Shanthi Priya Recalls Akshay Kumar's 'Dark Knees' Jibes on Set, Says He Never Apologized

Back in 1991, Shanthi Priya made her Bollywood debut opposite Akshay Kumar in 'Saugandh,' becoming his very first co-star. However, the actress has often shared that her experience wasn’t pleasant. In an interview once, she revealed Akshay’s remarks about her “dark knees” left her feeling extremely conscious.In a conversation with Navbharat Times, Shantipriya looked back at her time working with Akshay Kumar after 'Saugandh.', when the two starred together in 'Ikke Pe Ikka'. She recalled that her role was modern and required her to wear a short dress, so she often paired it with stockings. “I remember how Akshay used to make fun of me,” she said, adding that during the climax shoot her knees appeared darker because of the stockings. Shantipriya noted that it wasn’t just Akshay who was present—Pankaj Dheer, Chandani, Prithvi, director Raj Sippy, along with the spot boy and makeup man, were all on set at the time.“Shantipriya has got big blood clots on her legs,” joked Akshay. He repeated it several times, and when she asked him what he meant, he pointed to her knees. “I was taken aback when I heard him,I was shocked and embarrassed. I didn’t know how to react and kept thinking about others. It was very uncomfortable and I kept thinking how could Akshay make such a joke in front of so many people,” the actress stated.She further added, “He (Akshay Kumar) has not apologised but he told me, ‘I was just joking, come on man, don’t take seriously, main bus mazak masti kar raha tha.’ I said, ‘Yeah, okay.’ But he has come and spoken to me. He didn’t apologised like ‘I’m really very sorry if I hurt you in any manner’, not that way. But he just told, ‘It was just in a flow and I was just joking. That’s all."Shanthi recalled that she was just 22 or 23 when the difficult phase began. “Yes, I went into a depression,” she admitted, adding that her mother was the family’s strongest pillar of support. She shared how both she and her sister Bhanupriya faced harsh comments in the industry, whether in the South or in Hindi films. Recalling old days, she mentioned how magazines once mocked her sister’s pimples, writing that she charged as much money as the number of pimples she had. Such remarks, she said, left them shaken, and the struggle with colour bias followed them for years. Even today, the actress revealed, her own sons are going through it.