Chandrika Ravishankar

The power of swaying the emotions of the audience is one of the most thrilling sensations that an actor can experience. Very few actors and actresses have the talent to make that happen and Shobha Raghavendra feels proud to have influenced people’s emotions through her acting skills. Shobha was born with a magical wand to cast a spell on the audience through the characters she portrayed and she did it every time with great perfection.

Shobha recalls many eventful experiences in her career but one that remains fresh in her mind was when she got whacked by a shopper at the Mall. Says Shobha " In the movie Ranjitha I played the role of a wicked and cruel mother-in-law, who tries to burn her daughter-in-law alive for dowry. A few days later while shopping at the Mall I was whacked from the back by one of shoppers. On turning back I was confronted by a visibly upset woman who said that if I had a son, I will not be able to get a bride for him for what I did in the movie. Although shaken by this sudden attack, I was able to expalin to her that reality is different from cinema." Apart from that memorable pat on her back Shobha was awarded the best supporting actress by the Madras Film Fans Association for her role in Ranjitha.

Having acted in over 150 movies, 80 television serials, 25 documentaries, 500 Radio performances and 60 theatre performances, Shobha Raghavendra is truly a vesatile and amazing actress. For people who know her more closely she is a beautiful human being with a great sense of humour. Rated as a B Grade artiste, Shobha is today a household name in Karnataka and a favourite among the movie going public and Kannada Soap addicts. Her role in T.N.Seetharam's "Manavanthara" was a memorable one for the kannada audiences.

Born as the only child in a traditional North Karnataka family, Shobha was showered wth all the love and had a relaxing and pampered upbringing. Shobha recalls that her childhood in the Wilson Garden/Hombegowda Nagar area, though a struggling one, was very peaceful and happy. Her parents G.M. Sardarjoshi and Indira Bai, brought her up in the best possible way with very little means making her a good human being.

It was her parents in the early part of her career, and a very supportive husband and children whose encouragement and support that has made Shobha reach a position today that she is proud of.

Shobha though had a great passion for acting, her entry into the tinsel town was by accident. It was in 1974 when renowned directors TS Nagabharana and TS Ranga were head hunting for the cast of the movie “Grahana” and the search for a suitable person for playing the role of Choudi a village girl was on , Shobha's neighbour Tuppa Shantha who was known to the directors recommened her for the role. The word was so strong that Nagabharana and Ranga visited Shobha at her house and immediately sought permission from her parents to cast her as the second heroine. After that there was no turning back. Besides Kannada Shobha has acted in Tamil, Malayalam, Konkani and Hindi languages.

Although her first movie was Grahana, Geejagana Goodu was the first to release which Shobha feels was a truly enthralling experience as it gave her the confidence to choose the career of a 'film star'.

"Once i stepped into the film world , I started following movies closely as a part of the learning curve and in the process, watched a lot of movies of the yesteryear star “Saritha”. I loved her performances and even to this day consider her as my role model, as I totally admire her personality and talent.. there is another hidden reason why I secretly admired her because many people told me I resembled her and I was fortunate enough to get an offer to act as her sister in a tamil movie , which however did not materialise as the dates clashed with my wedding and the family did not approve of it, replied Shobha to a question if she had a role model.

Shobha enjoyed every role she portrayed on the silver screen and small screen as she would mentally transform herself into the character. However one character that she loved and felt challenging was her role as a fisherwoman and the hero's mother in "ChanDa", which became a big hit. As Lakki (the character) Shobha spoke a language loaded with emotions, fun and profanities. Says Shobha " I come from a traditional Brahmin family and swear by vegetarian food , but the role in "ChanDa" demanded me to carry fishes in my arms which was truly a challenge for me as I have never touched even a Egg in my life. But my professional discipline made the job easy and I did it to win huge accolades from my director and colleagues, its a movie which I recommend everybody to watch.

Although her forte was the big screen and Television, Shobha loves working in theatre because she feels that " Theatre is a canvas free of politics and the actor gets full freedom to demonstrate his/her talent and passion towards the character , unlike in Television and cinema where you are expected to portray the character as per the directors imagination and you have little opportunity to exhibit your potential, another important reason i enjoy theatre over the TV and cinema is the sense of belonging and selflessness , here money does not become the motivation for getting the best out of you, its only the sense of belonging to a family and also the loud claps and howls that you receive from the audience acts as an immediate impetus to get the best out of me!!"

Shobha has been associated with a theatre group called “Benaka” which was started by B.V. Karanth 35 years ago. Shobha is remembered with class performances such as Goudathi ( the wife of the village stalwart) in the play Jokumara Swami. This performance earned her a lot of appreciation and also has contributed a lot towards improving her performances in Television and Cinema.

Shobha is still looking for the dream role of a mentally challenged person on big screen as she has a strong conviction that she can do a good job at that. She did a similar kind of role for the small screen in a Hindi serial called “Manas “directed by Girish Karnad.

The greatest support that Shobha has is from her immediate family. Shobha thinks that one of the most pivotal ingredients for a successful profession in the entertainment industry is a strong family backup and emotional support which she has been very fortunate. Her parents were very supportive of her decision and made sure they were there for her at every walk of her life, and her husband B.Raghavendra, whom she met on the sets of Grahana, has been supporting her and encouraging her to take on more assignments with the assurance that he will take care of the home. Mr. Raghavendra, a BPharma graduate was also a sound recordist for the movie "Grahana". Shobha is very thankful to God for giving her such wonderful and supportive parents, husband and children. She is the proud mother of 2 daughters and a son. Her eldest daughter Sneha, now living in Toronto, Canada did show inclination towards acting in her childhood but drifted away due to her education. Her other daughter Sushma is a dancer and son Sandeep has a great sense of humour, apt for doing comic roles. Shobha however says that " until today they haven’t expressed their willingness to join mainstream cinema or TV , but in case they do discuss it with me seriously I would definitely encourage them to pursue this as a hobby after they have completed their academic journey and have a parallel plan to make a living.

Being a senior in the Film Industry Shobha advices the young aspirants to consider entertainment industry as a career option only if they have the talent and the passion towards it and not to get lured by the glamour and money involved and use wrong means or influence to get into the industry there by depriving genuine talents from flourishing in the industry. A very strong supporter of the education, Shobha warns youngsters not to compromise on education.

DiscoverBangalore, on behalf of all its visitors wishes Shobha more bouquets and accolades for her acting skills and to keep swinging her magic wand for many more years to come.