure. She claimed then that she was required to bring her own sarees and make-up on sets, among several other accusations. Furthermore, the show was controversial for its adult-oriented theme and jokes but garnered acclaim for its characters, stories and setting, while also inspired many other shows with similar themes.

Shilpa Shinde later alleged that she was forced to complete her shooting schedule despite being ill. She would have gotten her salary cut if she had refused. She even filed a sexual harassment case against the show's producer Sanjay Kohli in March 2017, claiming he called her 'sexy' and hugged her forcefully.

Shilpa Shinde was not quite active on social media after quitting Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hain. She, however, become very active on her Twitter and Instagram account post her Bigg Boss 11 win and after she started working on cricket-themed web series Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan with Sunil Grover of The Kapil Sharma Show fame. She played a character named Googly Devi on the show.

Shilpa Shinde remained in the news following her departure from Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai and the ensuing controversy. The actress said she had a tough time filling the case. Shilpa even claimed that a makeup man witnessed Sanjay Kohli harassing her, which ended up in his sacking. She alleged that Kohli later sacked her from the show for spurning his advances.

Today Shilpa Shinde is a big name in the television industry but not many know that her family members were not supportive of her decision to enter acting. Shilpa revealed in an interview that her late father didn't want her becoming an actress but she managed to convince him to give her a year's time to allow her to follow her dream. She says his passing in 2013 devastated her and left depressed.

Shilpa Shinde shocked many when she became a contestant on the controversial reality show Bigg Boss in its eleventh season. She and fellow contestant Vikas Gupta initially shared an unpleasant relationship during the first few weeks on the show, and would constantly engage in fights. Vikas was a producer on the TV channel where Bhabhiji Ghar Par Hai aired and she accused him of causing her exit from the show. Their relationship became cordial later. Shilpa also engaged in a rivalry with fellow contestant Hina Khan, which basically became one of the talking points of the season. Hina and Vikas later became finalists but Shilpa beat them to win.

After Bigg Boss, Shilpa Shinde grabbed headlines for performing an item number in the film Patel Ki Punjabi Shaadi. She did a naughty dance number in Sanjay Chhel's family comedy, which also starred Rishi Kapoor, Paresh Rawal and Vir Das. She said about her involvement in the film, 'After enough controversy that affected my reputation, it was surprising to get a call from the makers of the film. When I was offered the song I thought: 'I will have to shed some kilos' as I haven't done dance numbers before, but the PKPS team didn't have enough time and wanted to shoot immediately. They briefed me about the concept and I was okay with it. I thought if I let go off this opportunity, it might not get it again, especially to dance along with such a stalwart Rishi Kapoorji. I was destined to do it.'

Shilpa Shinde, who took away the winner's trophy for Bigg Boss 11 went off Twitter in January 2019. The actress, who had kept her fans engaged with her views on the recent Bigg Boss 12 show, revealed that she quit Twitter because of her fans. Further talking about it, Shilpa Shinde said that her "fans were trying to control" her on social media. The actor, who has a verified Twitter and Instagram account said, "For me, social media is... where you can raise your voice (and) share your opinion... But the moment we come up with an opinion or try to keep a point, fans come to correct you... My own fans were trying to control me which I didn't like at all. I don't even read such comments. But if my own fans have turned so demanding that it was becoming difficult for me to keep them happy because for the time being you can reply them as and when needed or put pictures as per their request. But if such demands keep pouring in you start feeling suffocated."

On the personal front, Shilpa Shinde and her Maayka co-star Romit Raj were in a relationship for many years. They were about to wed but it got called off. Shilpa essayed Soni Khurana, one of the leads on the show while Romit played Jeet Khurana. She replaced Aarti Singh after which she would herself be replaced by Kanchi Kaul. Maayka lasted till 2009.

After quitting Twitter on February 5, 2019, Shilpa Shinde joined the Indian National Congress in presence of Sanjay Nirupam.

Shilpa Shinde has definitely come a long way. Here's wishing her a very happy birthday!