“I Am All Set For My Second Innings As An Actress” Shanthi Priya

Jyothi Venkatesh

She had quit acting in films seven years back, in 2012 to be precise to look after her two growing sons after the untimely demise of her husband actor Sushant Rai, who was the grandson of the doyen filmmaker V. Shantaram, but acting still runs in her veins.

Shanti Priya is now all set to stage her come back in not only films, but also TV, short films as well as web series of any kind. “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”, says Shanti Priya, who incidentally had made her debut in Bollywood as an actress with Saugandh opposite none other than  today’s gold mine at the box office, yaane ki Akshay Kumar as her leading man. Shanti Priya does not feel that TV is a comedown for any actor, especially her since it was with the mega serial Vishwamitra that she had actually made her debut as an actress in Bollywood before she started acting in Saugandh way back in the 90’s.

Shanti Priya is thrilled that Sun TV has offered her a big opportunity to act in the mega serial Chandrakumari in Tamil, in which she will be required to step into the shoes of the veteran actress Radhika, who is stepping down from her role. It may be noted that Radhika, who happens to be the wife of South super star Sharath Kumar, is the Tamil equivalent of Ekta Kapoor and is known as the czarina of TV soaps down South.

I meet the sultry siren, who does not look at all like she is the mother of two sons, at the office of her PR person Parul Chawla in the suburbs where she arrives almost an hour late profusely apologizing for the delay because of heavy traffic as she still continues to stay in South Mumbai. “I am now ready for my second innings as an actress”, she declares grandiosely.

In what way des she find the scenario different from the earlier times when she had breezed in on the scene in Bollywood? I ask her gingerly. “Everything has changed ion just a span of seven years since the time I had left acting but I have no complaints at all. Because in the 90’s an actress had no other alternative but to quit acting after she got married or had children. Now the audiences are eagerly giving an opportunity to actresses who get married, whether it is Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone or for that matter Vidya Balan. Look at Shefali Shah who did a splendid job as the mother of Ranveer Singh and Priyanka Chopra in Dil Dhadakne Do. Also in the 90’s there was no cell phone or for that matter Dictaphones since journalists used to write down interviews in their notebooks.”

 What kind of roles is Shanti Priya ready to do? Though she does not look like a screen mother say like Nirupa Roy or Achala Sachdev from any angle, Shanti Priya confesses that she is game to play whether a sexy seductive and sultry siren or a doting mother in any film, as long as she is offered meaty roles and not just required to fill up the blanks in a film. “My first son is 24 years old. I am ready to play the mother depending on what age my screen son is. If I get a role like the one Tabu played with aplomb as the mother of Ajay Devgn’s young kids in Drishyam, I’d be more than willing to try my hand at playing the role.”

What did she do in the intervening years since she quit acting? I ask Shanti Priya. Without batting an eye lid, she quips, “I was quite busy as one of the Directors of Raj Kamal looking after the day to day work of the studios. It is very tough to be a single parent looking after two grown up children after the death of your husband and also the day to day functioning of a big studio like Rajkamal but I continue to manage to multi task. Now I can take it easy since one of my sons is planning to take up writing and another wants to be an actor.”

Right now, Shanti Priya confesses that she has been approached to be part of three films but because of the Non Disclosure contract that has been stipulated, she is not at all in a position to divulge the names of the films or the roles that she has been offered in them. Shanti Priya is very keen on being a part of a biopic. “I want to play the role of either Mother Teresa or Princess Diana. I am also equally eager to play the role of Sridevi in a biopic if it is made on her.”

Shanti Priya has till date acted in as many as 36 films in Hindi as well as Tamil and Telugu but singles out Enga Ooru Paattukkaran, Sakkara Pandal, Daayam and Sirayil Pootha Chinna Malar as her best films in Tamil, though she feels that Saugandh will always occupy a place of pride in her heart since it marked her foray in Bollywood.

Shanti Priya still remembers the furor that she had created at that point of time when she shared a lip to lip kissing scene with none other than Akshay Kumar in her first film in Bollywood, though today kissing scenes are regular fixtures in films as well as web series. “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.”

Shanti Priya confesses frankly that she is not at all satisfied with whatever she has achieved as an actress till date. “I am still thirsty to prove myself as an actress. 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 “, Shanti Priya signs off.

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Tags: Bollywood, Bollywood News, Bollywood Updates, Television, Telly News, Shanti Priya, Interview