Meet Shanthi Priya: Left Acting For Husband, Depression Due To Akshay Kumar, Sister Of Iconic Diva

Shanti Priya made a striking comeback in the film industry with the Tamil film, Bad Girl, released in February 2025. The actress played the character 'Meenakshi', and received a lot of love for her acting. Not everyone is aware of the fact that before Bad Girl, She was last seen in the 1994 film, Ikke Pe Ikka. Although she appeared in a few television shows in all these years, things weren't as good as she would've expected. However, despite all this, the way she made her comeback in films is quite inspiring.

Since the release of Bad Girl in February 2025, Shanthi Priya has been dominating the news headlines. The 55-year-old actress broke the internet on April 2025 when she posted a series of pictures showcasing her breathtaking transformation. For the uninitiated, Shanthi Priya showcased her bold bald look by wearing a brown blazer. The blazer is no ordinary blazer as it belonged to her late husband, Siddharth Ray, who is no longer on this planet.

Meet Shanthi Priya: Tamil actress left acting for her husband, Siddharth Ray, and he died five years after their marriage

Shanthi Priya's husband, Siddharth Ray, passed away in 2004. Opening up about her decision to wear her late husband's blazer, Shanthi said that the blazer still carries Siddharth's warmth. The photoshoot divided the internet, while some showered love on his IG post, some people trolled her for shaving her head. The pictures are being shown all over the internet, but not everyone is aware of Shanthi and Siddharth's marriage story.

For the uninitiated, Shanthi Priya and Siddharth Ray got married in 1999, and five years after their marriage, the latter passed away due to a heart attack at the age of 40. Shanthi single-handedly raised their two sons, Shubham Ray and Shishya Ray. Another interesting anecdote about Shanthi and Siddharth's marriage is that the actress left acting at the peak of her career for the sake of her husband, his family, and their kids.

Once, in an old interview with Bollywood Bubble, Shanthi Priya opened up about quitting the film industry after her marriage with Siddharth Ray. The actress admitted that it was a big mistake, and she regretted it because it's not easy to get back into the film industry. Despite getting the chance to work with Bollywood's 'Khiladi Kumar', Akshay Kumar in her debut film, Saugandh. She said:

"Chodhna mat industry ko, aana bahut mushkil hai. I still think that I shouldn't have quit Bollywood. Because I felt I did not value my work. When I'm seeing my comeback now, the way I'm doing, which I never did when I was a newcomer. So my advice to all the newcomers who get married but don't leave the industry, but if you want to leave the industry, think twice."

Shanthi Priya went into depression after her Ikke Pe Ikka co-star, Akshay Kumar, made an insensitive comment on her knees

In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Shanthi Priya shared an incident that had happened on the sets of her debut film, Ikke Pe Ikka. The actress shared that while working on the sets, Akshay Kumar once asked her about the colour of her knee and said, "Did you get hurt? Did you fall down somewhere?' I said, 'No, why?' He said, 'What happened? Why are your knees so dark and black? Is that a blood clot?" The insensitive remark hurt Shanthi to the core, and she went into depression. She also added that Akshay never apologised for it by heart. She said:

"Akshay Kumar didn't apologise like 'I am really very sorry if I hurt you in any manner', not that way. But he just said, 'It was just in a flow and I was just joking. That's all."

Shanthi Priya is the sister of iconic South Indian actress, Bhanupriya, who quit acting due to memory loss

For the uninitiated, Shanthi Priya is the sister of one of the finest South Indian actresses ever, Bhanupriya, who has worked in 155 feature films in her illustrious acting career. Unfortunately, she had to quit acting due to memory loss. After leaving the film industry, Bhanupriya is enjoying her time raising her daughter, Abhinaya. Bhanupriya married Adarsh Kaushal in 1998, but they separated in 2005. In 2018, Adarsh Kaushal passed away due to a heart attack.

What are your thoughts on these interesting anecdotes about Shanthi Priya and Siddharth Ray? Let us know.

Also Read: Test Actor Siddharth's Love Life: Samantha To Shruti, Extra-Marital Affair, Divorce, Second Marriage

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