Kalpana Ranjani (5 October 1965 – 25 January 2016), better known mononymously as Kalpana, was an Indian actress who appeared in South Indian films, predominantly in Malayalam and Tamil. Kalpana has acted in over 300 films in various South Indian languages. She won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Thanichalla Njan (2012) at the 60th National Film Awards. Kalpana started her career as a child artist in the late 1970s. 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.

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 film Pokkuveyil, 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 (1995) and Kaliveedu (1996). 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. Actors Kalaranjini and Urvashi are her sisters. She married Malayalam film director Anil Kumar in 1998 and got divorced in 2012. They have one daughter, Sreemayi.

Death

Kalpana went to Hyderabad for the shooting of the movie Oopiri / Thozha which starred Karthi. On 25 January 2016, she was found unconscious in her hotel room and was immediately taken to the hospital by the crew members, but died of a heart attack on the way. Postmortem was conducted and her body was flown to her native place on 26 January 2016. The funeral took place on the same day.

Awards

Filmography

Malayalam

Tamil

Kannada

Telugu

Albums

Television

Malayalam television

Tamil television