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Leela Naidu (1940 – 28 July 2009) was an Indian actress who starred in a small number of
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
and English films, including '' Yeh Raste Hain Pyar Ke'' (1963), based on the real-life Nanavati case, and ''
The Householder ''The Householder'' (Hindi title: ''Gharbar'') is a 1963 film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with direction by James Ivory (in his feature directorial debut) and a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory, and direction of James Ivor ...
'',
Merchant Ivory Productions Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded in 1961 by producer Ismail Merchant (1936–2005) and director James Ivory (b. 1928). Merchant and Ivory were life and business partners from 1961 until Merchant's death in 2005. During the ...
' first film. She was
Femina Miss India Miss India, also known as Femina Miss India, is a national beauty pageant in India that selects representatives to compete in the Miss World competition, one of the Big Four international beauty pageants. It is organized by ''Femina (India), F ...
in 1954, and was featured in the ''
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...
'' along with Maharani Gayatri Devi in the list of "World's Ten Most Beautiful Women", a list she was continuously listed in from the 1950s to the 1960s in prominent fashion magazines worldwide. She is remembered for her stunning classical beauty and subtle acting style.


Early life

Leela Naidu was born in Bombay (now Mumbai), India. Her father, Dr. Pattipati Ramaiah Naidu, a well known
nuclear physicist Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies atomic nuclei and their constituents and interactions, in addition to the study of other forms of nuclear matter. Nuclear physics should not be confused with atomic physics, which studies the ...
, hailed from
Madanapalle Madanapalle is a city in Annamayya district and Rajampet Lok Sabha constituency of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a Selection Grade Municipality and largest City in Annamayya District. Madanapalle is headquarters of Madanapalle Man ...
,
Chittoor Chittoor is a city and district headquarters in Chittoor district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is also the mandal and divisional headquarters of Chittoor mandal and Chittoor revenue division respectively. The city has a popul ...
District,
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
, and had worked under the supervision of Nobel Laureate
Marie Curie Maria Salomea Skłodowska-Curie (; ; 7 November 1867 – 4 July 1934), known simply as Marie Curie ( ; ), was a Polish and naturalised-French physicist and chemist who conducted pioneering research on radioactivity. She was List of female ...
for his doctoral thesis in Paris. He ran one of Madame Curie's labs in Paris. He was Scientific Advisor to
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
for Southeast Asia, and later, an advisor to the Tata group. Her mother, journalist and Indologist, Dr. Marthe Mange Naidu, was of Swiss-French origin, from Pont d'Avignon, South-France and earned her PhD from the Sorbonne. Naidu was the only surviving child out of eight pregnancies as Marthe had seven miscarriages. Naidu enjoyed the advantages of birth and the connections of her parents. She grew up in Europe, went to an elite school in Geneva, Switzerland, and in her teens, took acting lessons from Jean Renoir. Leela met
Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...
in Grand-hotel Opera, Paris where she posed for a painting of the Madonna.


Career

Leela Naidu was crowned
Femina Miss India Miss India, also known as Femina Miss India, is a national beauty pageant in India that selects representatives to compete in the Miss World competition, one of the Big Four international beauty pageants. It is organized by ''Femina (India), F ...
in 1954, and the same year was featured in ''
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...
'' magazine's list of the world's ten most beautiful women.


