Shobha

Shobha Biography

Shobha was a very successful South Indian actress during late 70’s who committed suicide at a younger age of only 18. She has done numerous movies in both Malayalam and Tamil and most of them were successful too. Among her Malayalam movies, her biggest hits are Ulkadal, Shalini ente koottukari, Ente Neelakasham, Venalil Oru Mazha, Aniyatha Valaka, Jeevitham Oru Ganam and Randu Penkuttikal.all the movies that she acted towards the end of her life were really commendable.  Her popular Tamil movies include - Veli Thandiya Velladu, Anbulla Athan, Pasi, Chakkalathi, Moodu Pani, Ponnagaram and Oru Vidukathai Oru Thodarkathai. She won National award for Best Actress for her role in the Tamil film Pasi at a young age of 17. But she committed suicide soon after the shooting of the movie. Thus when the movie was released and when she was declared National award winner, she was no more.

Shobha was born to K. P. Menon and Prema. Prema was a Malayalam actress during 50’s. Shobha debuted silver screen as a child artist in the Tamil movie - Thattungal Thirakkappadum, directed by actor J. P. Chandrababu. Mahalakshmi Menon is her birth name and the movie was credited as Baby Mahalakshmi. She changed her screen name to Shobha the same year and made a screen debut in Malayalam movie Udyogasta with the name Baby Shobha. This multi star cast movie was big hit and it made Shoba a recognized child actor in South Indian cinema.

Her first film as a heroine was Utrada Raatri. She married director Balu Mahendra at a younger age. Yet she continued to work in both Malayalam and Tamil movies. She has a few releases in Kannada and Telugu as well. Kokila and Aparachita in Kannada and Tharam Marindi and Manavoori Pandavulu are those movies. Apart from National awards, she has won Filmfare awards twice and Kerala state awards thrice, in a short career span of leading actress. She won Filmfare awards for the movies, Pasi (Tamil) and Aparichita (Kannada). She won Kerala state best actress award for Bandhanam and Ente Neelakasamin the year 1978. She won second best actress award for the movie Ormakal Marikkumo and best child artist award for Yogammullaval and Aval Alpam Vaikippoyi.

Shalini Ente Koottukaari is one such memorable movie of her career where the character played by her has a striking similarity with her real life tragedy of death at a younger age and the movie was released exactly in the same year when she passed away. Later her life was shown on big screen by director George and its name was Lekhayude maranam: Oru flashback (A flashback through Lekha’s death).   

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Updated: July 04, 2018