Disco Shanti says she was depressed for years after husband Srihari's death, wants to make comeback with this name

Hindustan Times

a day ago

Srihari's untimely death in 2013 shocked the film industry. His wife, former actor Disco Shanti, was left looking after their two sons alone. Shanti is now making a comeback with the Tamil film Bullet, which will be released in Telugu as Bullet Bandi. In an interview with TOI, she spoke about being depressed for many years after his death and only feeling better in the last few years. Disco Shanti and Srihari married in 1996 and have two sons and a daughter.
Disco Shanti about Srihari's death
Shanti stated in the interview that she didn't miss acting at all after deciding to quit the film industry after her marriage to Srihari. Revealing that she was depressed after his death, she said, 'I didn't miss it at all. I got married and had my first child immediately. My husband, who acted as a villain, became a hero. It was a dream world. I lost him 12 years ago, and then went into depression. I've been okay for the last five years, all because of my two kids.'
Now that she is making a comeback after decades, Shanti says that she would like to have a different screen name to honour her husband than the one she's most famous for. 'The value of the name is still there, but I am a little hesitant about still using it, as I've two kids who are of marriageable age. But I was told that's how everyone knows me. I would like to be credited as Shanti Srihari, but at the end of the day, it is the director and producer's call as they are investing their time and money in making this project.'
Shanti plays a key role in Bullet, Raghava Lawrence's younger brother, Elviin's debut film.
About Disco Shanti and Srihari
Disco Shanti, born as Santha Kumari, was a rage in the 80s and 90s for featuring in special numbers. She appeared in numerous Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Odia films. Srihari was known for his villainous roles in Telugu cinema, later switching to hero and character roles.
Shanti and Srihari married in 1996 and had two sons and a daughter. Their daughter died when she was only four months old, and they established Akshara Foundation in her memory. Srihari was battling a liver ailment and was rushed to the hospital when he complained of dizziness while shooting for the Hindi film R…Rajkumar. He died at 49 and was buried next to their daughter. Their son, Meghamash, debuted in Tollywood with the 2019 film Rajdhooth.