Leela Naidu
Encyclopedia
Leela Naidu (1940 – 28 July 2009) was an India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n actress who starred in a small number of Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...

 and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 films, including Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke
Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke
Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke is a 2001 Bollywood movie. It is a love triangle starring Ajay Devgan, Madhuri Dixit and Preity Zinta.- Synopsis :...

(1963), based on the real-life Nanavati case, and The Householder
The Householder (film)
The Householder is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory, and direction of James Ivory. It is based upon the 1960 novel of the same name by Jhabvala....

, Merchant Ivory Productions
Merchant Ivory Productions
Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded in 1961 by producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory. Their films were for the most part produced by the former, directed by the latter, and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, with the noted exception of a few films. The films were often...

' first film. She was Femina Miss India in 1954, and was featured in the Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...

along with Maharani Gayatri Devi in the list of 'World's Ten Most Beautiful Women' and is remembered for her classical beauty and subtle acting style.

Early life

Leela Naidu was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), India to Dr. Pattipati Ramiah Naidu, a well known nuclear physicist from Madanapalle
Madanapalle
Madanapalle , is a town and a Municipality located in the Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh state, India - population 107,512 . Legend has it that the name of the town was originally " Maryaada raamanna puram" which has over time, changed into " Madanapalle".It is one of the biggest Revenue...

, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...

, who worked under the supervision of Nobel
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...

 Laureate Madame Curie
Marie Curie
Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes—in physics and chemistry...

 for his doctoral thesis in Paris. He was Scientific Advisor to UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 for Southeast Asia, and later, an advisor to the Tata group. Her mother, Indologist Dr. Marthe Naidu, was of Swiss-French origin, and earned her Ph.D. from the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...

. .

Career

Leela Naidu was crowned Femina Miss India in 1954, and the same year was featured in Vogue
Vogue (magazine)
Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine that is published monthly in 18 national and one regional edition by Condé Nast.-History:In 1892 Arthur Turnure founded Vogue as a weekly publication in the United States. When he died in 1909, Condé Montrose Nast picked up the magazine and slowly began...

magazine's list of the world's ten most beautiful women.

Film career

Naidu made her film debut alongside Balraj Sahni
Balraj Sahni
Balraj Sahni , born Yudhishthir Sahni , was a famous Hindi film actor. He belonged to a Punjabi Khatri family from Bhera now in Punjab, Pakistan...

 in Anuradha
Anuradha (1960 film)
Anuradha is a 1960 Hindi-language film produced and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The film stars Balraj Sahni, Leela Naidu, Asit Sen and Mukri.The film's music was composed by Pandit Ravi Shankar, in one of his rare forays into Hindi cinema...

(1960), directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Hrishikesh Mukherjee
Hrishikesh Mukherjee ) was a famous Indian film director known for a number of films, including Satyakam, Chupke Chupke, Anupama, Anand, Abhimaan, Guddi, Gol Maal, Aashirwad, Bawarchi, and Namak Haraam.Popularly known as Hrishi-da, he directed 42 films during his career spanning over four decades,...

. Mukherjee cast Naidu in the role after he happened to see one of her pictures taken by Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay was an Indian social reformer, freedom fighter, and most remembered for her contribution to Indian independence movement, for being the driving force behind the renaissance of Indian handicrafts, handlooms, and theatre in post-Independence India, and for upliftment of the...

. Though it was not successful at the box office, the film went on to win the National Award
National Film Award for Best Film
The National Award for Best Feature film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, India, and was constituted in the year 1954. This is one of the Golden Lotus Awards given among National Film Awards...

 for Best Film, and garnered Naidu critical acclaim. The movie's music, including the songs Jaane kaise sapnon mein kho gayin ankhiyan and Kaise din beete kaisi beeti raatein, were composed by sitar maestro Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar
Ravi Shankar , often referred to by the title Pandit, is an Indian musician and composer who plays the plucked string instrument sitar. He has been described as the best known contemporary Indian musician by Hans Neuhoff in Musik in Geschichte und Gegenwart.Shankar was born in Varanasi and spent...

. Naidu's next film was Nitin Bose's Ummeed (1962), alongside Ashok Kumar
Ashok Kumar
Ashok Kumar also fondly called Dadamoni was an Indian film actor. Born Kumudlal Ganguly in Bhagalpur, Bengal Presidency he attained iconic status in Indian cinema...

 and Joy Mukherjee
Joy Mukherjee
- Family Background :Main article: Mukherjee-Samarth familyJoy Mukherjee is the son of Sashadhar Mukherjee and Sati Devi. His father was a successful producer and a co-founder of Filmalaya Studios. His paternal uncle is director Subodh Mukherjee, whilst his maternal uncles were Ashok Kumar and...

.

