| Shobana Quick Info | |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 ft 8 in |
| Weight | 64 kg |
| Date of Birth | March 21, 1970 |
| Zodiac Sign | Aries |
| Eye Color | Dark Brown |
Shobana is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer who is best known for her work in several Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, and English films like Kanamarayathu, Ithiri Poove Chuvanna Poove, Akkacheyude Kunjuvava, Meenamasathile Sooryan, Iniyum Kurukshethram, Abhayam Thedi, Rareeram, Ithrayum Kaalam, Vellanakalude Nadu, Iyer the Great, Thenmavin Kombathu, Aramana Veedum Anjoorekkarum, Agni Sakshi, Sagar alias Jacky Reloaded, Mere Baap Pehle Aap, Marchandi Mana Chattalu, Nari Nari Naduma Murari, Rowdy Gaari Pellam, Kannayya Kittayya, Marudhani, Enkitta Mothathe, Shivashankar, Dance Like a Man, and many more. During the course of her career, Shobana has been honored with numerous awards such as the Filmfare Awards South, National Film Award, and South Indian International Movie Award. She was honored with the Padma Shri award in 2006.
Born Name
Shobana Chandrakumar
Nick Name
Shobana
Sun Sign
Aries
Born Place
Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India
Residence
She shuffles her time between her native place Kerala and Chennai.
Nationality
Education
Shobana studied in Chennai at the Sishya School, Adyar. She did her training in Bharatanatyam under Chitra Visweswaran at the Chidambaram Academy in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Occupation
Actress, Dancer, Choreographer, Stage performer and Mridangam player
Family
- Father – Chandrakumar Pillai
- Mother – Anandam Chandrakumar
- Others – Lalitha (Aunt) (Actress and Indian Classical Dancer), Padmini (Aunt) (Actress and Indian Classical Dancer), Ragini (Aunt) (Actress and Indian Classical Dancer), Sukumari (Paternal Aunt) (Actress), Ambika Sukumaran (Relative) (Actress), Vineeth (Cousin) (Actor), Krishna (Nephew) (Actor)
Build
Average
Height
5 ft 8 in or 173 cm
Weight
64 kg or 141 lbs
Boyfriend / Spouse
As she prefers to keep her private life firmly away from the spotlight, it is hard to mention any of the rumors that follow her regarding her link-ups and dating status.
Shobana does not think about getting married. She is happy with her work and all that’s happening in her school. She has an adopted daughter Anantha Narayani (adopted in 2011) with whom she spends her time when she is not working.
Race / Ethnicity
Asian (Indian)
She is of South Indian origin.
Hair Color
Dark Brown
Eye Color
Dark Brown
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Beautiful and expressive eyes
- Thick wavy hair
- Beautiful smile
Brand Endorsements
Shobana has been featured in the commercials for the following brands-
- Double Horse Palappam
- MRF Vapocure Paints
- Alfa One
- Josalukkas Parampara Collections
- Kalanjali Sarees
- Handloom Mark
Religion
Hinduism
Best Known For
- Being a well-established Bharatanatyam dancer. She was honored by the Indian Government with Padma Shri Award in 2006 and Kala Ratna Award by the Kerala Government in 2014.
- Her performance in the 1993 film Manichitrathazhu, which became the highest-grossing Malayalam film of that year, breaking all the records in Malayalam cinema history till then. The film won her a National Award for Best Actress.
- Her family connection to many accomplished and legendary classical dancers, actors, and actresses.
First Film
In 1980, Shobana made her theatrical film debut as a child artist in the Tamil movie Mangala Nayaki. She was just 9 years old then.
First TV Show
In 2010, she made her TV show debut as one of the judges for the 4th season of the Tamil dance reality show Jodi No. 1, which was aired on Vijay TV.
Personal Trainer
There is no mention of Shobana’s workout program. She teaches dance at her dance school and her day begins at 4 in the morning.
Her daily dance practices keep her active and agile. She has been conscious of what she eats since her younger days and she opts for more low-carb diets.
Shobana Chandrakumar Favorite Things
- Color – Deep Lilac
- Food – East Asian like Malaysian, Sri Lankan, Thai
Source – The Hindu
Shobana Chandrakumar Facts
- She is a talented, accomplished, and award-winning actress and a classical dancer.
- After 5 years of intensive study at the Chidambaram Academy, she made her debut on stage in 1984, from whereon she has become a popular face in the field of classical dancing.
- She is acknowledged for her understanding of the Abhinaya, which is a clarity of line and a strong rhythmic movement of the body including facial expression.
- She has done a lot of collaborated ventures with many artists within the country and abroad.
- Shobana has toured all over the U.S.A., Europe, the whole of South-East Asia and Australia with her dancing troupe.
- She has also performed at many famous Music and Dance festivals in India, including the nationally acclaimed Surya Festival in Trivandrum, Kerala.
- She has also made special performances before the king and queen of Malaysia, and at the World Malayalee Convention in the US in 1985 and 1995.
- Shobana also performed at the Michael Jackson and Friends concert in Munich, Germany in 1999 along with Prabhu Deva, A.R. Rahman and the Tamil film dancing troupe.
- She founded Kalarpana, a dance school in Chennai, in 1994 to provide an opportunity for the young and enthusiastic dancers to master the art of classical dancing.
- Shobana started doing serious roles in films just at the age of 13 years. In the film April 18, she played the role of an 18-year-old girl-next-door. The film was directed by Balachandra Menon.
- Shobana has performed in more than 200 films in several languages such as Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, and English.
- Some of her performances include films like Meleparambil Aanveedu, Kanamarayathu, Ithiri Poove Chuvanna Poove (1984), Yathra, Rangam (1985), Anantaram, Vrutham (1987), Idhu Namma Aalu (1988), Siva (1989), Innale (1990), Thalapathi (1991), Manichitrathazhu (1993), Thenmavin Kombath (1994), Minnaram (1994), Dance like a Man (2003), Mampazhakkalam (2004) and Makalkku (2005).
- She has also choreographed classical dance sequences in 2 feature films.
- Her greatest influencers are Chitra Visweswaran, Dr. Padma Subramaniyam, Ustad Zakir Hussain, and Birju Maharaj.
- In July 2023, Shobana’s house help reportedly confessed to stealing ₹41,000 from her home in Chennai. However, Shobana decided not to charge her.
Featured Image by Lijesh K / Wikimedia / CC BY-SA 3.0
