Sandhya Shantaram

Sandhya Shantaram is a prominent actress of Hindi and Marathi films. She is the third wife of renowned filmmaker and producer, V. Shantaram, who also discovered him after the latter got married to her sister, Jayashree (actress). Later, when Jayashree and Shantaram parted ways, Sandhya got married to him and had a daughter named Madhura (wife of Jasraj, an Indian classical vocalist).

She made her acting debut in the Marathi film, Amar Bhoopali, which was produced and directed by V. Shantaram. In the next phase of her acting career, Sandhya appeared in most of her husband’s films including Parchhain (1952), Teen Batti Char Raasta (1953), Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957), Navrang (1959), etc.

In the National Award winning film, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, she took an intense classical dance form with her co-star, Gopi Krishna Gopi Krishna was an Indian actor, dancer, and chor >> Read More... , as they both played the roles of Kathak dancers that eventually fell in love with each other. Sandhya was starred in Do Aankhen Barah Haath, opposite V. Shantaram in the lead roles. She later played Jamuna, the wife of a poet in Navrang. Sandhya was seen wearing ghungroo in the film while dancing with an elephant to the tune of the Holi song, Arreh Jaa Reh Hat Natkhat.

In 1961, she acted in Rajaram Vankudre’s fantasy film, Stree, where she shadowed a lion tamer and practiced inside a lion cage as a preparation for her role in the film. Her last major role was from the 1972 Marathi film, Pinjra, where she played the female lead role, opposite Shriram Lagoo Dr. Shriram Lagoo is an Indian actor who is known >> Read More... . She also made a small stint in Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s Bollywood film, Kareeb (1998). 

Another Version Of Bio:  

Sandhya is an Indian film actress. She was born on 27^th September, 1938 in Kochi, India. Sandhya Shantaram’s zodiac sign is Libra. She has worked in Hindi and Marathi films. Sandhya’s married to director V. Shantaram.

Her sister's name is Madhura Pandit. Sandhya has a child named Jayashree. She has two grandchildren named Durga Jasraj and Shaarngdev Pandit. Sandhya Shantaram is popularly known for her work in Amar Bhoopali (1951),  Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje (1955), Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1958), Navrang (1959) and Pinjra (1972).

She was first noticed by V. Shantaram, and he was the one who brought her into the film industry. V. Shantaram was married to Jayashree, but after Jayashree left him, Sandhya married him. Sandhya’s first Marathi movie was Amar Bhoopali which was released in 1952, and was directed by V. Shantaram.

She performed the role of a vocalist in the movie. From 1950 to 1960, all the movies that Sandhya Shantaram worked in were directed by V. Shantaram.

In 1953, Sandhya played the role of a dark-skinned girl who secretly was a radio star and had an amazing singing voice in the movie, 'Teen Batti Char Raasta.' She wore dark makeup during the shoot of this film. She learned classical dance from her co-star Gopi Krishna for the movie Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje.

They practiced for a Kathak dance competition opposite their guru, and whilst the preparation of dance they fell in love. The film achieved great success and won four Filmfare Awards and one National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi.

Sandhya worked in the film Do Aankhen Barah Haath opposite her husband, in which she portrayed the role of a girl named Champa who is a toy seller and attracts the warden and the inmates of the jail when she crosses from there. In the film Navrang, she played the role of the wife of a poet, who imagines her as a sensuous and beautiful muse.

This film had the popular song “Arrey Jaa Reh Hat Natkhat” in which Sandhya danced wearing ghungroo with an elephant. Sandhya worked in the movie Stree in 1961. It is based on the story of Shakuntala from the Mahabharata. The story is about Shakuntala and her son, who lived in the forest. V. Shantaram used real lions in the movie and Sandhya didn't use a body double to shoot those scenes. She did the scenes with lion herself.

Sandhya’s last prominent role was in the Marathi movie Pinjra. The story revolves around a girl who falls in love with a school teacher. Shriram Lagoo played the role of the school teacher and it was his debut in the film industry. In 2009, Sandhya made a special guest appearance at the V. Shantaram Awards ceremony to pay tribute to the 50^th Anniversary of the movie Navrang.

Sandhya Shantaram Family Tree (Infographic Family Tree)