Leela Samson
| Leela Samson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
6 May 1951 Coonoor, Tamil Nadu |
| Occupation | Chairperson: Central Board of Film Certification (2011–15) Director: Kalakshetra (2005–13) Chairperson: Sangeet Natak Akademi (2010–14) Actor: OK Kanmani (2015) |
| Current group | Spanda (1995–present) |
| Dances | Bharatanatyam |
Leela Samson (born 6 May 1951) is a Bharatanatyam dancer, choreographer, instructor and writer 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.
She was appointed as the director of Kalakshetra by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance in April 2005. She was subsequently also appointed as the chairperson of the Sangeet Natak Akademi in August 2010 and as the chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (an autonomous body that censors and certifies films in India, including Bollywood movies) in April 2011.
She resigned from her position as director of Kalakshetra in 2012. She resigned from her position as chairperson of the censor board after the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal overturned her attempt to ban the movie MSG: The Messenger of God featuring Dera Sacha Sauda founder Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in a lead role and gave it clearance.
She made her cinematic acting debut in 2015 through the Tamil film, OK Kanmani directed by Mani Ratnam.
Samson was born on 6 May 1951 in Coonoor, Tamil Nadu, daughter of Vice-Admiral (Retd.) Benjamin Abraham Samson and Laila Samson. Her father belonged to the Jewish Bene-Israelite community from Pune, and her mother belonged to the Roman Catholic community from Ahmedabad. Her father joined the Royal Indian Navy as a lieutenant in 1939 and was commandant of the National Defence Academy in Khadakvasla between 1959 and 1962. Leela's paternal aunt Annie was principal of Anjum-e-Islam Muslim school for girls at Mumbai for 31 years.
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