Kalpana Ranjani (5 October 1965 – 25 January 2016), better known

mononymously A mononym is a name composed of only one word. An individual who is known and addressed by a mononym is a mononymous person. In some cases, a mononym selected by an individual may have originally been from a polynym, a word which refers to one o ...

as Kalpana, was an Indian actress who appeared in South Indian films, predominantly in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

and

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

. Kalpana has acted in over 300 films in various South Indian languages. She won the

National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress The National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress is an honour presented annually at India's National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF), an organisation set up by the Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcast ...

for her performance in '' Thanichalla Njan'' (2012) at the

60th National Film Awards The 60th National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2012 in the Indian cinema. The ceremony was held on 3 May 2013 and was hos ...

. Kalpana started her career as a child artist in the late 1970s. Although she came into the industry with the intention of being a lead actress, she turned out to be popular among the audiences for her comic roles.

Career

Kalpana began her career as a child artist in the film ''

Vidarunna Mottukal ''Vidarunna Mottukal'' is a 1977 Indian Malayalam-language children's film, produced and directed by P. Subramaniam under the banner Neela Productions. This children's film bagged a special award for its Director P. Subramaniam in the Kerala ...

''. After making her debut as a mainstream actor in the 1980 film ''

Pokkuveyil ''Pokkuveyil'' ( Twilight) is a 1982 Indian Malayalam-language film, directed by G. Aravindan and produced by General Pictures' Raveendranathan Nair. The film stars Balachandran Chullikkad, Kalpana and S. Satish Kumar. Aravindan recorded its ...

'', directed by

G. Aravindan Govindan Aravindan (23 January 1935 – 15 March 1991) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, musician, cartoonist, and painter. He was one of the pioneers of parallel cinema in Malayalam. He was known for his unorthodox way of filmma ...

, she went on to star in several critically acclaimed films and her portrayals as a comedian were appreciated by critics. Her Tamil debut was through the 1985 released successful film ''

Chinna Veedu ''Chinna Veedu'' (; colloquial meaning: "Mistress") is a 1985 Indian Tamil-language film written and directed by K. Bhagyaraj. The film is the debut in Tamil for lead female Kalpana, who is also sister of actress Urvashi, who made her debut ...

'', opposite

K. Bhagyaraj Krishnasaamy Bhagyaraj (born 7 January 1953) is an Indian director, actor, screenwriter, music director, producer and politician active mainly in Tamil films. He has also written and directed Hindi and Telugu films and TV serials. As an actor ...

. Her other memorable films include '' Sathi Leelavathi'' (1995) and ''

Kaliveedu ''Kaliveedu'' is a 1996 Malayalam family drama film directed by Sibi Malayil. It stars Jayaram, Manju Warrier, Jagadish, Sunitha and Vani Viswanath in lead roles. The film explores the marital relationship of Mahesh (Jayaram) and Mridula (Man ...

'' (1996). She performed in a music album with

Usha Uthup Usha Uthup Iyer (born 7 November 1947) is an Indian pop, filmi, jazz, and playback singer who sang songs in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. "Darling", which she recorded with Rekha Bhardwaj for the film ''7 Khoon Maaf'', won the Filmfare ...

. She has published her memoirs, ''Njan Kalpana''. Kalpana has sung a song in the movie ''

Kudumbakodathi ''Kudumbakodathi'' () is a 1996 Indian Malayalam-language comedy film, directed by Viji Thampy and produced by V. S. Suresh. The film stars Innocent, Dileep, Ashokan and Kalpana in the lead roles. The film has musical score by S. P. Venkates ...

'', along with

K.S. Chithra Krishnan Nair Shantakumari Chithra (born 27 July 1963), always credited as K. S. Chithra or Chithra, is an Indian playback singer and Carnatic musician. In a career spanning over four decades, she has recorded over 25,000 songs in various In ...

, in which she appeared as a Telugu speaking character. She had an inevitable presence in stage shows. She was the chairperson of "Janaseva Shishu Bhavan" and assistant chairperson of "Street Birds" and a strong promoter of "Kudumbasree".She was the brand ambassador of "Leo Natura".

Personal life

Kalpana was born to theater artists Chavara V. P. Nair and Vijayalakshmi. Actors

Kalaranjini Kalaranjini is an Indian actress and classical dancer who started her career in the early 1980s. Personal life Kalaranjini was born to theatre artists Chavara V. P. Nair and Vijayalakshmi. She is divorced and has a son, Prince. Partial film ...

and

Urvashi Urvashi ( sa, उर्वशी, Urvaśī}) is the most prominent apsara (celestial nymph) in Hindu mythology, considered to be the most beautiful of all the apsaras, and an expert dancer. She is mentioned in both ''Vedic'' and ''Puranic'' s ...

are her sisters. She married Malayalam film director

Anil Kumar Anil Kumar (born 1958) is an Indian-American former senior partner and director at management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, where he co-founded McKinsey's offices in Silicon Valley and India and created its Internet practice (representin ...

in 1998 and got divorced in 2012. They have one daughter, Sreemayi and a son before getting divorced.

