Shobana
A Bharatanatyam dancer and two-time National Award-winning actor known for Manichitrathazhu, honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2025.
Shobana is both a leading Bharatanatyam dancer and one of South Indian cinema’s best-loved actors. In 2025 she was named for the Padma Bhushan in the field of art, from Tamil Nadu [1].
Dancer
Shobana Chandrakumar was born on 21 March 1970 [2]. She is a disciple of Chitra Visweswaran and Padma Subrahmanyam, of the Vazhuvoor tradition, and has performed for about fifty years [2]. Her approach draws on the Natyashastra while reaching wide audiences [2].
She has taught Bharatanatyam since 1992 [2]. Her dance-theatre works such as Krishna and Maya Ravan have been staged more than 400 times around the world [2].
Actor
She has acted in more than 230 films in six languages [2]. Her dance in the Malayalam film Manichitrathazhu (1993) inspired a generation of girls in Kerala to learn Bharatanatyam, and won her the National Award for Best Actress [2]. She won it again for the English film Mitr, My Friend [2].
She has also choreographed dances for films including Mani Ratnam’s Thalapathi [2].
Sources
- [1] Padma Awards 2025: list of awardees — Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. Accessed 11 October 2026.
- [2] Padma Awards 2025: citation for Shobana — Padma Awards, Government of India. Accessed 12 October 2026.
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