She played an offbeat role as an adulterous wife in Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke (1963), directed by R. K. Nayyar. The movie, which co-starred Sunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt
Sunil Dutt , born Sunil Balraj Dutt, was an Indian Hindi movie actor , producer, director and politician. He was the cabinet minister for Youth Affairs and Sports in the Manmohan Singh government...

 and Rehman
Rehman
Rehman was an Indian film actor whose career spanned from late 1940s through to late 1970s. He was an integral part of the Guru Dutt team, and most known for his roles in films, like Pyaasa , Chaudhvin Ka Chand , Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam and Waqt...

, was based on the real life case K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra
K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra
K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra was a 1959 Indian court case where Kawas Manekshaw Nanavati, a Naval Commander, was tried for the murder of Prem Ahuja, his wife's lover. The incident received unprecedented media coverage and inspired several books and movies...

. Despite its topical nature and controversial theme, the movie flopped
Failure
Failure refers to the state or condition of not meeting a desirable or intended objective, and may be viewed as the opposite of success. Product failure ranges from failure to sell the product to fracture of the product, in the worst cases leading to personal injury, the province of forensic...

; however, some of its songs, notably "Ye Khaamoshiyaan, Ye Tanahaaiyaan," became quite popular.

In 1963, Naidu played the lead role of a rebellious young bride in the first Merchant Ivory film
Merchant Ivory Productions
Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded in 1961 by producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory. Their films were for the most part produced by the former, directed by the latter, and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, with the noted exception of a few films. The films were often...

, The Householder
The Householder (film)
The Householder is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory, and direction of James Ivory. It is based upon the 1960 novel of the same name by Jhabvala....

, directed by James Ivory
James Ivory (director)
James Francis Ivory is an American film director, best known for the results of his long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions, which included both Indian-born film producer Ismail Merchant, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala...

. After watching her performance, Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray
Satyajit Ray was an Indian Bengali filmmaker. He is regarded as one of the greatest auteurs of 20th century cinema. Ray was born in the city of Kolkata into a Bengali family prominent in the world of arts and literature...

 planned an English film, The Journey, with Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...

, Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor
Shashi Kapoor , born Balbir-Raj Prithviraj Kapoor on 18 March 1938 in Calcutta , is an award-winning Indian film actor and film producer. He has also been film director and assistant director in Hindi Films. He is a member of the Kapoor family, a film dynasty in India's Bollywood cinema...

 and Naidu, but sadly the film was never made. She was considered for the role of Rosie in Vijay Anand's Guide
Guide (film)
Guide is a 1965 Hindi film starring Dev Anand and Waheeda Rehman. It was directed by Vijay Anand, who also contributed to the screenplay. The film is based on the critically acclaimed novel, The Guide, by R. K. Narayan, and is widely considered to be one of the masterpieces of the Indian film...

(1965), but the role required a trained dancer, and so Naidu lost out to Waheeda Rehman
Waheeda Rehman
Waheeda Rehman , is an Indian film actress who appears in Bollywood movies and is known for many successful and critically acclaimed movies from 1950's, 60's and early 70's most notably C.I.D. and Guru Dutt classics such as Pyaasa , 12 O'Clock , Kaagaz Ke Phool , Sahib Bibi Aur Ghulam...

. Her last film in Hindi mainstream cinema was Baghi (1964) a costume extravaganza co-starring Pradeep Kumar
Pradeep Kumar
Pradeep Kumar was an Indian actor in Bengali and Hindi films.-Career:When Kumar was 17 years old, he decided to take up acting. His started his film career in Bengali films...

, Vijaya Choudhury, and Mumtaz
Mumtaz (actress)
Mumtaz , fondly called Mumu, is a famous Bollywood actress, best remembered for her roles in Tere Mere Sapne and Khilona . Her performance in Khilona got her the Filmfare Best Actress Award, while the film itself won the Filmfare Best Movie Award...

.

Later, Naidu made a guest appearance in the Merchant-Ivory film, The Guru
The Guru (1969 film)
The Guru is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory.-Plot synopsis:A rock star, Tom Pickle , travels to India to learn to play the sitar with the great musician Ustad Zafar Khan...

(1969). She returned to cinema in 1985 to play a Goan matriarch in Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal
Shyam Benegal is a prolific Indian director and screenwriter. With his first four feature films Ankur , Nishant Manthan and Bhumika he created a new genre, which has now come to be called the "middle cinema" in India although he himself has expressed dislike in the term preferring his work to...

's period film, Trikaal
Trikaal
Trikal is an Indian movie written and directed by Shyam Benegal, set in Goa during the early 1960s Period. The film starred yester years actress, Leela Naidu, in a comeback role after many decades....

. Her appearance in Electric Moon
Electric Moon
Electric Moon is a 1992 Indian film directed by Pradip Krishen and written by Arundhati Roy. The film was produced by Grapevine Media for Channel 4 Television and Bobby Bedi's Kaleidoscope Entertainment and was reviewed at the International Film Festival of India and the 36th London Film Festival...

