Shobhan Babu (January 14, 1937 –
March 20, 2008) was an Indian film actor in Telugu cinema. He made his film
debut with Daivabalam directed by Vasanthkumar Reddy, but Bhakta Shabari
released earlier at the box office. In a career spanning two decades, He has
done versatile roles in various genre. He has garnered five Andhra Pradesh
state Nandi Awards and four Filmfare Best Actor Award (Telugu). He received the
Rashtrapati Award for his performance in the 1969 classical film Bangaru
Panjaram.
Background
He was born to Uppu Suryanarayana
Rao, Babu had three sisters Dhanaranga, Jhansi
and Nirmala, and a brother, Sambasiva Rao. Babu completed his initial schooling
at Kuntamukkula Mylavaram. He pursued his Intermediate in Vijayawada
and finished his degree at Andhra-Christian
College in Guntur. Later, he studied law in Chennai, but
ultimately discontinued it. He married Santha Kumari on 15 May 1958; they had a
son, Karuna Seshu and three daughters: Mrudula, Prashanti and Nivedita.
Career
Shobhan Babu made his debut in the
film Daivabalam. After that he acted in many films playing small roles.
Veerabhimanyu (1965) was his first
movie as a "solo hero". This movie turned out to be a big hit. After
this, however, he still played small roles in many films in order to earn money
for his family. After the huge success of Manushulu Maarali, he acted in films
until 1997. His film Manushulu Maarali ran for 25 weeks, which was a record at
that time. His first colour film was Kannavari Kalalu. He performed a dual role
for the first time in Potti Pleader.
The highlight of Shoban Babu's career
was the three consecutive Filmfare awards he won between 1974-1976 (1974 for
Khaidi Babayi, 1975 for Jeevana Jyothi, and 1976 for Soggadu). This was a
record for the Telugu film industry. Babu was only the second actor (after
Dilip Kumar) to receive three consecutive Filmfare trophies.[citation needed]
He was honored with several Nandi Awards by the state of Andhra Pradesh. He was
given the honorific "Natabooshana", which became his last name in
movie credits.
His rise in the acting industry was
also a boon to producers with Babu's successive hits including Veerabhimanyu,
Manushulu Marali, Kalyana Mandapam, and Tahsildhargaari Ammaayi, which earned
Babu a large fan base. Shobhanbabu had paired up with Sharadha for several
films and they were a hit pair. It was a unique combination.
Shobhan Babu died on March 20, 2008
due to a heart attack at the age of 71. After quitting films, he invested his
entire earnings in real estate in and around chennai which made him one of the
wealthiest individual in chennai. Estimates reveal that he is worth inr 4000
crore at the time of his death. Writer and film journalist Akella Raghavendra
wrote a book on Shobhan Babu, titled Shobhan Babu Jeevita Charitra-Parugu
Aapadam O Kala.
To mark the 75th birth Anniversary
of legendary actor Shobhan Babu Platinum Jubilee celebration were held in
Hyderabad in July 2012 by his movie Fans. It was graced by Chief Minister of
Andhra Pradesh along with the film celebrities. Souvenir was released on the
event. Website Sobhanbabu.com has been started as mark of respect for the
veteran actor.
Popularity
Shoban Babu was one of the popular
actors of his generation in Telugu Cinema. Hence he was extremely popular among
the women audience. Particularly he got reputation among his fans as acting
along with more than one heroine in many of his movies.
Awards
Rashtrapati Award in acting
Bangaru Panjaram (1969)
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu - Khaidi Baabayi (1974)
Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu - Jeevana Jyothi (1975)
Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu - Soggadu (1976)
Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu - Karthika Deepam (1979)
Nandi Award for Best Actor
Jeevana Jyothi (1975)
Sharada (1973)
Kaalam Maarindi (1972)
Other awards
8 AP Cinegoers Awards: 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1985, 1989
9 Madras
Film Fans Awards: 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1984, 1985
3 Vamsi Berkely Awards: 1978, 1984, 1985
2 AP Film Fans Awards: 1971, 1974
2
Andhrapatrika Awards: 1970, 1985
2 Film World Awards: 1971, 1975
1 Filmalaya Award: 1975
1 Cine World Award: 1975
2 Kalasagar Awards: 1975, 1986
1 Kalasravanthi Award: 1992
