Leela (2002) - Turner Classic Movies

Brief Synopsis

Read More

Watching the dying embers of her mother's funeral pyre, Leela questions her life--setting in motion events that change her irrevocably. She travels to America as a visiting professor, leaving her "perfect" life behind. She thrives in the American university environment--traveling the campus in cotto

Cast & Crew

Read More

Somnath Sen

Dimple Kapadia

Vinod Khanna

Gulshan Grover

Amol Mhatre

Brendan Hughes

Film Details

Genre

Drama

Foreign

Release Date

2002

Production Company

Alok; Bharat; Birns & Sawyer, Inc.; CFI Hollywood; Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment, Inc.; Clairmont Camera, Inc.; Dinesh; Eastman Kodak; J.L. Fisher, Inc.; K K Rao; Panavision, Ltd.; Prime Focus Vfx; Ravi; Title House, Inc.; Veeru

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 36m

Synopsis

Watching the dying embers of her mother's funeral pyre, Leela questions her life--setting in motion events that change her irrevocably. She travels to America as a visiting professor, leaving her "perfect" life behind. She thrives in the American university environment--traveling the campus in cotton sarees, wearing her Indian identity on her sleeve. Kris (born Krishna), a young Indian-American, is a product of a single-parent home. Distanced from his Indian heritage, Kris is more American than his American buddies. With a hovering mother, and a father of convenience, Kris is uncomfortable in his own skin. Kris takes Leela's South Asian history class. On learning of dark secrets his mother has kept from him, Kris finds comfort in his friendship with Leela. Kris is mesmerized by Leela's quiet dignity and they develop a strong bond. Leela opens Kris to a world beyond black and white and, in turn Kris pushes Leela to crystallize the grays in her own life. She begins to scrutinize afresh her crumbling marriage to world-renowned poet, Nashaad. Nashaad's philandering ways have slowly worn down Leela's unconditional, unquestioning love for him. Things come to a head when Nashaad, realizing Leela's growing disenchantment, tries to reconnect with her. He fights to keep his love--unleashing a storm that turns everyone's lives upside down.

Director

Somnath Sen

Cast

Dimple Kapadia

Vinod Khanna

Gulshan Grover

Amol Mhatre

Brendan Hughes

Kelly Gunning

Garrett Devereux

Kyle Erby

Michelle Van Wagner

Sarayu Rao

Partha Dey

Delna Rastomjee

Joya Chatterjee

Gargi Sen

Sulekha Naidu

Sameer Thakur

Sandeep Walia

Sumita Sen

Shalena Hughes

Rajnish Sinha

Dana Duff

Douglas James

Polly Ahluwalia

Punita Khanna

Anisha Pattanaik

Deepti Naval

Crew

Alan Abrams

Production Counsel

Ben Acker

Additional Grip

Sunayna Agarwal

Asghar Ali

Ms. Kapadia'S Driver (India Unit)

Khursheed Anwar

Jennifer Banks

Art Production Assistant

Naveen Bawa

Assistant Director (India Unit)

Jeremy Besse

Assistant (To The Producers)

Reshma Bhatt

Assistant Set Dresser

Rajdip Biswas

Production Assistant (India Unit)

Abbey Booth

Song Performer ("I Stand Up")

Shonali Bose

Assistant Production Designer

Katherine Boyum

Additional 2nd Assistant Camera

Paul Braccili

John Bradaric

Additional Grip

Charles Bradford

2nd Assistant Director

Breea Burtch

Gil Carreras

Sammy Chand

Music Producer ("Makin' Basketball Moves"), Music Producer ("Moving In")

Sammy Chand

Song ("Makin' Basketball Moves"), Song ("Moving In")

Chapman/leonard Studio Equipment, Inc.

Jeff Clark

Steadicam Operator

Henry Coccetti

Michael Collins

Additional 2nd Assistant Camera

Joee Corso

Song ("I Stand Up")

Joseph Corso

Song ("Welcome To The Moment")

Joseph Corso

Song Performer ("Welcome To The Moment")

Joseph Corso

Music Producer ("Welcome To The Moment")

Shefali Dave

Ms. Kapadia'S Costumes

Peggy Davis

David Delgado

Mark Demarais

2nd Assistant Director

Kenz Desai

Music Producer ("Yogita")

Kenz Desai

Song ("Yogita")

Sanjay Divecha

Background Music Composer

Vincent Dow

Brian Drown

Post Production Engineering

Joshua Erlich

Klair Ethridge

Rick Fee

1st Assistant Camera

Anthony Fernandez

Assistant (For Ms. Kapadia)

James Fielden

Rerecording Mixer

James Fielden

Christine Fiers

Additional 2nd Assistant Camera

Miguel Flaherty

Production Assistant

Jeremy Fraye

2nd 2nd Assistant Director

Vincent G

Vica Gafur

Art Production Assistant

Lenny Gall

Production Assistant

Carlos Gaviria

Additional Cinematography

Adam Genzink

Additional Grip

Sherie Giehtbrock

Script Supervisor

Jeff Golomb

Casting Director

Michael Gonzales

Additional Grip

Pam Goodchild

Fausto Grajeda

Additional Grip

Bryan Haigh

Additional 2nd Assistant Camera

Sara Hatami

Gretchen Hatz

2nd Assistant Camera

Bryan Hayes

Karrieann Heisner

Celeste Hines

Costume Designer

Tommy Horner

Additional Grip

Timothy Horsley

Patrick Hutchings

Post Sound Coordinator

Joel Ides

Additional Grip

Jesse James

Hussein Jiffry

Background Music Composer

Erick Jolley

Erick Jolley

Dialogue Editor

Erick Jolley

Erick Jolley

Erick Jolley

Post Sound Supervisor

Erick Jolley

Erick Jolley

Sound Effects Editor

Lawrence Kane

First Assistant Director

Shobha Kavel

Ms. Kapadia'S Hair (India Unit)

