Kalpana Priyadarshini, better known mononymously as Kalpana, was an Indian film actress who has appeared in South Indian films, predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil films. Kalpana has acted in over 300 films in various South Indian languages. Kalpana started off her career as a child artist in the late 1970's. Although she came into the industry with the intention of being a lead actress, she turned out to be popular among the audiences for her comic roles. At the 60th National Film Awards, she won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Thanichalla Njan.
Career
Kalpana began her career as a child artist in the film Vidarunna Mottukal. After making her debut as a mainstream actor in the 1980 filmPokkuveyil, directed by G. Aravindan, she went on to star in several critically acclaimed films and her portrayals as a comedian were appreciated by critics. Her Tamil debut was through the 1985 released successful film Chinna Veedu, opposite K. Bhagyaraj. Her other memorable films include Sathi Leelavathi and Kaliveedu. She performed in a music album with Usha Uthup. She has published her memoirs, Njan Kalpana. Kalpana has sung a song in the movie Kudumbakodathi, along with K.S. Chithra, in which she appeared as a Telugu speaking character. She had an inevitable presence in stage shows. She was the chairperson of "Janaseva Shishu Bhavan" and assistant chairperson of "Street Birds" and a strong promoter of "Kudumbasree".She was the brand ambassador of "Leo Natura".
Personal life
Kalpana was born to theater artists Chavara V.P. Nair and Vijayalakshmi. Actresses Kalaranjini and Urvashi are her sisters. She married Malayalam film directorAnil Kumar in 1998 and got divorced in 2012. They have one daughter, Sreemayi Anil.
Death
Kalpana went to Hyderabad for the shooting of the movie Oopiri. On 25 January 2016, she was found unconscious in her hotel room by a roomboy who knocked the door around several times, but it didn't open. He forcefully opened the door and found her unconscious. She was immediately taken to the hospital by the crew members, but died on the way. Doctors confirmed that she died of heart attack. Postmortem was conducted and her body was flown to her native place on 26 January 2016. The funeral took place on the same day.
2016 - CPC Cine Awards for Best Character Actress - for the film Charlie
Filmography
Malayalam
Tamil
Kannada
Telugu
Albums
Palavattam
Television
Kalpana hosted several talk shows and interviews on Malayalam TV Channels. She frequently appeared as Judge in Asianet's Comedy Reality showVodafone Comedy Stars. Kalpana's last talk show was also on Asianet. It was telecasted a few days before her demise. She has appeared in many advertisements also including "Mega Water Tank", "Nana", "Raidco Family Products", "Karunya Lottery Ticket", "Kerala Samsthana Saksharatha Mission" etc.
