Popular actress, Shanthi Priya, was a rage in the 90s and became a leading actress in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi cinema. She ventured into films at the mere age of 19, and within a span of three to four years, managed to act in 40-50 films. Shanthi Priya made her Hindi film debut in 1991 in the film, Saugandh opposite Akshay Kumar.
She has also acted in movies such as Mere Sajana Saath Nibhana, Phool Aur Angaar, and Meherbaan. Despite being mocked for her skin tone, Shanthi was one of the most beautiful actresses in the industry. However, when she was at the peak of her career, Shanthi Priya decided to leave acting as she was in love.
The actress took a sabbatical when she got married to actor, Siddharth Ray. But life had other plans as after a few years of marriage, her husband, Siddharth passed away, and the responsibility of their children fell on her. Shanthi Priya was the top actress when she left everything for Siddharth. Here is her tragic love story.
Shanthi Priya ran away from her home to get married to Siddharth Ray
Shanthi Priya began her acting journey in 1987 with the Telugu film, Kaboye Alludu and in the same year, she made her Tamil debut with the film, Enga Oru Pattukaran. After playing lead roles in over 25 South Indian films, Shanthi Priya ventured into Bollywood in 1991 with the film, Saugandh. Soon, she fell in love with actor, Siddharth Ray, who acted in films like Baazigar and Vansh.
The duo wanted to get married, and when Shanthi Priya told her mother about her decision, she alerted the actress. Shanthi Priya revealed that her mother asked the actress to wait for a few years, as she was doing well in her career. However, she didn’t want to wait and eloped with Siddharth at the age of 24 to marry him in 1992.
Shanthi Priya decided to leave acting for her soulmate, Siddharth Ray
At the time Shanthi Priya tied the knot with Siddharth, actresses often faced difficulties in finding work after getting married. So she decided to leave acting and dedicate 1000 per cent to her family. In an interview with The Times Of India, Shanthi revealed that she left acting as she was in love. Speaking about the same, she said:
“Pyaar me pad gayi thi, ishq me pad gayi thi. I was in love with the person I got married to. I truly believe in whatever I do. Jab maine shaadi ki, woh jo step liya maine, usey main apna 1000 per cent dena chahti thi. So I did that and played that character in life, which is why I had to take a step back from acting.”
Shanthi Priya became a widow at 34 after the untimely death of Siddharth Ray
Soon after their marriage, Shanthi Priya and Siddharth became proud parents to two sons, Shubham and Shishya. However, tragedy struck the family in 2004 when Siddharth passed away after suffering a heart attack. Shanthi Priya was just 34 when she became a widow after losing her husband after 12 years of marital bliss.
Shanthi Priya battled depression after Siddharth Ray’s death
The pain of losing her husband kept haunting Shanthi for almost two years, and she underwent depression. She eventually sought help from her sister and mother, but later went to a doctor. Shanthi Priya talked about her pain after losing Siddharth and said:
“I am a fighter. I take everything as challenge. Actually, mujhe bohot bohot taqleef hui thi to get myself out of that situation. I was nowhere to be found because it was a family situation for me. I was in pain for 2-3 years. The pain used to hit every time I looked at my kids. One was about 10 years old and the other one was about 4.5 years old.”
Shanthi Priya raised her children as a single parent
For Shanthi Priya, he life revolved around her husband, Siddharth and their kids. But when she lost Siddharth, she thought it was the end of her life. Her children were suffering as they first lost a parent, and then saw their mother go through depression.
Speaking to The Times of India, the stunning actress revealed how she bounced back to life for the sake of her children. In her words:
“It wasn’t fair that they lost one parent and then had to see the other parent deal with depression. So, I told myself, ‘This is not who I should be and this is not what I should give my sons because they don’t deserve what they’re seeing’. I worked on myself again. I decided to give them the best and then I worked on it and I came out of it.”
Shanthi Priya stands as a testament to the uncertainties of life. She left her glamorous life for the sake of love, only to be abandoned at a young age. She fought back and stood up for her kids.
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