Sandhya Shantaram Age, Husband, Children, Family, Biography

Bio/Wiki
Birth Name	Vijaya Deshmukh
Profession	Actor
Famous Role	Chandrakala Chandrawalkar in the Marathi film Pinjara (1972)
Physical Stats
Height (approx.)	5' 2" (158 cm)
Eye Colour	Black
Hair Colour	Grey
Career
Debut	• Marathi Film: Amar Bhoopali (1951) as Gunawati • Hindi Film: Parchhain (1952) as Kishori
Awards	• 1973: Best Actress Award at the Filmfare Marathi Awards for the film Pinjara • 1975: Best Actress Award at the Filmfare Marathi Awards for the film Chandnachi Choli Ang Ang Jali
Personal Life
Date of Birth	• Source 1: 27 September 1938 (Tuesday) • Source 2: 13 September 1936 (Sunday)
Age (as of 2024)	Source 1: 86 Years Source 2: 88 Years
Birthplace	Kochi, Kerala
Zodiac sign	• Source 1: Libra • Source 2: Virgo
Nationality	Indian
Hometown	Mumbai
Religion	Hinduism
Relationships & More
Marital Status	Widowed
Affairs/Boyfriends	V. Shantaram (director, producer)
Marriage Date	22 December 1956
Family
Husband/Spouse	V. Shantaram (deceased)(director, producer)
Children	Step-son(s)- 2 • Prabhat Kumar Shantaram • Kiran Shantaram (film director) Step-daughter(s)- 5 • Saroj • Madhura Jasraj • Charusheela • Rajshree • Tejashree
Parents	Father- (deceased) (theatre artist)
Siblings	Sister- Vatsala Deshmukh
Other Relatives	• Son-in-law- Pandit Jasraj (classical singer) • Grandson- Siddharth Ray (actor) • Grandson- Shaarang Dev Pandit (music drector) • Granddaughter- Durga Jasraj (actor, producer) • Granddaughter- Chandrika Chapman (actor) • Niece- Ranjana Deshmukh (actor)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sandhya Shantaram

• Sandhya Shantaram started her career as a theatre artist.

• She and her sister, Vatsala Deshmukh shifted to Bombay (now Mumbai) for better career prospects.

• She got her debut role when she responded to producer and director V Shantaram’s newspaper advertisement for an actress for his Marathi film Amar Bhoopali (1952). She was selected for her distinctive voice and asked to learn dance for the film.
  

  Sandhya Shantaram in a scene from the film Amar Bhoopali

• According to her co-actor Gopi Krishna, she practised rigorously and for long hours to get the correct dance moves for the film Jhanak Jhanak Payal Bhaje (1955).
  

  Sandhya Shantaram with actor Gopi Krishna in the film Jhanak Jhanak Payal Bhaje

• She was the third wife of producer and director V Shantaram and the age difference between them was 37 years. They got married just before the Indian laws were reformed in matters of polygamy in 1956.

• She played the role of Champa in the internationally acclaimed film Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957). The film won the Samuel Goldwyn International Film Award (part of the Golden Globe Awards from 1959 to 1965).
  

  Sandhya Shantaram and her husband Shantaram with the Samuel Goldwyn Award for the film Do Aankhen Barah Haath

• After her husband underwent emergency eye surgery, she decorated his room with flowers of different colours to celebrate his recovery. After removing the bandage, he opened his eyes and commented about the flower’s Navrang (nine colours). He decided to keep it as the title of his film, and Navrang (1959) was a huge commercial success. Sandhya appeared as Jamuna/ Mohini in this film.

• In the Hindi film Stree (1961), a film adaptation of the story of Shakuntala, director Shantaram wanted to use real lions for certain sequences. Sandhya never objected to the idea but prepared for the shots by training along with the lion tamers.
  

  Sandhya Shantaram in a scene from the film Stree

• She worked exclusively for her husband’s production company and studio, Rajkamal Kalamandir. According to her stepdaughter Madhura Jasraj, she even rejected an offer from renowned director and producer Mehboob Khan. ^[1]Filmfare

• Some of her other notable roles were Angara in the Hindi film Sehra (1963), Rani Paigaonkar in the Hindi film Ladki Sahyadri Ki (1966) and the Marathi film Iye Marathichiye Nagari (1966), and Gaura in the Marathi film Chandanachi Choli Ang Ang Jali (1975).

• She likes to wear simple white sarees and minimal jewellery.

• One of her rare public appearances after retiring from acting was in 2009 at the 50-year celebration of the film Navrang.