Shanti Priya / Akshay's first actress became a widow at the age of 35, how is she doing now?

Shantipriya, who made her Bollywood debut with Akshay Kumar in 1991 in 'Saugandh', could not make a big name for herself. She started with South cinema and distanced herself from films in 1994. Life changed after the death of her husband Siddharth Ray. Now, after 31 years, she has made a comeback with the film 'Bad Girl'.

Shanti Priya: Stars come to Bollywood, shine and sometimes get lost in the mist of oblivion. But there are some faces that even if they move away from films with time, still remain alive in memories. One such actress is Shantipriya—Akshay Kumar's first onscreen pair.

Shanti Priya, who entered Bollywood with the film 'Saugandh' released in 1991, started her career with Akshay Kumar. While Akshay is counted among the top stars of Hindi cinema today and has worked in more than 150 films, Shantipriya's journey stopped at a different turn.

Journey from South to Bollywood

Shanti Priya was born on 22 September 1969 in Rajmahendri, Andhra Pradesh. She started her acting career with South cinema. Her first Telugu film was 'Kaboye Alludu' in 1987, and in the same year she also entered the Tamil industry with the Tamil film 'Enga Oru Pattukaran'. She also worked in Kannada films, but could not achieve a big position in Hindi cinema.

Shanti Priya's most notable films in Bollywood were 'Saugandh' and 'Ikke Pe Ikka' (1994), in which she again appeared with Akshay Kumar. After this, she distanced herself from films and started living a simple life away from the camera.

Storm in personal life

Shanti Priya married actor Siddharth Ray, who is known for his role of police officer opposite Shahrukh Khan in 'Baazigar'. The couple got married in 1999, but this togetherness could not last long. In 2004, Siddharth Ray died of a heart attack and Shantipriya became a widow at the age of just 35.

Return after 31 years

After taking a long gap, Shantipriya has again stepped into the world of acting. Recently she made a comeback with the Tamil film 'Bad Girl', in which she played the character named 'Meenakshi'. Her performance was highly appreciated and it proved that talent never fades, it just waits for the right opportunity.

Shanti Priya is also very active on social media. She has more than three lakh followers on Instagram, who constantly support her and want to be a part of her new journey.