Shanta Apte was a renowned singer and actress within Indian cinema, who performed in Marathi and Hindi films. Some of her most popular works have been Duniya Na Mane (1937), which was also known as Kunku (1937) in Marathi, Amar Jyoti (1936), and Duhai (1943).
Apte was born in Dudhni, Maharashtra and was born in Pandharpur. She started learning music from a very young age, and was a talented and dedicated singer. She started her career in cinema with the Marathi film – Shyam Sunder (1932). She did several Marathi films and for some time, she was the highest paid Marathi actress. She debuted in Hindi film with Amrit Manthan (1934). Her famous films of the 1930s include Yeh Duniya Na Mane (1932) and Wahan (1937). Her most famous role was in the former, where she played a young girl who is married to a much older widower. In the 1940s, both her abilities as a singer and an actor were put to good use, and she acted in films like Savithri (1941), Duhai (1943), and Subhadra (1946), lending her voice alongside heavyweights like M S Subbulakshmi and Lata Mangeshkar.

Her association with Prabhat Studios proved to be fairly successful. However, when she wanted to break out of the contract in order to pursue films outside that banner, she did not hesitate to stand up for herself in a show of aggression, which helped her achieve what she wanted.

Her last appearance was in the film Ram Bhakt Vibhishan (1958).

Apte died in 1964 in Mumbai. She wrote an autobiography titled Jau Mi Cinemat in Marathi, which explored her journey in the film industry.