If you are not a firm believer in destiny, a look at the life and times of Actor-Politician Shashi Kumar is enough to make you a believer of fate and destiny. Shashi Kumar believes in destiny and is a devotee of Shirdi Sai Baba and Raghavendra Swamy.
"Whatever changes have taken place in my life, I think it is because of the blessings of Lord Raghavendra Swamy and Sai Baba."-says Shashi Kumar who was virtually written off from the Kannada film Industry after he met with a serious accident which had resulted in altering the facial structure of this once extremely busy and handsome actor.

"It just happened one night. My car dashed against a road divider, and that is it. I had to be admitted to hospital. I was operated upon and I took rest for nearly six months. Meanwhile, a film was started with me as the hero. Within the next two days, I understood that the Producer-Director of the film has approached another person to act as the hero of the film. I was dropped. I was depressed- Then came a chance to act in "Habba" which also had my seniors Vishnuvardhan and Ambarish doing important roles. The film became a hit, and the rest is history"-said Shashi Kumar who accidentally entered politics to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Chitradurga constituency. He won the seat by a margin of 18,000 votes as a Janata Dal (U) candidate.

Recently "Online Bangalore" met Shashi Kumar during the shooting of "Yarige Salutthe Sambala", a hilarious comedy dealing with three middle class families. Here Shashi Kumar plays an office going husband who does not want his, wife to work outside despite finding it difficult to make both ends meet. Shashi Kumar's two films "Sundara Purusha" and "Halappa" are yet to be released, and the present film remake of Tamil hit "Virulukketha Veekkam" is directed by veteran director M.S.Rajashekhar.

Shashi said that he has a very good role in the film and hoped that the film would be successful at the Box office. He said that the producers of "Sundara Purusha" had faced some problems during the release and he is now aware of the problems. "I have not finished the dubbing of "Halappa" yet" said Shashi Kumar.

Shashi said that he will continue to act in films, despite being a Member of Parliament, as he is totally dependent on film earnings from the day he was introduced as a villain in a Kannada film by Director K.V.Raju. "Now, I will find time for both Politics and films. Politics and position of a Member of Parliament is a responsibility. Acting in Films is necessary for my livelihood and future" said Shashi Kumar.

Shashi Kumar also became a Producer last year when he produced a moderately successful "Coolie Raja". He said that he has not yet given a thought about producing films as of now, but said he may think about it later. Talking about Suhasini, his heroine in the film "Yarige Saluthe Sambala", he said Suhasini is a brilliant actress and certainly capable of lifting a film from the ordinary.