Allan Keffer

1st Assistant Camera

Kati Kocsis

2nd 2nd Assistant Director

Justin Kohler

Dialogue Editor

Justin Kohler

Foley Recordist

Justin Kohler

Rajan Kothari

Director Of Photography (India Unit)

Brian Lamble

Key Set Production Assistant

Joel B Langston

Judi Le

Title Art; Title Design

Dale Lee

Transportation Coordinator

Brian Linder

Production Sound

Josh Martin

Additional Makeup

Arjun Mashal

Production Assistant (India Unit)

Anjalika Mathur

Anjalika Mathur

Era Milate

Additional Grip

Linda Miller

Shantanu Moitra

Additional Music

Dipa Motwane

Ms. Kapadia'S Costumes

Dipa Motwane

Associate Producer

Dipa Motwane

Line Producer (India Unit)

Milan Moudgill

Still Photographer

Kavita Munjal

Kavita Munjal

Sanjay Naveen

Assistant Director (India Unit)

John Novak

Josh Oliver

2nd Assistant Director; First Assistant Director

Lourdes Ortega

Production Coordinator

Suresh Pai

Yamini Patel

Anisha Pattanaik

Assistant (To The Director)

Richard Perez

Additional Grip

Bhavesh Pithadran

Ms. Kapadia'S Makeup (India Unit)

Ethan Pontz

Post Sound Assistant

Aldo Porras

2nd Assistant Camera

Nathan Prince

Bhavani Rao

Production Assistant

K K Rao

Operator (India Unit)

Richard Rasmassen

Additional Electrician

Mark R Reilly

1st Assistant Camera

Michael Reppert

Best Boy Electric

Rod Reyes

Chris Ryan

Megan Schoenbachler

Additional Electrician

Jason Scott

Dialogue Editor

Jason Scott

Sound Effects Editor

Subodh Selke

Mr. Khanna'S Makeup (India Unit)

Somnath Sen

Somnath Sen

Director Of Photography (2nd Unit)

Somnath Sen

Aradhana Seth

Production Designer

Viral Shah

Ijaz Shaikh

Art Director (India Unit)

Viral K. Shaw

Shabbir Sheikh

Chief Lighting Assistant (India Unit)

Sandip Shivaji

Focus Puller (India Unit)

Eve R Shpak

Additional Grip

Jagjit Singh

Mona Singh

Raj Singh

Executive Producer

Suparna Singh

Property Master

Rajnish Sinha

Post-Production Assistant

Rajnish Sinha

2nd 2nd Assistant Director

Hilary Six

Production Manager

Peter Smith

Additional Grip

Steven Douglas Smith

Director Of Photography

Trina Sodha

Casting Assistant

Mathew Solomon

Song ("I Stand Up")

James Spratley

Additional 1st Assistant Camera

Sumeet Srivastav

Sonya Stokes

Production Assistant

Chandan Sunderasan

Assistant Camera (India Unit)

Wayne Swab

Additional Electrician

Anne Tahim

Certified Public Accountant

Pamela Tahim

Ian Taylor

Post Sound Assistant

Mark V Tchelistcheff

Assistant (To Mr. Khanna)

Fiona Tolbin

Wardrobe Supervisor

David A Toma

Production Supervisor

Abbas Tyrewala

Lyrics ("Kanha Teri Bansuri")

Harkishan Vasa

Executive Producer

Andrew Vasquez

Ray Vecchiola

Post Sound Coordinator

Gerard Vernice

Janet Villalba

Production Assistant

Rani Vyasa

Rajiv Wadhwa

Production Assistant (India Unit)

Matt Wilbur

Chad Wilson

Steadicam Operator

Film Details

Genre

Drama

Foreign

Release Date

2002

Production Company

Alok; Bharat; Birns & Sawyer, Inc.; CFI Hollywood; Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment, Inc.; Clairmont Camera, Inc.; Dinesh; Eastman Kodak; J.L. Fisher, Inc.; K K Rao; Panavision, Ltd.; Prime Focus Vfx; Ravi; Title House, Inc.; Veeru

Technical Specs

Duration

1h 36m

Quotes

Trivia

Miscellaneous Notes

Winner of a Special Jury Award at the 2002 Reelworld Film Festival.

Limited Release in United States November 8, 2002

Released in United States April 2002

Released in United States Fall November 8, 2002

Released in United States April 2002 (Shown at Reelworld Film Festival April 4-8, 2002.)

Limited Release in United States November 8, 2002

Released in United States Fall November 8, 2002

Shown at Reelworld Film Festival April 4-8, 2002.

By using this site, you agree to our updated Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use