Chennai, Jan 26 (IANS): Renowned actor and Bharatanatyam dancer Shobhana Chandrakumar has been conferred with the prestigious Padma Bhushan award for her immense contributions to the arts.
The honour comes as a significant milestone in her illustrious career, which spans over four decades.
Shobhana, who was earlier awarded the Padma Shri in 2006, has received numerous accolades over the years. She was honoured with the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship (Kalarathna) in 2013 and the Kalaimamani Award by the Tamil Nadu government in 2011.
Additionally, she has been bestowed with honorary doctorates from Vinayaka Mission’s Research Foundation (2018), Dr. MGR Educational and Research Institute (2019), and Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit (2022).
A Versatile Career in Arts and Cinema Shobhana has predominantly worked in Malayalam, Telugu, and Tamil cinema, featuring in over 230 films.
She is a two-time National Film Award winner for Best Actress for her performances in the Malayalam classic Manichithrathazhu (1993) and the English-language film Mitr, My Friend (2001). She also won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress for Manichithrathazhu.
Her other notable accolades include two Filmfare Awards for Best Actress for Innale (1990) and Thenmavin Kombathu. Her acting journey began as a child artist, earning the Tamil Nadu State Award for Best Child Artist in 1980 for her role in Mangala Nayagi.
As an adult, she made her Malayalam debut on April 18 (1984), directed by Balachandra Menon, and her Tamil debut in Enakkul Oruvan (1984), directed by S.P. Muthuraman.
In the 1990s, Shobhana occasionally appeared in Tamil films opposite actors like Sathyaraj, Bhagyaraj, and Vijayakanth, often portraying glamorous, modern characters who eventually find themselves charmed by rural heroes.
Apart from her acting career, Shobhana is celebrated as an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer and choreographer. She was trained by renowned gurus Chitra Visweswaran and Padma Subrahmanyam. Shobhana runs a dance school, Kalarpana, in Chennai, where she continues to nurture young talent and promote classical dance.
Shobhana is the niece of the iconic Travancore sisters—Lalitha, Padmini, and Ragini—who were celebrated dancers and actors in their time.
Her remarkable journey in the arts, combined with her dedication to classical dance and cinema, makes Shobhana Chandrakumar a true luminary and an inspiration for future generations.