primarily Malayalam and Tamil films. Kalpana has acted in over 300 films in various South Indian languages. Kalpana started off 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 for her comic roles among the audience. At the 60th National Film Awards, she won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Thanichalla Njan (2012) On 25 January 2016, she she died of heart attack.