(1992), directed by Pradip Krishen
Pradip Krishen
Pradip Krishen, is an Indian filmmaker and environmentalist. He directed three ground breaking film, namely, Massey Sahib in 1985, In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones in 1989 and Electric Moon for Channel 4, UK in 1991...

, turned out to be her last cinematic role.

She turned down Raj Kapoor
Raj Kapoor
Known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...

 four times when he approached her for casting her in his films.

In September 2009, Lila, a documentary on Leela Naidu's life, by Bidisha Roy Das and Priyanjana Dutta was released .

Personal life

In 1956, at the age of 17, she married Tilak Raj Oberoi, son of Mohan Singh Oberoi
Mohan Singh Oberoi
Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi was a renowned Indian hotelier, widely regarded as the father of 20th century India's hotel business, was the founder Chairman of Oberoi Hotels & Resorts, India's second-largest hotel company, with 35 luxury hotels in India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Egypt, Australia and...

, the founder of the luxury Oberoi Hotels chain. Tilak Raj, known as "Tikki", was 33 years old at the time. Naidu and Oberoi had twin daughters, Maya and Priya. The brief marriage ended in divorce, and Oberoi won custody of the girls. Subsequently, Naidu met philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti or J. Krishnamurti or , was a renowned writer and speaker on philosophical and spiritual subjects. His subject matter included: psychological revolution, the nature of the mind, meditation, human relationships, and bringing about positive change in society...

 while in London, and was deeply attracted to his teachings. In 1969, she was married for the second time, to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...

 poet Dom Moraes
Dom Moraes
Dominic Francis Moraes , popularly known as Dom Moraes, was a Goan writer, poet and columnist. He published nearly 30 books.-Early life:...

. They lived in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

, New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...

, and Mumbai for about 25 years. After the relationship ended, Naidu led a somewhat reclusive life in Colaba
Colaba
Colaba is a part of the city of Mumbai, India, and also a Lok Sabha constituency. During Portuguese rule in the 16th century, the island was known as Candil...

, Mumbai.

Her grandsons are Adam, Maya's son, and Erwan, Priya's son. Priya died of a heart attack on February 8, 2008. Naidu also has a god-daughter of four decades, Oopali Operajita, whom she met at Rishi Valley School
Rishi Valley School
Rishi Valley School is a boarding school in India, founded by the philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti. It is located close to the town of Madanapalle, Krishnamurti's birthplace, in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Rishi Valley is a three hour drive from the city of Bangalore.- Founder's...

, who is a Distinguished Faculty Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....

, a celebrated classical Odissi danseuse, and a Senior Adviser to several of India's prominent leaders in the Lok Sabha
Lok Sabha
The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...

.

Death

Leela Naidu died in Mumbai on 28 July 2009, the day before Maharani Gayatri Devi
Gayatri Devi
Gayatri Devi , often styled as Maharani Gayatri Devi, Rajmata of Jaipur, was born as Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar...

 died, due to lung failure after a prolonged bout of influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...

, at the age of 69.

Films

  • Anuradha
    Anuradha (1960 film)
    Anuradha is a 1960 Hindi-language film produced and directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. The film stars Balraj Sahni, Leela Naidu, Asit Sen and Mukri.The film's music was composed by Pandit Ravi Shankar, in one of his rare forays into Hindi cinema...

    (1960), aka Love of Anuradha (International: English title) .... Anuradha Roy
  • Ummeed (1962)
  • Yeh Raste Hain Pyar Ke (1963) .... Neena
  • The Householder
    The Householder (film)
    The Householder is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory, and direction of James Ivory. It is based upon the 1960 novel of the same name by Jhabvala....

    (1963), aka Gharbar .... Indu
  • Baghi (1964)
  • The Guru
    The Guru (1969 film)
    The Guru is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory.-Plot synopsis:A rock star, Tom Pickle , travels to India to learn to play the sitar with the great musician Ustad Zafar Khan...

    (1969) .... Girl at the Party
  • Trikaal
    Trikaal
    Trikal is an Indian movie written and directed by Shyam Benegal, set in Goa during the early 1960s Period. The film starred yester years actress, Leela Naidu, in a comeback role after many decades....

    (Past, Present and Future) (1985) .... Dona Maria Souzasoares
  • Electric Moon
    Electric Moon
    Electric Moon is a 1992 Indian film directed by Pradip Krishen and written by Arundhati Roy. The film was produced by Grapevine Media for Channel 4 Television and Bobby Bedi's Kaleidoscope Entertainment and was reviewed at the International Film Festival of India and the 36th London Film Festival...

    (1992) .... Socks

Television

  • Man of the World .... Dr. Bahandi (1 episode - "The Frontier" , 1962)
  • Channing
    Channing (TV series)
    Channing is an American drama series that aired on American Broadcasting Company from September 18, 1963 to April 8, 1964...

    The Face in the Sun (1 episode - "The Young and the Bold" , 1964) .... Anna

External links



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