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, Malayalam and Telugu films as well. 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. Early life Sharat Lata was born on 18 July 1943 to a Tulu-speaking couple, Krishnamurthy and Janakamma, in South Canara district of the erstwhile Madras Presidency (in present-day Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka). She was affectionately called Kalpana by the family. She had one sibling, brother Diwakar. Kalpana was drawn towards stage acting as a child after she spent much of her younger days with aunt Seethamma, an actress. She also trained in Indian classical dance during this time, winning an award at the State-level in a competition. Kalpana was drawn towards film acting after she was inspired by B. Saroja Devi's performance in the 1961 Kannada-language film Kittur Chennamma. In the early 1960s, Kalpana left for Uttara Kannada with her mother and brother to study the basics of film and stage performances. She subsequently moved to Davangere, where upon meeting a relative, Shivakumar,