Home chevron_right Entertainment chevron_right Shobana

Shobana

movie Actress, Dancer, Choreographer cake 21 March 1970 (Saturday) (Trivandrum, Kerala, India)
height

Height

5' 8" (172 cm)

hourglass_empty

Age

55

flag

Nation

Indian

favorite Personal Life

Basic Information

Date of Birth: 21 March 1970 (Saturday)
Birthplace: Trivandrum, Kerala, India
Zodiac Sign: Aries
Nationality: Indian
Hometown: Trivandrum, Kerala, India

Family & Relationships

Marital Status: Unmarried
Children: Daughter- Anantha Narayani (adopted; dancer)

Education

Schools: St. Thomas Higher Secondary School, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Colleges: Shobana started her career as a child artist. A childhood picture of Shobana

Lifestyle

Religion: Hinduism
Food Habit: Non-vegetarian

person_book Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Shobana

  • Shobana started her career as a child artist.

    A childhood picture of Shobana
    A childhood picture of Shobana
  • She came into the limelight with the 1980 Tamil film ‘Mangala Nayagi,’ which was directed by Krishnan and Panju. This film was a remake of the Hindi film ‘Saajan Bina Suhagan.’

    Shobana as a child artist in a still from the film Mangala Nayagi
    Shobana as a child artist in a still from the film Mangala Nayagi
  • In 1982, she appeared in the Telugu film ‘Bhakta Dhruva Markendaya,’ a children’s film. The film was later released in Tamil.
  • Shobhana is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. She is trained by Chitra Visweswaran and Padma Subrahmanyam at the Chidambaram Academy of Performing Arts (CAPA) in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

    An old picture of Shobana while performing Bharata Natyam
    An old picture of Shobana while performing Bharata Natyam
  • Shobana excels in Abhinaya, a form of Bharatanatyam. She became an independent performer and choreographer in her twenties.
  • She entered the film industry as an actress with the Malayalam film ‘April 18’ in 1984. The film was directed by Balachandra Menon. Her portrayal of a simple girl in the film was praised by audiences.
  • In 1984, she made her acting debut in the Tamil film industry with the film ‘Enakkul Oruvan,’ which was directed by SP Muthuraman. The film did not perform well at the box office.

    Shobana in a still from the film Enakkul Oruvan
    Shobana in a still from the film Enakkul Oruvan
  • In the 1984 film ‘Rudraveena,’ she acted opposite Chiranjeevi and played the role of Lalitha Sivajyothi, a classical dancer from a lower caste who was denied entry into the temple. This role brought her recognition in Telugu cinema.
  • She performed live at the World Malayalee Convention in the United States in 1985.
  • In 1985, Shobana acted in sixteen films.
  • In the 1988 film ‘Abhinandana,’ she played the love interest of Karthik’s character, who aspires to become a classical dancer.

    Shobana in a still from the film Abhinandana
    Shobana in a still from the film Abhinandana
  • In 1989, she started her dance school named ‘Kalipinya,’ and registered it in 1992.
  • In the 1990 film ‘Kokila,’ Shobana worked with actor Naresh, and in ‘Alludugaru,’ she acted opposite Mohan Babu. ‘Alludugaru’ was a remake of the Malayalam film ‘Chithram.’

    Shobana on the poster of the film Alludugaru
    Shobana on the poster of the film Alludugaru
  • Shobana worked in some Tamil films in the early 1990s. These films include ‘Mallu Vetti Minor,’ ‘Vaathiyaar Veettu Pillai,’ ‘Idhu Namma Aalu,’ ‘Ponmana Selvan,’ and ‘En Kitta Mothathey.’
  • Shobana then returned to Malayalam films.
  • Some of her hit Malayalam films include ‘Kanamarayathu’ (1984), ‘Kalikkalam’ (1990), ‘Makalkku’ (2005), ‘Thira’ (2013), and ‘Varane Avashyamund’ (2020).

    Shobana in a still from the film Varane Avashyamund
    Shobana in a still from the film Varane Avashyamund
  • In Tollywood, Shobana has acted alongside top actors including Nandamuri Balakrishna, Daguubati Venkatesh, Chiranjeevi, Akkineni Nagarjuna, Rajinikanth, Mohan Babu, and Rajendra Prasad.

    Shobana in a still from a film with actor Rajinikanth
    Shobana in a still from a film with actor Rajinikanth
  • In 1991, she appeared in the Telugu films ‘1 April Vidudala’ and ‘Rowdy Gari Pellam.’
  • In 1994, Shobana founded another classical dance school named ‘Kalarpana’ in Chennai.
  • In her live dance shows and events, she often collaborates with artists like Zakir Hussain, Vikku Vinayakram, and Mandolin Srinivas.

    Shobana posing with Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, and others
    Shobana posing with Zakir Hussain, Shankar Mahadevan, and others
  • In 1995, she performed a dance show in Kuala Lumpur before the King and Queen of Malaysia.
  • She has performed at stage shows across the United States, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia, and is a regular performer at the Soorya Music & Dance Festival organized by Soorya Krishnamoorthy.
  • In 2001, she appeared in the Indian English-language film ‘Mitr, My Friend.’ The film was directed by actress Revathy.

    Shobana in a still from the film Mitr, My Friend (2001)
    Shobana in a still from the film Mitr, My Friend (2001)
  • In 2003, she appeared in an English language film ‘A Little Dream,’ based on the life of former Indian President late APJ Abdul Kalam.
  • She acted in the Tamil historical film ‘Kochadaiiyaan’ in 2014.
  • Shobana has acted in more than 230 films in various languages.
  • In 2019, she was featured on the cover of Vogue magazine.

    Shobana on the cover of Vogue magazine
    Shobana on the cover of Vogue magazine
  • She frequently appears as a judge on various dance reality shows on television.

    Shobana during a dance reality show
    Shobana during a dance reality show
  • She is an animal lover and has pet dogs. She often shares pictures of her pets on social media.

    Shobana with her pet dogs
    Shobana with her pet dogs
  • She likes travelling to distant places, cooking food, singing classical songs, and listening to music in her free time.

    Shobana while enjoying a trip
    Shobana while enjoying a trip
  • She is often invited to various events as a guest by the Government of Kerala to promote Kerala Tourism.

    Shobana while promoting Kerala Tourism during an event
    Shobana while promoting Kerala Tourism during an event

newspaper Recent News

Recent news and updates about Shobana will appear here.