Lekha Washington
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Lekha Washington (born 30 April 1984) is an Indian actress, artist, and product designer who has predominantly appeared in
Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
and Telugu language films as well as a few
Hindi films Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Hollywood". The industry, producing films in th ...
. She was first recognised for her work as a sculptor in 2002 and then as a theatre actress in Chennai based stage plays. After appearing as a video jockey with SS Music, Washington's breakthrough film role was as an independent estranged sister in '' Jayamkondaan'' (2008), whilst she has gone on to portray roles in the multi-starrer '' Vedam'' and the comedy '' Va''.


Early life

Lekha Washington was born to a father of mixed Burmese,
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
and Punjabi ancestry, and a Maharashtrian mother. Despite the mixed heritage, Lekha has stated she considers herself South Indian due to her upbringing and speaks English and
Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India **Marathi people (Uttar Pradesh), the Marathi people in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Mar ...
at home. Washington did her schooling in Good Shepherd Convent, Chennai and later pursued a degree in
Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...
at Stella Maris College, Chennai and went on to attend the
National Institute of Design The National Institutes of Design (NID) are a group of autonomous public design institutes in India, with the first institute established in 1961 in Ahmedabad. The other NIDs are located in the cities of Kurukshetra, Amaravati, Jorhat and Bho ...
taking courses, first in Lifestyle Product Design, and then re-applying to enrol in the Film and Video Communication course. During her time studying film-making, she opted for a career in "front of the camera, rather than from behind". During her time on the course, she made three short films called ''Spoonerism'', ''Catch 22'' and ''Sunn'' with locations ranging from
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
to
Mauritius Mauritius, officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island country in the Indian Ocean, about off the southeastern coast of East Africa, east of Madagascar. It includes the main island (also called Mauritius), as well as Rodrigues, Ag ...
.


Acting career

While pursuing her education, she decided to appear in Chetan Shah's experimental English film, ''Framed'', and subsequently received offers to be a music video jockey from SS Music. In early 2007, Washington was signed on to play the lead role of an orthodox Tamil
Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
girl alongside
Silambarasan Silambarasan Thesingu Rajendar (born 3 February 1984), popularly known as Simbu or by his initials as STR, is an Indian actor, producer, and playback singer who primarily works in Tamil cinema. He is the eldest son of director T. Rajendar. ...
in his project ''Kettavan'', after the actor and the film's director Nanthu had spotted her at a cinema hall. She replaced the team's original choice
Sana Khan Saiyad Sana Khan (born on 21 August in 1987/1988) is an Indian businesswoman and former actress. She primarily worked in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu language films before retiring from the industry in 2020. Early and personal life Sana Khan, b ...
in the lead role, but despite completing a schedule, the film was shelved and later cancelled after the lead actor and director had creative differences. She had earlier made an uncredited appearance in a song from the 1999 romance film '' Kadhalar Dhinam'' and also made a guest appearance in director Jeeva's 2007 film ''
Unnale Unnale ''Unnale Unnale'' () is a 2007 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language musical film, musical romantic comedy film The movie is written, cinematograph and directed by Jeeva (director), Jeeva and produced by Oscar Ravichandran. It stars Vinay Rai, Vi ...
'' as a bride at a wedding. In November 2007, Washington signed on to play a supporting role in R. Kannan's directorial debut '' Jayamkondaan'' alongside Vinay Rai and
Bhavana (actress) Karthika Menon, better known by her stage name Bhavana, is an Indian actress who predominantly appears in Malayalam films and Kannada addition to Tamil films and Telugu films. Early life Bhavana was born Karthika Menon on 6 June 1986 i ...
. Appearing as Vinay Rai's estranged stepsister, Brindha, in the film, Washington won critical acclaim for her role with a reviewer citing that she "sparkles as the half sister in a well etched role" and is "the surprise packet and has the credentials to make it big". Another critics cited that Washington "pulls off with élan" and "her costume spells class and character as does her performance", and subsequently the film went on to become a critical and commercial success. In 2010, Washington appeared in three films in three regional languages. Her first release was in the multi-starrer '' Vedam'', where she played a role as a part of the troupe of a lead character, Manoj Manchu. The film won positive reviews, and Washington's small role was labelled as "adequate support" by critics, as the film enjoyed a successful run commercially. She then appeared in Pushkar-Gayathri's comedy film, '' Va'', playing a suicidal schoolgirl who meets the characters of
Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...
and
Charan Charan (IAST: Cāraṇ; Sanskrit: चारण; Gujarati: ચારણ; Sindhi: چارڻ; IPA: cɑːrəɳə) is a caste in South Asia natively residing in the Rajasthan and Gujarat states of India, as well as the Sindh and Balochistan prov ...
on an election night in
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
. The film received average reviews, whilst Washington's portrayal also received mixed acclaim with a reviewer citing that she "carries off her role of a dimwit quite well", whilst another cites that she "does not impress and needs to brush up her acting skills and lip sync". Her final release of the year was the romantic Kannada film, '' Huduga Hudugi'' opposite
Sameer Dattani Sameer Dattani, also known as Dhyan (in the Kannada film industry), is a former Indian actor who appears in Hindi, Kannada and Tamil films. Career Born into a Gujarati family in Bombay, Dattani has worked in predominantly Hindi and Kannada f ...
, which became a commercial and critical failure, with Washington receiving mixed reviews for her role. Washington was signed on to appear in her debut Hindi film, John Owen's '' Peter Gaya Kaam Se'' beating hundred other actresses in an audition, after the producers felt that "she looked like a super model, could play football and was an
Anglo-Indian Anglo-Indian people are a distinct minority group, minority community of mixed-race British and Indian ancestry. During the colonial period, their ancestry was defined as British paternal and Indian maternal heritage; post-independence, "Angl ...
". The film opposite
Rajeev Khandelwal Rajeev Khandelwal (born 16 October 1975) is an Indian film and television actor, singer and host. He started his career directing the television series ''Filmy Chakkar''. His break as an actor was as the lead in the television drama, '' Kahiin ...
features Washington as Mira, an undercover agent, but is yet to release, after disputes between the producers and the director. She has also shot for another
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 ...
project, ''
Power Power may refer to: Common meanings * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power, a type of energy * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events Math ...
'' by
Rajkumar Santoshi Rajkumar Santoshi is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter of Hindi films. A recipient of several accolades including three National Film Awards and six Filmfare Awards, he made his directorial debut with the action drama ''Ghayal ...
, featuring her as Sneha alongside
Amitabh Bachchan Amitabh Bachchan (; 11 October 1942) is an Indian actor who works in Hindi cinema. He is often considered one of the greatest, most accomplished and commercially successful actors in the history of Indian cinema.* * * * * With a cinemati ...
,
Anil Kapoor Anil Kapoor (born 24 December 1956) is an Indian actor and producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema, Hindi films, in addition to Indian television and international films. In a career spanning over 40 years as an actor and since 2005 as a ...
,
Sanjay Dutt Sanjay Balraj Dutt (born 29 July 1959) is an Indian actor, playback singer and film producer who works in Hindi cinema in addition to a few Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Punjabi films. Dutt has won several accolades and acted in over 160 films. ...
and
Ajay Devgan Vishal Veeru Devgan (born 2 April 1969), known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director, and producer. One of the most prolific actors of Hindi cinema, Devgn has appeared in over 100 films and has won numerous accola ...
, though the film has been delayed. In 2013, Washington was seen in ''
Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola ''Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola'' () is a 2013 Indian Hindi-language satirical black comedy film directed, co-written, co-produced, and composed by Vishal Bhardwaj. The film stars Pankaj Kapur, Imran Khan and Anushka Sharma in the titular role ...
'' as Imran Khan's friend. She won acclaim for her portrayal of a Tamil Brahmin bride in the romantic comedy '' Kalyana Samayal Saadham'' (2013), before portraying a guest role in the action thriller '' Arima Nambi'' (2014).


