Remember Akshay Kumar's 'Saugandh' co-star Shantipriya? Here's how she looks now

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar recently completed 30 years in the film industry. And while he may have worked with some of the most sought-after heroines of the Hindi film industry in the last 3 decades including Shilpa Shetty, Raveena Tandon, Katrina Kaif among others, he made his debut with actress Shantipriya in the 1994 film 'Saugandh', who was already a popular star down South. Shantipriya too made her entry into Bollywood with this film. 

Born on September 22, 1969, in Andhra Pradesh, actress Shantipriya debuted in Bollywood much later. At the age of 18, Shantipriya made her acting debut with the Tamil film 'Enga Ooru Paatukran', released in 1987. Before entering Bollywood, Shantipriya had done over 24 films in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. She was already a big name in the Tamil and Telugu film industries. Credited as Nishanthi in Tamil films and Shantipriya in Telugu and Hindi films, she is the younger sister of actress Bhanupriya. Shantipirya married 'Baazigar' star Siddharth Ray in 1995. But sadly, Siddharth passed away in 2004. The couple had two sons who were later brought up by Shantipriya alone. 

After her debut in 'Saugandh' opposite debutant Akshay Kumar, Shantipriya went on to do some more Hindi films such as 'Mere Sajana Saath Nibhana', 'Phool Aur Angaar' and 'Meherbaan', all starring Mithun Chakraborty,  'Veerta' opposite Sunny Deol and her last film 'Ikke Pe Ikka' which starred Akshay Kumar. After 1994, Shantipriya quit the film industry and concentrated on spending time with her sons and being the doting mom to them that she has been all these years. 

After Shantipriya quit films, she appeared in a television series in 1995 titled 'Vishwamitra'. She later also did 'Aryamaan', 'Mata Ki Chowki - Kalyug Mein Bhakti Ki Shakti' and 'Dwarkadheesh – Bhagwaan Shree Krishna'. However, after 2012, Shantipriya completely disappeared from the television scene as well.

An active social media user, Shantipriya often shares photos and videos sharing updates about her life with her fans. Her Instagram timeline also features a few pictures with her sons, Shubham and Shishya. 

Before the controversial reality show 'Bigg Boss 14' went on air last year, there was buzz that Shantipriya would appear in it. However, that turned out to be untrue. But, in an interview with bolly.com, Shantipirya said that she is ready for her second innings as an actress. "All that matters to me at this point of time is work, work and more work. I am still thirsting to prove that I am a good actress," she said. "As an actress, I do not have any dos and don’ts. Today I am mature as an actress and am also game for exposure too if it is justified by the directors, I would love to tackle different roles in my second innings as an actress," she added. 

In her interview, while Shantipriya revealed that she hasn't been in touch with Akshay Kumar, she said that she would definitely love to work with him again. "I have not met Akshay Sir after my debut with him in Saugandh. I would love to act in a film with him, whatever be the role that I am offered in the film," she said. (All photos: Instagram)