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Shobana

Shobana
Born
Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai

(1970-03-21) 21 March 1970 (age 54)
Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Occupations
  • Actress
  • dancer
  • choreographer
Years active1980–present
Children1
Relatives
FamilyTravancore family
Awards
Websiteactressshobana.com

Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai (born 21 March 1970[1][2]); known mononymously as Shobana, is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer, who works predominantly in Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil films. She is a recipient of two National Film Awards, one Kerala State Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards South. In 2011, Shobana received the Kalaimamani by Tamil Nadu Government.[3] She established herself as one of the leading South Indian actresses of her time.[4][5][6]

In a career spanning over four decades, Shobana has starred in 230 films across several languages.[7][8] She has earned two National Film Award for Best Actress for her performances in the Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu (1993) and the English film Mitr, My Friend (2001). The former also won her the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress.[9][10] Additionally, she received two Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam for her performance in Innale (1990) and Thenmavin Kombath (1994).[11][12][13]

Shobhana is also a Bharatanatyam dancer who received her training under Chitra Visweswaran and Padma Subrahmanyam.[14] She emerged as an independent performer and choreographer in her twenties and currently runs a dance school, Kalarpana, in Chennai.[9] In 2006, the Government of India honoured her with the Padma Shri for her contributions towards the arts.[15][16] In 2013, she received Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship, also known as Kalarathna, for her contributions to the performing arts.[17] She received honorary doctorates from Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation in 2018,[18] Dr. MGR Educational and Research Institute in 2019[19] and Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in 2022.[20] Shobana was awarded Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian award, in 2025.[21]

  1. ^ Davis, Maggie (15 June 2017). "Malayalam actress Shobana to get hitched at the age of 47?". India.com. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Happy Birthday Shobana: Five movies of the actress from 'Manichithrathazhu' to 'Makalkku' that you should watch right away". The Times of India. 21 March 2020. Retrieved 3 March 2021.
  3. ^ "I am an introvert, says Shobana". The Hindu. 29 December 2005. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 15 March 2024.
  4. ^ "Beyond Bollywood: The biggest icons of the south film industry". Vogue. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  5. ^ "Shobhana, a never fading grace that blessed Malayalam cinema". The Times of India. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  6. ^ K. Jeshi (31 March 2005). "Thinking actress". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 November 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  7. ^ "In pics: Shobana dedicates her dance to 'Krishna'". CNN-IBN. Archived from the original on 16 August 2012. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  8. ^ Padmanabhan, S. (7 February 2020). "Shobana returns to cinema after seven years with Malayalam movie 'Varane Avashyamunde'". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Metro Plus Bangalore / Personality : Thinking actress". The Hindu. 6 April 2005. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  10. ^ Francis, Sneha May (31 December 2008). "Shobana's mystical twist to an epic". Gulf News. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  11. ^ Prakash, Asha (28 April 2018). "Shobana: I don't feel bad if I don't act in a film, as long as people are making great films". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  12. ^ Jayaram, Deepika (5 November 2018). "Shobana extends her support for #MeToo movement". The Times of India. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
  13. ^ Mahadevan, Sangeeta. "SHOBANA - IN FINE FORM". Filmfare. Archived from the original on 3 February 1999. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  14. ^ Mahesh, Chitra (1 May 2014). "Life on her own terms". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  15. ^ "Padma Awards". Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Retrieved 23 July 2009.
  16. ^ "Welcome to Sify.com". sify.com. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2015.
  17. ^ "Governor's Call to Protect Artistes". The New Indian Express. 28 March 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2024.
  18. ^ "Shobana - about". actressshobana.com. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Honorary doctorate conferred on CM". The Hindu. 21 October 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2020.
  20. ^ Ragin, S (1 January 2022). "Governor approved varsity syndicate's recommendation to grant D Litt to three people". Mathrubhumi. Retrieved 29 April 2022.
  21. ^ "Balakrishna, Ajith, Shekhar Kapur, Shobana honoured with Padman Bhushan, Arijit Singh, Ricky Kej conferred with Padma Shri". The Indian Express. 25 January 2025. Retrieved 25 January 2025.
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