Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai (born 21 March 1970) is an Indian actress and
Bharatanatyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
dancer. She acts predominantly in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
films along with
Telugu 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 ...
films with few
Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
,
Kannada
Kannada (; ಕನ್ನಡ, ), originally romanised Canarese, is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by the people of Karnataka in southwestern India, with minorities in all neighbouring states. It has around 47 million native s ...
and English films. She has won two
National Film Awards, one
Kerala State Film Awards, two
Filmfare Awards South, with 14 Nominations for Best Actress Category in three different south Indian languages,
Tamil Nadu State's Kalaimamani Award in 2011 and numerous other awards.
She won the
National Film Award for Best Actress
The National Film Award for Best Actress (officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actress) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role wi ...
twice, for her performances in the Malayalam film ''
Manichitrathazhu
''Manichitrathazhu'' () is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language epic psychological horror film directed by Fazil, written by Madhu Muttam, and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. The film stars Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi and Shobana with Nedumudi Venu ...
'' (1993) and the English film ''
Mitr, My Friend
''Mitr, My Friend'' is a 2002 Indian English-language drama film directed by Revathi in her directorial debut, and written by V. Priya and Sudha Kongara Prasad. Set partly in India and the US, the film was also noted for having an all-woman crew ...
'' (2001). Subsequent to the year 1999, Shobana turned extremely selective about her films.
Shobana was trained under the Bharata Natyam dancers
Chitra Visweswaran
Chitra Visweswaran is an Indian Bharata Natyam dancer who runs a dance school, the Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts, in Chennai.
She was awarded the Padma Shri, one of the top civilian honours given by the Government of India, in 1992 ...
and
Padma Subrahmanyam
Padma Subrahmanyam (born 4 February 1943, in Madras), is an Indian classical Bharata Natyam dancer. She is also a research scholar, choreographer, teacher, Indologist and author. She is famous in India as well as abroad; several films and docume ...
. She emerged as an independent performer and choreographer in her twenties and currently runs a dance school, ''Kalarpana'', in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
.
In 2006, the Government of India honoured her with the
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
for her contributions towards the arts.
In 2014, the Kerala State Government honoured her with the Kala Ratna Award. In 2019, she was bestowed an
honorary doctorate
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
from Dr. M.G.R. Educational and Research Institute.
In 2022, she was bestowed an
Doctor of Letters
Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or ') is a terminal degree in the humanities that, depending on the country, is a higher doctorate after the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree or equivalent to a higher doctorate, such as the Docto ...
degree from
Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit
The Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (SSUS) is a Sanskrit university in India established in 1993 in Kalady, Kerala. It provides education in Sanskrit, other Indian and Foreign languages, Social science and fine arts. It is accredited ...
.
Personal life
She is the niece of the
Travancore sisters
Travancore Sisters refers to the trio of Lalitha, Padmini and Ragini who were actresses, dancers and performers in Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Kannada films.
The Travancore sisters learned dancing under Guru Gopinath and Guru T. K ...
–
Lalitha,
Padmini and
Ragini, all of whom were Indian classical dancers and actresses.
Shobhana is single. In 2011, she became a single-parent mother to a girl child named Anantha Narayani through
adoption.
Career
Film career
Shobana made her debut as a child artist. She had a major role in the Tamil movie ''
Mangala Nayagi
''Mangala Nayaki'' is a 1980 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Krishnan–Panju, starring Srikanth and K. R. Vijaya. The film had musical score by V. Kumar and was released on 21 March 1980. It is a remake of the Hindi film '' Saajan ...
'' in 1979 directed by
Krishnan–Panju
R. Krishnan (1909–1997) and S. Panju (1915–1984), collectively referred to as Krishnan–Panju, were Indian film directors. The duo directed more than 50 films in South Indian languages and in Hindi.
Early life
R. Krishnan was born on 18 ...
, starring Srikanth and K. R. Vijaya, which was the remake of the Hindi film
Saajan Bina Suhagan, for which she won the Best Child Artiste Award.
She also starred in the Telugu film Bhakta Dhruva Markendaya in 1982, an acclaimed all children film made in both Tamil and Telugu. As an adult, she was introduced to the film industry through the Malayalam film ''
April 18
Events Pre-1600
* 796 – King Æthelred I of Northumbria is murdered in Coria (Corbridge), Corbridge by a group led by his ealdormen, Ealdred and Wada. The ''patrician'' Osbald of Northumbria, Osbald is crowned, but abdicates within 27 d ...
'', by director
Balachandra Menon
Balachandra Menon ( ml, ബാലചന്ദ്ര മേനോൻ) (born 11 January 1954) is an Indian actor, director and script writer. He made a number of films in the 1980s and 1990s. He has directed 40 films and has acted in over 100. ...
. Her realistic portrayal of a simple girl-next-door appealed to audiences and she went on to work in numerous films. In the same year, she entered the Tamil film industry and acted in ''
Enakkul Oruvan'', directed by
SP Muthuraman.