Artistic career

Washington currently owns and runs a product design company called Ajji and has recently launched her first range of products in the Pallate store in Mumbai. She currently holds two patents to her name with respect to the products she has created. Washington has also enjoyed success as a sculptor, being featured by
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...
newspaper in January 2002 for her maiden exhibition, Exhibition A, for which she won critical appraisal. In January 2011, she showcased her work in an exhibition in New Delhi.


Other work

Washington has also been involved in English stage plays held in
Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...
, featuring in Madras Player's production of ''
Twelfth Night ''Twelfth Night, or What You Will'' is a romantic comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written around 1601–1602 as a Twelfth Night entertainment for the close of the Christmas season. The play centres on the twins Viola an ...
'' in 2002 as Viola. She has also been active in directing the theatre troupe, Khel. During the maiden season of the
Indian Premier League The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in India, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Founded in 2007, it features ten city-based Professional sports league organization, fr ...
, Washington was signed on to anchor an analysis and interview show which provided coverage of the cricket played. To prepare for the role, Washington did research through cricketing journals and enlisted help from
Ajay Jadeja Ajaysinhji Jadeja ( born 1 February 1971), known as Ajay Jadeja, is an Indian former professional cricketer. He was a regular member of the Indian cricket team in the One Day International (ODI) format between 1992 and 2000. He played fifteen ...
, hoping for her reporting to reach a widespread audience. Notably during her time as a reporter, she was briefly criticised for asking umpire Asad Rauf which franchise he had rooted for, as a part of a joke. However, her stint was considered successful and helped her gain more offers from film producers.


Personal life

An
agnostic Agnosticism is the view or belief that the existence of God, the divine, or the supernatural is either unknowable in principle or unknown in fact. (page 56 in 1967 edition) It can also mean an apathy towards such religious belief and refer to ...
, Washington in 2011 revealed that "organised religion scares er. She believes in
karma Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...
. She confirmed her relationship with journalist Pablo Chatterji in 2017, after eight years of dating and five of living together. They had a vow-exchanging ceremony on 18 November 2017 in Alibaug. They separated later. Washington started dating actor
Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...
actor
Imran Khan Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician, philanthropist, and former cricketer who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. He was the founder of the political party Pak ...
during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Amidst much media speculation, they publicly confirmed their relationship in 2024, after moving in together.


Filmography


As lyricist

* ''
Rangoon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...
'' (2017)


Notes


References


External links


Official website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Washington, Lekha 1984 births Indian film actresses Living people People of Punjabi descent Indian people of Italian descent Indian people of Burmese descent National Institute of Design alumni Actresses in Tamil cinema Actresses in Hindi cinema Actresses in Telugu cinema Actresses in Kannada cinema Indian contemporary artists 21st-century Indian women sculptors Public art in Mumbai Artists from Mumbai