Leela Samson | |
|---|---|
 Leela Samson | |
| Born | (1951-05-06)6 May 1951 (age 74) |
| Occupation(s) | Chairperson:Central Board of Film Certification (2011–15) Director:Kalakshetra (2005–13) Chairperson:Sangeet Natak Akademi (2010–14) Actor:OK Kanmani (2015),Adithya Varma (2019),Sillu Karupatti (2019) |
| Awards | Padma Shri Sangeet Natak Akademi Award Kalaimamani (2005) |
| Career | |
| Current group | Spanda (1995–present) |
| Dances | Bharatanatyam |
| Website | www |
Leela Samson (born 6 May 1951) is aBharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, instructor, writer and actress fromIndia. As a soloist, she is known for her technical virtuosity and has taught Bharatanatyam atShriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra inDelhi for many years.[1]
She was appointed as the director ofKalakshetra by the Congress-ledUnited Progressive Alliance in April 2005.[2][3] She was subsequently also appointed as the chairperson of theSangeet Natak Akademi in August 2010[4][5][6] and as the chairperson of theCentral Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in April 2011.[7][8]
She resigned from her position as director of Kalakshetra in 2012.[9][10] She resigned from her position as chairperson of the CBFC after the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal overturned her attempt to ban the filmMSG: The Messenger of God featuringDera Sacha Sauda founderGurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a lead role and gave it clearance.[11]
She made her film acting debut in 2015 through theTamil film,OK Kanmani directed byMani Ratnam. She reprised her role in the film'sHindi remake,OK Jaanu (2017). She also appeared inAdithya Varma (2019) andPutham Pudhu Kaalai (2020).
Samson was born on 6 May 1951[4][12] inCoonoor, Tamil Nadu, daughter ofVice AdmiralBenjamin Abraham Samson and Laila Samson. Her father belonged to theJewishBene-Israelite community fromPune, and her mother belonged to theGujaratiRoman Catholic community fromAhmedabad.[12][13] Leela's paternal aunt Annie was the Principal of Anjum-e-Islam Muslim school for girls inMumbai for 31 years.[14]
When Samson was nine years of age, her father sent her toKalakshetra to learn Indian classical dance and music under the founder,Rukmini Devi Arundale and she studied in the Besant Theosophical High School at the same time.[14] She completed her B.A. fromSophia College for Women and this is where she was inspired to make her career in Bharatnatyam.[15] After completing her B.A., Samson continued to learnBharatanatyam at Kalakshetra.[16][17]
Starting her career as a Bharatanatyam soloist, Samson taught atShriram Bharatiya Kala Kendra, Delhi, andGandharva Mahavidyalaya, Delhi. Over the years, she started performing across India and abroad includingEurope,Africa and theAmericas.[16]
In 1995, Samson formed Spanda, a dance group to review the traditional vocabulary of Bharatanatyam. Two documentary films –Sanchari andThe Flowering Tree – have been made on her works.[18] Her notable disciples includedJoyce Paul Poursabahian andJustin McCarthy, who now teaches at Sri Ram Bhartiya Kala Kendra.[1] She has taught and mentored performers including the late Kamaljit Bhasin Maalik (Meeto), Jin Shan Shan (Eesha), Navtej Singh Johar and Anusha Subramanyam.[citation needed]
She authored a biography of Rukmini Devi Arundale. She has taught Bharatanatyam across the world, including at theRoyal Opera House,Covent Garden, London,[16] and the annual Milapfest in Manchester.[citation needed]
Samson has received thePadma Shri (1990),[19] the Sanskriti,Nritya Choodamani,Kalaimamani (2005) given byGovernment of Tamil Nadu,[20] and theSangeet Natak Akademi Award (1999–2000) for contributions toBharatanatyam.[21]
She was also nominated for the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress-Tamil at the 63rd Filmfare Awards South.