''Enakkul Oruvan'' didn't perform well at the box office and Shobana's commercial landing was stalled as she went back into Malayalam films. She did come back to act in occasional Tamil films opposite
Satyaraj (''
Mallu Vetti Minor
''Mallu Vetti Minor'' is a 1990 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Manobala, produced and written by P. Kalaimani. The film stars Sathyaraj, Seetha and Shobana. It was released on 17 October 1990. The film was remade in Telugu as ' ...
, Vaathiyar Veetu Pillai''),
Bhagyaraj
Krishnasaamy Bhagyaraj (born 7 January 1953) is an Indian director, actor, screenwriter, music director, producer and politician active mainly in Tamil language, Tamil films. He has also written and directed Hindi and Telugu language, Telugu fi ...
(''
Ithu Namma Aalu'') and
Vijayakanth
Narayanan Vijayaraj Alagarswami (born 25 August 1952), better known by his stage name Vijayakanth, is an Indian politician and former actor who has worked predominantly in Tamil cinema. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Tamil Nadu Leg ...
(''
Ponmana Selvan'', ''
En Kitta Mothathey'') in the early 90s – these roles were generally glamorous in which Shobana generally acted as the beautiful, posh and haughty city girl who is eventually charmed by the village boy.
Her other major films include
''Rudraveena'' (1988), ''
Meleparambil Aanveedu
''Meleparambil Anveedu'' () is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film directed by Rajasenan and scripted by Raghunath Paleri from a story by Gireesh Puthenchery. The film stars Jayaram and Shobana in the romantic lead, along with ...
'', ''
Kanamarayathu
''Kanamarayathu'' () is a 1984 Malayalam film written by Padmarajan and directed by I. V. Sasi. It stars Mammootty, Shobhana, Rahman, Lalu Alex and Seema. The story was an adaptation of the 1912 novel '' Daddy-Long-Legs'' by Jean Webster. Thi ...
'', ''
Ithiri Poove Chuvanna Poove'', ''
Yathra
''Yathra'' () is a 1985 Indian Malayalam-language romantic drama film written and directed by Balu Mahendra. The film stars Mammootty and Shobana, while Adoor Bhasi, Thilakan and Alummoodan play supporting roles. The film tells a fictional sto ...
''(1985), ''
Anantaram'', ''
Nadodikkattu
''Nadodikkattu'' () is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language satirical comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan based on a story by the Siddique–Lal duo. It stars Mohanlal and Sreenivasan in the lead roles, along with an ...
'' (1987), ''
Vellanakalude Nadu
''Vellanakalude Nadu'' () is a 1988 Indian Malayalam-language political satire crime film directed by Priyadarshan, written by Sreenivasan and produced by Maniyanpilla Raju. The film stars Mohanlal, Shobhana, Thikkurissy Sukumaran Nair, M. G. So ...
'' (1988), ''
Idhu Namma Aalu'' (1988), ''
Siva'' (1989), ''
Innale
''Innale'' () is a 1990 Malayalam-language psychological drama film written and directed by P. Padmarajan. The film was produced by A. B. R Productions. The film stars Suresh Gopi, Jayaram, Shobhana, and Srividya in lead roles. The film featur ...
'' (1990),
Kalikkalam
''Kalikkalam'' () is a 1990 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film, directed by Sathyan Anthikad, starring Mammootty, Shobana and Murali. the film was major commercial success movie of 1990
Plot
Mammootty, who is an orphan, plays the r ...
(1990), ''
Thalapathi
''Thalapathi'' () is a 1991 Indian Tamil-language gangster drama film written and directed by Mani Ratnam, and produced by G. Venkateswaran. The film stars Rajinikanth and Mammootty with Arvind Swamy in his feature-film debut, Jaishankar, Amr ...
'' (1991),
Pappayude Swantham Appoos (1992), ''
Manichitrathazhu
''Manichitrathazhu'' () is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language epic psychological horror film directed by Fazil, written by Madhu Muttam, and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. The film stars Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi and Shobana with Nedumudi Venu ...
'' (1993), ''
Thenmavin Kombath'' (1994), ''
Minnaram'' (1994), ''
Mazhayethum Munpe
''Mazhayethum Munpe (Before the Rain Comes)'' is a 1995 Malayalam romantic drama film directed by Kamal and written by Sreenivasan. The film stars Mammootty, Shobhana, Annie and Sreenivasan in the lead roles. The plot is centered upon a coll ...
'' (1995),
Hitler (1996),''
Agni Sakshi'' (1999), ''Dance like a Man'' (2003), ''
Makalkku
''Makalkku'' is a 2005 Indian Malayalam-language film by Jayaraj, and starring Suresh Gopi and Shobana in lead roles.
Noted Indian singer Adnan Sami performed a song in this movie. Shobana's performance as an intellectually disabled woman won ...
