Leela Samson

Leela Samson
Leela Samson
Born (1951-05-06) 6 May 1951 (age 73)
Coonoor, The Nilgiris District, Madras State
(now Tamil Nadu), India
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)
AwardsPadma Shri
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Kalaimamani (2005)
Career
Current groupSpanda (1995–present)
DancesBharatanatyam
Websitewww.leelasamsondance.com

Leela Samson (born 6 May 1951) is a Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, instructor, writer and actress from India. As a soloist, she is known for her technical virtuosity and has taught Bharatanatyam at Shriram Bhartiya Kala Kendra in Delhi for many years.[1]

She was appointed as the director of Kalakshetra by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance in April 2005.[2][3] She was subsequently also appointed as the chairperson of the Sangeet Natak Akademi in August 2010[4][5][6] and as the chairperson of the Central 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 film MSG: The Messenger of God featuring Dera Sacha Sauda founder Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a lead role and gave it clearance.[11]

She made her film acting debut in 2015 through the Tamil film, OK Kanmani directed by Mani Ratnam. She reprised her role in the film's Hindi remake, OK Jaanu (2017). She also appeared in Adithya Varma (2019) and Putham Pudhu Kaalai (2020).

  1. ^ "Borders no Bar". The Indian Express. 13 June 2009.
  2. ^ "Leela Samson takes over as Kalakshetra director". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 18 April 2005. Archived from the original on 20 April 2005.
  3. ^ Leela Samson Profile artindia.net.
  4. ^ "Press Release" (PDF). Sangeet Natak Academi. 10 August 2010.
  5. ^ "Sangeet Natak Akademi chairperson Leela Samson resigns". CNN-IBN. 10 October 2014. Archived from the original on 10 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Leela Samson to be Sangeet Natak Academy chairperson". The Times of India. 1 July 2010. Archived from the original on 3 November 2012.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference tnie was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "New censor board chief Leela Samson promises balanced approach". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 2 April 2011.
  9. ^ "I'll try through my dance to find myself again". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 30 April 2012.
  10. ^ "Leela Samson to quit as Kalakshetra director". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 28 April 2012.
  11. ^ "Censor Board chief Leela Samson quits over MSG nod, govt denies interference". Hindustan Times. New Delhi, India. 16 January 2015. Archived from the original on 16 January 2015.