Death

Kalpana went to

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

for the shooting of the movie ''

Oopiri ''Oopiri'' () is a 2016 Indian comedy-drama film directed by Vamshi Paidipally, and produced by PVP Cinema. The film stars Akkineni Nagarjuna, Karthi and Tamannaah while Prakash Raj, Vivek, Ali Basha, Jayasudha, Kalpana, Tanikella Bharani a ...

''. On 25 January 2016, she was found unconscious in her hotel room and was immediately taken to the hospital by the crew members, but died of a heart attack on the way. Postmortem was conducted and her body was flown to her native place on 26 January 2016. The funeral took place on the same day.

Awards

*2013 -

– for the film '' Thanichalla Njan'' *2016 -

Asianet Film Awards The Asianet Film Awards is an award ceremony for films presented annually by Asianet, a Malayalam-language television network from the south-Indian state of Kerala. Asianet says that awards ceremony has been instituted to honour both artis ...

for Best Supporting Actress - for the film '' Charlie'' (Posthumously awarded) *2016 - Henko Flowers Indian Film Awards for Best Supporting Actress - for the film '' Charlie'' (Posthumously awarded) *2016 -

South Indian International Movie Awards South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to appre ...

for Best Supporting Actress (Malayalam) - for the film '' Charlie'' (Nominated only) * 2016 - CPC Cine Awards for Best supporting actress - for the film '' Charlie'' (Nominated only)

Filmography

Malayalam

Tamil

Kannada

Telugu

Albums

* Palavattam

Television

Malayalam television

;Serials * Vamsham (

DD Malayalam DD Malayalam (Malayalam:ഡി.ഡി മലയാളം) is a Malayalam language television channel operated by India's national broadcaster Doordarshan. It is commonly known as DD4, although it is not officially used now. The name was change ...

) * Sathi Leelavathi (

Amrita TV Amrita TV is an Indian Malayalam Language general Entertainment television channel owned by Mata Amritanandamayi Math. It was launched in 2005. Theme song The theme song, "Lokasamastha," was composed by Rahulraj for Mata Amritanandamayi's 50t ...

) * Kudumbasametham Manikutty (

Jaihind TV Jaihind Television is an Indian Malayalam-language channel, based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. It was launched on 17 August 2007, in Delhi by the Indian National Congress President and United Progressive Alliance Chairperson Sonia Gandhi. T ...

) * Kochu Thresya Kochu (

Kairali TV Kairali TV is an Indian Malayalam-language general entertainment television channel owned by Kairali TV Network (Malayalam Communications Limited). It is headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram. It was launched on 17 August 2000. The channel is bac ...

) * Hukka Huvva Mikkado (Kairali TV) * Jagapoga (Kairali TV) * In Panchali House ( Surya TV) * Women's Club * Aathma * Irattavalan Kurup ;As Host * Ponkireedam (

) * Manaporutham (

Asianet Asianet may refer to: Disney Star channels *Asianet Communications, an Indian media company wholly owned by Disney Star **Asianet (TV channel), a Malayalam language general entertainment channel **Asianet Plus, a Malayalam language general entertai ...

) * Star Singer (

) * Run Baby Run (

Asianet Plus Asianet is an Indian Malayalam language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly ''Star India''), a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. Asianet and its channels are operated by Asianet Star Communicat ...

) * Amrita Onam (

) * Onakinnaram ( Surya TV) * Payasaperumma (

Jeevan TV Jeevan TV is a news and entertainment Malayalam television channel. Its headquarters is at Palarivattom, Kochi, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and depende ...

) * Vellithirayile Ambilikala (

) * Kalpana Show 2006 (

) * The Kalpana Show 2002 (

) * Apratheekshitha Athithi : Ee Onam Ivarodoppam (

) * Only Ministers (

) * Golden Moments * K P Ummer Interview * Mukesh.com Mega Show ;Other shows * Smart Show (

Flowers A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...

) * Comedy Super Nite (Flowers) * Tharapakittu (

Kaumudy TV Kaumudy TV is a Malayalam television channel owned by the owners of the Malayalam daily newspaper Kerala Kaumudi. The channel was officially launched on 5 May 2013. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had already unveiled the logo of the channel a year ...

) * Cinema Company (Kaumudy TV) * Deal or No Deal ( Surya TV) * Hairomax Mrs. Kerala (Surya TV) * Suryathejassod Amma (Surya TV) * Suryaprabhayil Priyatharangal (Surya TV) * Kitchen Tharangal (Surya TV) * Super Dancer Junior (

) * Annie's Kitchen (Amrita TV) * Malayali Durbar (Amrita TV) * Vanitharatnam (Amrita TV) * Star Family (Amrita TV) *

Ningalkkum Aakaam Kodeeshwaran ''Ningalkkum Aakaam Kodeeshwaran'' () is an Indian Malayalam-language game show. It is an adaptation of the British Sony Pictures Television game show ''Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?'' and its Hindi version ''Kaun Banega Crorepati''. The show ...