Samson is known for her proximity to theNehru-Gandhi of theIndian National Congress,[22][23] as she was the dance tutor ofPriyanka Vadra.[7][23] Samson held six key positions in the 10 years of Congress-ledUnited Progressive Alliance regime. Many papers including theIndian Express alleged favouritism regarding her appointment as the chairperson of the censor board by UPA govt in 2011:
Leela Samson's appointment as chairperson of the Censor Board has raised the question as to whether the well-known Bharatanatyam dancer will have time to devote to her new assignment. Last year, Samson was appointed chairperson of the Sangeet Natak Akademi, another prestigious position. The academy is the apex body for the performing arts. Samson is also ex-officio head of the south zone cultural centre. Apart from these commitments, she has a full-time job as director of Kalakshetra in Chennai. Samson, who was once Priyanka Gandhi's dance teacher, has no particular connection with the world of cinema. After her appointment, Samson candidly admitted that she seldom watches films.[23]
Samson's tenures at Kalakshetra, Sangeet Natak Akademi and the censor board were mired with many controversies amid allegations of corruption,[24] illegal appointments and arbitrary awarding of contracts,[25] as well as financial irregularities.[26]
Samson was criticised by theVishwa Hindu Parishad when she passed the 2014Aamir Khan-starrer moviePK without any cuts, even after two board members resigned after it was granted certification, due to content allegedly designed to ridiculeHindu religious philosophy and hurt Hindu sentiments. VeteranBollywood actor and a former chairperson of the censor boardAnupam Kher criticised Samson for playing politics by making partisan allegations while tendering her resignation.[27][28] This criticism was made highlighting the history of CBFC under her leadership which agreed to make cuts inEntertainment after protests by Muslim groups[29] and also agreed to make cuts inKamaal Dhamaal Malamaal after protests by Christian groups,[30] personally assuring them that "necessary action had been taken".[31]
In December 2019,Central Bureau of Investigation filed a case of corruption and criminal breach of trust against Samson and three other Kalakshetra colleagues for financial irregularities.[32]
On 23 December 2022, as a comment on a facebook post, Leela had accused a male faculty of Kakakshetra of molesting young girls of the institute. She alleged that the male faculty was in inappropriate relationsship with an intern, Athena Sadiq. The faculty as well as Athena denied the allegations and filed a criminal defamation case against Leela. The case was settled in June 2025 after a mediation. As per terms of settlement, the XVI additional civil court ordered Leela to pay her Rs. 8 lakh to Athena and publish a regret post on Fecebook.[33][34] Leela posted on Facebook,
On December 23, 2022, I put a post on Athena, former student and presently Tutor at the Kalakshetra Foundation, on Facebook. I had wrongly mentioned her name in connection with a male faculty. I regret the error and no further comments will be made by me on her in the future.[35]
It is also alleged that before making the regret post on the Facebook, Leela reduced the visibility of her post by reducing her 2000 facebook friends of her account to just 5 friends.[35]
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | O Kadhal Kanmani | Bhavani | Tamil | Debut Tamil film |
| 2017 | OK Jaanu | Charu Srivastava | Hindi | Debut Hindi film |
| 2018 | America Mappillai | Vasantha | Tamil | |
| 2019 | Adithya Varma | Adithya's grandmother | ||
| Sillu Karupatti | Yashoda | Anthology film; Segment:Turtles | ||
| 2020 | Putham Pudhu Kaalai | Bhairavi | Amazon Prime anthology film; Segment:Reunion | |
| Kaali Khuhi | Dadi | Hindi | Netflix Original | |
| 2021 | Bhramam | Irene Dicotta | Malayalam | Debut Malayalam film |
| Shyam Singha Roy | Psychologist | Telugu | Debut Telugu film | |
| 2022 | Priyan Ottathilanu | Priscilla's mother | Malayalam | |
| 2023 | Music School | Hindi Telugu | ||
| Vaan Moondru | Chitra | Tamil | ||
| Leo | Public Prosecutor | |||
| 2024 | Jananam 1947 Pranayam Thudarunnu | Gowri | Malayalam | |
| Jai Ganesh | ||||
| Andhagan | D'Susa | Tamil | ||
| Bhale Unnade | Ravethi | Telugu | ||
| 2025 | Red Flower | Tamil |
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Filmfare Awards South | Best Supporting Actress – Tamil | O Kadhal Kanmani | Nominated | [37] |
| Norway Tamil Film Festival Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Won | - |
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| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
