[citation needed] Kalpana mostly appeared as a vamp in a number of Hindi films, continuing in the tradition of Bindu, Helen and Aruna Irani.
[3] She was critically acclaimed for her performance as a prison warden in Anjaam which also featured Bollywood superstars Madhuri Dixit and Shah Rukh Khan.
[5] She was the manager of a restaurant in Dubai called "The Moghul Room" which was owned by former Bollywood actor Rajan Sippy.
[6][7] She was born in a Tamil Brahmin family[8] Despite being considered as one of the bold actresses of her time, Iyer mentioned how she had a rather conservative mindset and was often misunderstood.
Everyone assumed I was bold but I was actually very simple… God-fearing, always concerned about ruffling the feathers of my conservative Tam Bram family who were quiet and simple, and into Carnatic music… telling too many white lies to protect too many people.