Film career

Naidu made her film debut alongside
Balraj Sahni Balraj Sahni (born Yudhishthir Sahni; 1 May 1913 – 13 April 1973) was an Indian film and stage actor, who is best known for (1946), '' Do Bigha Zameen'' (1953), '' Chhoti Bahen'' (1959), '' Kabuliwala'' (1961), Waqt (1965) and '' Garm Hava'' ...
in '' Anuradha'' (1962), directed by
Hrishikesh Mukherjee Hrishikesh Mukherjee (30 September 1922 – 27 August 2006) was an Indian film director, editor and writer. He is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of Indian cinema. Popularly known as ''Hrishi-da'', he directed 42 films during his car ...
. Mukherjee cast Naidu in the role after he happened to see one of her pictures taken by
Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay (3 April 1903 – 29 October 1988) was an Indian social reformer. She has worked for the promotion of Indian handicrafts, handlooms, and theatre in independent India to uplift the socio-economic standard of Indian women ...
. Though it was not successful at the box office, the film went on to win the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film The National Film Award for Best Feature Film is one of the categories in the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in I ...
, and garnered Naidu critical acclaim. The movie's music, including the songs "Haye Re Woh Din Kewn Na Aaye", "Jaane Kaise Sapnon Mein Kho Gayin Ankhiyan" and "Kaise Din Beete Kaisi Beeti Raatein", were composed by sitar maestro
Ravi Shankar Ravi Shankar (; born Robindro Shaunkor Chowdhury, sometimes spelled as Rabindra Shankar Chowdhury; 7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitar, sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known expert of Hin ...
. Naidu's next film was Nitin Bose's '' Umeed'' (1962), alongside
Ashok Kumar Ashok Kumar (born Kumudlal Ganguly; 13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema. He is considered to be the first Super-st ...
and Joy Mukherjee. She played an offbeat role as an adulterous wife in ''
Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke ''Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke'' () is a 1963 Hindi crime drama film starring Sunil Dutt and Leela Naidu in the lead roles. This film was Sunil Dutt's debut production, directed by R.K. Nayyar, with music composed by Ravi. Dutt's favourite writer ...
'' (1963), directed by
R.K. Nayyar R. K. Nayyar (born Ram Krishna Nayyar, 1930 – 1995) was an Indian film director, Film producer, producer and screenwriter in Hindi film, Hindi language films. Professional life His major directorial work includes ''Love in Simla'' which rele ...
. The movie, which co-starred
Sunil Dutt Sunil Dutt (born Balraj Raghunath Dutt; 6 June 1929 – 25 May 2005) was an Indian actor, film producer, director, and politician known for his work in Hindi Cinema. He acted in more than 80 films over a career spanning five decades and was t ...
and Rehman, was based on the real life case K. M. Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra. Despite its topical nature and controversial theme, the movie flopped; 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 ''
The Householder ''The Householder'' (Hindi title: ''Gharbar'') is a 1963 film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with direction by James Ivory (in his feature directorial debut) and a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory, and direction of James Ivor ...
'', directed by
James Ivory James Francis Ivory (born Richard Jerome Hazen June 7, 1928) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was a principal in Merchant Ivory Productions along with Indian film producer Ismail Merchant (his domestic and professio ...
. According to Leela in her 2009 semi-biography, Ivory and
Ismail Merchant Ismail Merchant (born Ismail Noor Muhammad Abdul Rahman; 25 December 1936 – 24 May 2005) was an Indian film producer. He worked for many years in collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions which included film director (and Merchant's longt ...
had approached her about making their first ever feature movie with a story about an archaeologist, but this fell through as the backers did not like the film script. She then suggested to Merchant-Ivory, making a movie about a book called
The Householder ''The Householder'' (Hindi title: ''Gharbar'') is a 1963 film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with direction by James Ivory (in his feature directorial debut) and a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory, and direction of James Ivor ...
by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, which led to their introduction to Ruth and a fruitful lifelong partnership.
Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...
lent his crew, got many of the actors he used in his movies to act in this movie, selected the music and musicians, re-cut and reedited the final version, thus guiding and teaching Merchant-Ivory in movie making technique which they successfully used in their award-winning movies and documentaries in the future. After watching her performance in the film,
Satyajit Ray Satyajit Ray (; 2 May 1921 – 23 April 1992) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, author, lyricist, magazine editor, illustrator, calligraphy, calligrapher, and composer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influ ...
planned an English film, ''The Journey'', with
Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''
,
Shashi Kapoor Shashi Kapoor (pronounced �əʃi kəpuːɾ born Balbir Raj Kapoor; 18 March 1938 – 4 December 2017) was an Indian actor and producer known primarily for his work in Hindi films. He is considered as one of the greatest and most successful acto ...
and Naidu, but the film was never made. She was considered for the role of Rosie in Vijay Anand's ''
Guide A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Exp ...
'' (1965), but the role required a trained dancer, and so Naidu lost out to
Waheeda Rehman Waheeda Rehman (born 3 February 1938) is an Indian actress. Regarded among the most accomplished actresses of Hindi cinema, she has worked in more than Waheeda Rehman filmography, 90 feature films, in a career spanning over five decades. Her ac ...
. Her last film in Hindi mainstream cinema was ''Baghi'' (1964), a costume extravaganza co-starring
Pradeep Kumar Pradeep Kumar (4 January 1925 – 27 October 2001) was an Indian actor who is recognized for his work in Hindi, Punjabi and English-language films. (Dinesh RahejaEver the royalRediff.com website, Published 2 June 2003, Retrieved 16 February 2 ...
,
Vijaya Choudhury Vijaya may refer to: Places * Vijaya (Champa), a city-state and former capital of the historic Champa in what is now Vietnam * Vijayawada, a city in Andhra Pradesh, India People * Prince Vijaya of Sri Lanka (fl. 543–505 BC), earliest recorde ...
and Mumtaz. Later, Naidu made a guest appearance in the Merchant-Ivory film, '' The Guru'' (1969). She returned to cinema in 1985 to play a
Goan Goans ( Romi Konkani: , ) is the demonym used to describe the people native to Goa, India, formerly part of Portuguese India (''Estado Português da Índia''). They form an ethno-linguistic group resulting from the assimilation of Indo-Aryan, ...
matriarch in
Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (14 December 1934 – 23 December 2024) was an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. H ...
's period film '' Trikaal''. Her appearance in ''
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 ...
'' (1992), directed by
Pradip Krishen Pradip Krishen (born 1949) is an Indian filmmaker, naturalist and environmentalist. He directed three films, '' Massey Sahib'' in 1985, '' In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones'' in 1989 and '' Electric Moon'' for Channel 4, UK in 1991. His films ...
, turned out to be her last cinematic role. She turned down
Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (; born as Shrishti Nath Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered to be one of the greatest and most influen ...
four times when he approached her for casting her in his films. David Lean wanted to cast her as Tonya in ''Dr. Zhivago'', Satyajit Ray wanted to make a film with her and Marlon Brando. Leela Naidu produced a documentary on mentally challenged children ''A Certain Childhood'', which was Kumar Shahni's first directorial project under the banner of Leela Naidu Films. Later, she registered under Unicorn Films to make another film ''Houseless Bombay'', but it was never made. She briefly held a job as an editor at the Bombay-based magazine ''Key Notes''. 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 Rai Bahadur Mohan Singh Oberoi (15 August 1898 – 3 May 2002)Mohan Singh Oberoi ...
, the founder of the luxury
Oberoi Hotels The Oberoi Group is a luxury hotel group with its head office in New Delhi, India. Founded in 1934, the company owns and operates 32 luxury hotels and two river cruise ships in 7 countries, primarily under its Oberoi Hotels & Resorts and Triden ...
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 ( ; 11 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was an Indian Philosophy, philosopher, speaker, writer, and Spirituality, spiritual figure. Adopted by members of the Theosophy, Theosophical tradition as a child, he was raised to fill ...
while in London, and was deeply attracted to his teachings. In 1969, she was married for the second time, to
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
poet Dom Moraes. They lived in
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
,
New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
, and Mumbai for about 25 years. After the relationship ended, Naidu led a somewhat reclusive life in
Colaba Colaba (; or ISO 15919, ISO: Kolābā) is a part of the city of Mumbai, India. It is one of the four peninsulas of Mumbai while the other three are Worli, Bandra and Malabar Hill. During the Portuguese rule in the 16th century, the island was ...
, Mumbai.


