Akshay Kumar's First Heroine Shanthi Priya Accuses Him of Ghosting Her When She Sought Help for Acting Comeback

Shanthi Priya, who was Akshay Kumar's first on-screen heroine in the 1991 film 'Saugandh,’ recently opened up about being ghosted by the actor when she approached him for assistance in making a comeback.

Shanthi Priya and Akshay Kumar starred together in his debut film Saugandh.

Source : IMDb

New Delhi: Shanthi Priya, who was Akshay Kumar's first on-screen heroine in the 1991 film 'Saugandh,’ recently opened up about being ghosted by the actor when she approached him for assistance in making a comeback in the industry. Having starred in over 30 films during her prime, Shanthi Priya had temporarily stepped away from her acting career to prioritize her family. However, she decided to give acting another shot a few years ago and reached out to Akshay for potential leads. 

In an interview with Bollywood Thikana, she recalled her encounter with Akshay on the set of the film ‘Holiday: A Soldier is Never Off Duty.’ Shanthi Priya revealed that they engaged in a pleasant conversation during his lunch break, Akshay enquired about her well-being and her children, even introducing her to Sonakshi Sinha and proudly mentioning that she was his first heroine. Shanthi Priya informed him of her plans and asked for his help and to inform her if he came across any good opportunities. 

“When I met him on the Holiday set, he was the same Akshay. I told him that I want to come back, he asked me how I was doing, how my kids were doing. We had a nice half-hour conversation during his lunch break. So, I told him I was planning to come back, and to let me know if there’s any good thing…,” she told Bollywood Thikana. 

She then said that Akshay told her, “You know you can’t play a heroine, right?” To which Shanthi Priya  replied, “If you can play a hero, why can’t I play a heroine?” He said that women in the industry aren’t treated the same ‘after marriage’.  

She shared her disappointment, saying that although she was able to meet Akshay initially through his secretary, subsequent attempts to reach out were met with silence. Shanthi Priya explained that she was contacted by Akshay's secretary for the film 'Airlift,' requesting her pictures, which she promptly sent. However, her calls went unanswered, and subsequent attempts to communicate were ignored. She even messaged Akshay directly, but he never replied. 

“I messaged Akshay, no reply. Seen, no reply; seen, no reply; seen, no reply. It was horrible. And my mom has a soft corner for him. I asked her if I should still call him, she said stop,” she told Bollywood Thikana.   

Shanthi Priya also revealed that when Akshay acquired a new secretary, she reintroduced herself, hoping for a response. However, even they stopped replying to her messages. She expressed her disappointment, highlighting that she had allowed Akshay to star opposite her in his first film as a lead, despite him being relatively new to the industry. Unfortunately, he did not reciprocate when she sought his support. 

Shanthi Priya recently appeared in the MX Player series 'Dharavi Bank,' alongside Suniel Shetty.