'' (2005), ''
Thira
Santorini ( el, Σαντορίνη, ), officially Thira (Greek: Θήρα ) and classical Greek Thera (English pronunciation ), is an island in the southern Aegean Sea, about 200 km (120 mi) southeast from the Greek mainland. It is the ...
'' (2013) and ''
Varane Avashyamund
''Varane Avashyamund'' () is a 2020 Indian Malayalam-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Anoop Sathyan (in his directorial debut) and produced by Dulquer Salmaan. The film stars Suresh Gopi, Dulquer Salmaan, Shobana and Kalya ...
'' (2020). From ''
Aviduthe Pole Ivideyum'' to ''
Upaharam'', Shobana did sixteen movies in a single year, 1985. Shobana also acted in the Tamil period film ''
Kochadaiiyaan
''Kochadaiiyaan: The Legend'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language 3D animated action film written by K. S. Ravikumar and directed by Soundarya Rajinikanth. It is India's first photorealistic motion capture film, featuring characters whose de ...
''.
Shobana won her first
National Film Award for Best Actress
The National Film Award for Best Actress (officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actress) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role wi ...
in
1993
File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...
for her performance in
AM Fazil's ''
Manichitrathazhu
''Manichitrathazhu'' () is a 1993 Indian Malayalam-language epic psychological horror film directed by Fazil, written by Madhu Muttam, and produced by Swargachitra Appachan. The film stars Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi and Shobana with Nedumudi Venu ...
''. Her portrayal of Ganga Nakulan and alter-ego Nagavalli in the film was described by critics as "spell binding". She received her second
National Film Award for Best Actress
The National Film Award for Best Actress (officially known as the Rajat Kamal Award for the Best Actress) is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to an actress for the best performance in a leading role wi ...
in 2001 for her role in the Indian English language film ''
Mitr, My Friend
''Mitr, My Friend'' is a 2002 Indian English-language drama film directed by Revathi in her directorial debut, and written by V. Priya and Sudha Kongara Prasad. Set partly in India and the US, the film was also noted for having an all-woman crew ...
'', directed by
Revathi
Asha Kelunni Nair (born 8 July 1966), better known by her stage name Revathi, is an Indian actress and director, known for her works predominantly in Tamil & Malayalam cinema - in addition to Telugu, Hindi & Kannada films.
She has won several ...
. Consequent to the 1993 National Award, Shobana turned extremely selective about her films.
Classical dance career
Shobana is a
Bharata Natyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
dancer. She did her dance training at the Chidambaram academy in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
,
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
under
Chitra Visweswaran
Chitra Visweswaran is an Indian Bharata Natyam dancer who runs a dance school, the Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts, in Chennai.
She was awarded the Padma Shri, one of the top civilian honours given by the Government of India, in 1992 ...
. Shobana danced ''
Abhinaya'', a pivotal element in
Bharata Natyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
. She was one among the judges in ''Jodi No. 1'', a reality show for dance aired on
Vijay TV
Star Vijay is an Indian Tamil language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star (formerly Star India), a subsidiary of Asianet Star Communications. The channel's headquarters is in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. Star Vijay chang ...
.
She started her own dance school, "Kalipinya" in 1989 and got it registered in 1992.
She has worked on collaborative ventures with the likes of tabla maestro
Zakir Hussain,
Vikku Vinayakram
Thetakudi Harihara Vinayakram (born 11 August 1942), also known as Vikku Vinayakram, is an Indian percussionist. He is also known as the God of ''ghatam''. He plays Carnatic music with the ''ghatam'', an earthen pot, and is credited with popula ...
and
Mandolin Srinivas. Her recitals abroad include those at the World Malayalee convention, in the United States in 1985 and 1995, in
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
before the King and Queen of Malaysia, numerous cities in the United States, Europe, South East Asia and Australia. Shobana started performing in the
Soorya Music & Dance festival organised by Soorya Krishnamoorthy from the year 1994.
In 1994, Shobana founded a school for classical dance
Bharata Natyam
Bharatanatyam () is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of ...
in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
named ''Kalarpana''.
Filmography
Malayalam
Telugu
Tamil
Kannada
Hindi
English
Awards and recognitions
Titles and honours
Other awards
Television
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shobana
1970 births
Living people
Indian film actresses
Actresses from Thiruvananthapuram
Actresses in Tamil cinema
Actresses in Telugu cinema
Actresses in Malayalam cinema
Performers of Indian classical dance
Bharatanatyam exponents
Kerala State Film Award winners
Filmfare Awards South winners
Best Actress National Film Award winners
Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
20th-century Indian dancers
21st-century Indian dancers
20th-century Indian actresses
21st-century Indian actresses
Dancers from Kerala
20th-century Indian women artists
21st-century Indian women artists
Indian female classical dancers
Indian women choreographers
Indian choreographers
Indian women classical musicians
Women artists from Kerala
21st-century women musicians
21st-century drummers
Actresses in Tamil television
Actresses in Kannada cinema
Actresses in Hindi cinema