Death

Leela Naidu's separation from her second husband Moraes caused her to retire from public life. She lived alone, in an elegant and large old flat bequeathed to her father by the Tatas, at Sargent House, in old Bombay the by-lane of the Colaba Causeway, Mumbai. Naidu spent most of her last decade indoors but had a steady roster of visitors as she was an excellent conversationalist. She would call her friends and keep in touch with both her daughters and grandsons. Her daughter Priya died of a heart attack on 8 February 2008. Leela Naidu died in Mumbai on 28 July 2009, due to lung failure after a prolonged bout of
influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...
, at the age of 69.Leela Naidu dead
CNN-IBN CNN News18 is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides international coverage for the c ...
28 July 2009.
Her funeral was held on 29 July in Chandanwadi Crematorium attended by her daughter Maya, grandchildren and friends.


Books

* ''Leela: A Patchwork Life'' co-authored with Jerry Pinto. Penguin Group, 2009.


Filmography


Films

*'' Anuradha'' (1962), aka ''Love of Anuradha'' (International: English title) .... Anuradha Roy *'' Umeed'' (1962) *'' Yeh Raste Hain Pyar Ke'' (1963) .... Neena *''
The Householder ''The Householder'' (Hindi title: ''Gharbar'') is a 1963 film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with direction by James Ivory (in his feature directorial debut) and a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory, and direction of James Ivor ...
'' (1963), aka ''Gharbar'' .... Indu *''Baghi'' (1964) *'' Aabroo'' (1968) .... Sharda *'' The Guru'' (1969) .... Girl at the Party *'' Trikaal'' (Past, Present and Future) (1985) .... Dona Maria Souzasoares *''
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 ...
'' (1992) .... Socks


Television

*'' Man of the World'' .... Dr. Bahandi (1 episode – "The Frontier", 1962) *'' Channing'' The Face in the Sun (1 episode – "The Young and the Bold", 1964) .... Anna


References


External links

*
May you stay forever young:Profile




{{DEFAULTSORT:Naidu, Leela Indian film actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema 20th-century Indian actresses Femina Miss India winners 1940 births 2009 deaths Actresses from Mumbai Telugu people People from Chittoor district Indian television actresses Actresses from Andhra Pradesh Female models from Andhra Pradesh Actresses in Hindi television Moraes family