(

) * Sarigama (Asianet) * Saregamapadhanisa (Asianet) * Idea Star Singer (Asianet) *

Sell Me The Answer ''Sell Me The Answer'' is a game show that aired on Sky 1 from 9 November 2009 to 29 January 2010 and is hosted by Gethin Jones Gethin Clifford Jones (born 12 February 1978) is a Welsh television presenter. He was an active rugby union pl ...

(Asianet) *

Badai Bungalow Avram Iancu ( hu, Felsővidra, german: Ober-Wider) is a commune located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of thirty-three villages: Achimețești, Avram Iancu, Avrămești, Bădăi, Boldești, Călugărești, Cârăști, Câr ...

(Asianet) * Comedy Stars (Asianet) * Smile Plz (

) * Thiranottam (ACV) * Ruchibhedam (ACV) * Kerala's Favourite Film Actor (ACV) * On Record (

Asianet News Asianet News (formerly Asianet Global) is an Indian free-to-air Malayalam-language news channel owned by Asianet News Network. Asianet News Network operates as a subsidiary of Jupiter Entertainment Ventures (Jupiter Capital Ventures). The chan ...

) *

Onnum Onnum Moonu ''Onnum Onnum Moonu'' is an Indian celebrity talk show hosted by singer ''Rimy Tomy'' on Mazhavil Manorama. The first season of the show began airing on 7 the April 2013 and has completed four seasons. ''Onnum Onnum Moonu'' is all based on a ...

(

Mazhavil Manorama Mazhavil Manorama is an Indian Free-to-air Malayalam general entertainment television channel operated and owned by Malayala Manorama Television (MMTV), the publisher of the widely circulated ''Malayalam Manorama'' daily, and the Malayalam wom ...

) * Cinema Chirima (Mazhavil Manorama) * Idavelayil (Mazhavil Manorama) * Katha Ithuvare (Mazhavil Manorama) * Aniyarayil (Mazhavil Manorama) * Nere Chovve (

Manorama News Manorama News is a free-to-air Malayalam-language news channel operated and owned by Malayala Manorama Television (MMTV). The channel, based at Aroor, near Cherthala, Alappuzha Alappuzha or Alleppey () is the administrative headquarters of ...

) * Veedu (Manorama News) * Pachakuthira (

) * Star Wars (Kairali TV) * Veettamma (Kairali TV) * Chirikkum Pattanam (Kairali TV) * JB Junction (Kairali TV) * Students Only (Kairali TV) * Jagapoga (Kairali TV) * Love Bites (Kairali We) * Ammayiyamma Marumakal Contest (

) * Jeevitham Ithuvare (Jaihind TV) * Ammaykku Oru Umma (Jaihind TV) * Ini Njangal Parayam (

) * 2 Crore Apple Mega Star (

) * Karunaniravil Kalpana * Mukhamukham Kalpana * Onam in Singapore * Crossroads * Tharaprabha * Asiavision *Lux Asianet *Asianet Television Awards *Jaycey Awards *Kerala Kaumudi Onam Celebrations 2009 *Malayalam Super Star Nite 1987 *Arabian Dreams *Mazhavilazhakil Amma *Special Athithi *Kairali Cultural Association's Onam *Asianet Film Awards *Kerala Kalotsavam *Kerala Tourism Onam Celebrations *Siddique Lal's Cine Galaxy 94 *Rhythm 92

Tamil television

;Serials *

Chinna Papa Periya Papa ''Chinna Papa Periya Papa'' is a Tamil comedy soap opera that aired on Sun TV. The first two seasons were telecast from 2000 to 2006. A Third Season, with the title ''Chinna Papa Periya Papass'', premiered on 15 November 2014 on Sun TV and ai ...

Season 2 ( Sun TV) as China Papa * Abirami (

Kalaignar TV Kalaignar is an Indian general entertainment satellite television channel based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. The channel was launched on 15 September 2007 as Kalaignar in respect of former Chief minister of Tamil Nadu M. Karunanidhi. Malaysia ...

) as Kusalam *

Thangam ''Thangam'' ( en, Gold) is a 2008 Tamil action film starring Sathyaraj and Goundamani about the life of a village do-gooder in Tamil Nadu. Plot Set in a small town near Coimbatore, 'Thangam' portrays tw families headed by Rajendranath and Mahade ...

( Sun TV) (guest role) as Kuchalambal *

Mama Maaple Mama Maaple is a Tamil serial that started broadcasting in 2010 on Sun TV, which aired on 5 December 2010 every Sunday at 8:30pm. This TV show marks the television debut of Pandiarajan Pandiarajan is an Indian actor, director who has pla ...

( Sun TV) as Parimalam * Kathiravan ( Sun TV) as Janu

References

External links

*
En.msidb.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalpana 1965 births 2016 deaths Actresses from Kollam Indian film actresses People from Kollam district Actresses in Malayalam cinema Actresses in Tamil cinema 20th-century Indian actresses 21st-century Indian actresses Indian women comedians Malayalam comedians Tamil comedians Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Kannada cinema Indian child actresses Child actresses in Malayalam cinema Indian autobiographers Indian women non-fiction writers Women autobiographers Writers from Kollam Actresses in Tamil television Actresses in Malayalam television Indian women television presenters Indian voice actresses Best Supporting Actress National Film Award winners