There was no one like Kalpana; there still isn’t. Will there ever be? I don’t know; I doubt it. She was unparalleled.

When her life was cut short by a fateful heart attack in January 2016, Kalpana was just 51, yet she had proved her prowess multiple times over the years. Ask any legendary director about the greatest strength of Malayalam cinema and they will likely mention, besides deep-rooted stories, its vast pool of outstanding actors who can excel in supporting and character roles. The industry has always had such talents who could easily outshine the lead actors in any movie, no matter what their character arcs are.

From Kottarakkara Sreedharan Nair, Adoor Bhavani, Philomina, Bahadoor and KPAC Lalitha to Thilakan, Nedumudi Venu, Sukumari, Oduvil Unnikrishnan, Bindu Panicker, Sai Kumar, Jagathy Sreekumar, Innocent and many others. Even when lead performances falter or the overall movie is subpar, filmmakers and audiences can trust these thespians to deliver, making such movies at least worth watching. Only in Express | A survival thriller, a rom-com, a period folk horror, a mass entertainer and more: 9 best Malayalam films of 2024’s first half Among such talents, Kalpana was one of the brightest stars.

With a spectacular ability to handle any type of character with any life journey, while always meeting the makers’ expectations, Kalpana left a lasting impact on the industry and her absence is keenly felt today; or especially today as her peers like Jagadish, Indra.