Leela's famous drama show, Polisana Magalu (daughter of the police) had seen 4,500 shows and created a Guinness record.
Theatre artiste and actress Chindodi Leela, whose famous drama show, Polisana Magalu (daughter of the police) had seen 4,500 shows and created a Guinness record, passed away at a private hospital in the city on Thursday night. She was 74.
Leela has also acted in 32 movies, including Puttana Kanagal’s Sharapanjara, Tumbida Koda and Gaanayogi Panchakshari Gavayi.
Her body will be kept for public viewing at Gubbi Veeranna Ranga Mandir on JC Road between 6 am and 12 noon on Friday. It will be taken to Davangere district on Saturday for cremation.
With Leela’s demise, the Kari Basava Rajendra (KBR) drama company, which was headed by her, has lost an active leader and guide.
Hailing from Davangere district, Leela entered theatre at the age of seven. She got recognition immediately for her role in Halli Hudugi.
As a child artiste with KBR, Leela, with her frill frocks, soon won accolades not just in the district but in various other parts of the state, too.
In its 80 years of existence, the KBR has produced 58 plays and has given more than 20,000 performances, including over 2,000 stage shows in the border areas of Belgaum.
As a child artiste, she actively contributed to the cause of the freedom struggle. She was part of a play called Mahatma Gandhi, which was later banned by the British government in 1947. Later, she would go on to hog the limelight as the leading lady in various plays.
Her experiences during the freedom struggle made her a fiercely confident woman in her later life.
Leela took the responsibility of the company from her brother and continued its legacy.
Since 1981, Chindodi Bangaresh and Chindodi Srikantesh have been running the branch companies, while Chindodi Shambhulingappa has been running the touring company since 1998.
Chindodi Leela’s KBR Drama Company produced the Kannada film, Eshtu Nagthi Nagu.
Former president APJ Abdul Kalam attended the celebrations to
mark 80 years of the drama company on August 28, 2009.
Leela had always wanted to own a theatre that would host plays and cultural exhibitions and would run without any government grant or donation.
Her idea was to charge only maintenance fees from those who wanted to hire the theatre. But this dream of hers did not come true.
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