Shobana

Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai (born 21 March 1970), known mononymously as Shobana, is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer who has appeared primarily in Malayalam cinema, along with notable work in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English and Kannada films. She is a recipient of two National Film Awards, one Kerala State Film Awards and two Filmfare Awards South. In 2011, she was honored with the Kalaimamani award by the Government of Tamil Nadu. Over the years, she has established herself as one of the leading South Indian actresses. In a career spanning over four decades, Shobana has starred in over 230 films across several languages. 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. Additionally, she received two Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Malayalam for her performances in Innale (1990) and Thenmavin Kombath (1994). As a Bharatanatyam dancer, Shobana received her training under Chitra Visweswaran and Padma Subrahmanyam. She emerged as an independent performer and choreographer in her twenties and currently runs a dance school, Kalarpana, in Chennai. In 2006, the Government of India honored her with the Padma Shri for her contributions to the arts. In 2013, she received the Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Fellowship, also known as Kalarathna, for her contributions to the performing arts. She received honorary doctorates from Vinayaka Mission's Research Foundation in 2018, Dr. MGR Educational and Research Institute in 2019 and Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit in 2022. Shobana was awarded Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award, in 2025.