Shobana started as a child artist in 1972, when she was around 2 years old, in the Bollywood movie Amar Prem. She made her debut in the Malayalam film industry as a leading actress in 1984 through the movie April 18. She has been part of over 170 films so far. Shobana is also a Bharatanatyam dancer. She was trained at Chidambaram Academy in Chennai. She runs a dance school in Chennai now.
She did her schooling at Sishya School, Adyar in Chennai.
She was awarded Padma Shri (the fourth-highest civilian award) by the Government of Indian in 2006 for her valuable contributions. She has won two National Awards for Best Actress. She has also won several other awards including Kerala State Film Award for Best Actress, Filmfare Award for Best Actress, etc.
She was born to Anandam Chandrakumar and Chandrakumar Pillai. She is the niece of the Travancore sisters – Lalitha, Padmini and Ragini, all of whom were Indian classical dancers and actresses. The actress Sukumari was her paternal aunt. Malayalam actor Vineeth is her cousin. She is unmarried.
