Kalpana (Kannada actress)

Kalpana
Born	Sharat Lata (1943-07-18)18 July 1943 South Canara, Madras Presidency, British India now Mangalore, Karnataka, India
Died	12 May 1979(1979-05-12) (aged 35)[citation needed] Sankeshwar, Karnataka, India
Other names	"Minugu Taare"
Occupation	Actress
Spouse(s)	B. N. Viswanath, Gudigeri Basavaraj

Kalpana (18 July 1943 – 12 May 1979), born Sharat Lata, was an Indian actress who appeared in Kannada films. She was affectionately referred to as Minugu Taare ("A Shining Star") among the film fraternity. She was widely recognised as one of the greatest actresses of Kannada cinema who enjoyed both fan following and critical acclaim. She made her screen debut as a lead actress in the 1963 release Saaku Magalu directed by veteran B. R. Panthulu. During a career that spanned from the early 1960s to the late 1970s, Kalpana appeared in numerous commercially successful as well as critically appreciated films, many of which featured her alongside actor Rajkumar. She worked in a few Tamil, Tulu and Malayalam films as well.^[1] Many of her successful films were female-centric, giving ample scope for her performance.

One of her best-known roles was that of "Kaveri" in the multi-award-winning film Sharapanjara released in 1971, a performance that won her the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress for that year. Her portrayal of a highly spirited and complex woman who fights her mental trauma won her the largest fan following ever for a Kannada actress. Her association with the veteran film maker Puttanna Kanagal both professionally and personally became the talk of the town back in the 1970s. They both went on to work in many commercially and critically successful films until they grew apart. In her career Kalpana received the Filmfare Award for Best Actress – Kannada once and the Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actress thrice.