Pippa brings a touch of Bollywood glamour to Shrewsbury Library
There was a hint of Bollywood glamour at Shrewsbury Library last weekend when one of the industry’s leading lights dropped in.
Pippa Hughes, who was born and brought up in Ludlow, was on a flying visit to the county from her home in Mumbai.
She has starred in numerous films, has been watched by millions and is a fluent speaker of Hindi.
She was more than happy to meet some of her fans when she gave a talk at the library on Saturday. And she even treated her audience to some dance moves.
Joe Shoonam, assistant librarian, said Pippa’s appearance followed in the tradition of the library which has always been at the forefront of learning and education.
“From our point of view we thought it was a very fitting way of adding to this tradition,” he said.
“Pippa is a fantastic role model for anybody wondering what to do with their life. She was very eloquent and spoke in Hindi as well as in English. She is a brilliant example of someone who says ‘why not?’.
“Her appearance at the library was a really big deal for us to be able to get someone like her along. She has done movies that have been seen by hundreds of millions of people. It was amazing. It was clear she has a luminous presence.”
Joe added that the library is hoping to build on their reputation for hosting guest lectures and workshops.
Pippa began her career as a model before being approached to work within the Bollywood Industry in April 2016.
In the years since she has become Shropshire’s leading lady in Bollywood.
On moving to Mumbai she appeared in a number of films as a dancer before signing up to more substantial roles in 2017. She has since starred in films which have been shown on Netflix, Amazon Prime and the Sony Channel.
Her roles have included Shivaay, 21 Sarfarosh, a popular TV series about the Battle of Saragarhi, comedy horror spoof Shaitaan Haveli, and Zindagi Ke Crossroads.
After being nominated for an Indian Television Academy Award at the end of last year, the nation’s equivalent of the Baftas, Pippa has also filmed her first Pakistani movie, and worked on a web series.
After contracting MRSA on a film set in Bahrain, she returned to the UK but took the chance to write her own script alongside Mukul Dev, a fellow actor from ’21 Sarfarosh: Saragarhi 1897’.
She has also set up her own production company.
Earlier this year, Pippa said she can still rely on her mother and father to bring her back down to earth.
“They think I’m mad,” she said. “My mum and dad keep asking me why I don’t get a proper job and just stay here, but this is what I love.
“I got this massive trophy for an event I did, and I brought it home and we don’t know what to do with it. It’s huge and all the writing on it is in Hindi. My dad asked if I knew what it meant, I said not really, and he said it could say Bollywood’s worst actress!”
