Lekha Washington

Lekha Washington is an Indian film actress, artist and product designer, who has appeared in Tamil, Hindi, Telugu and Kannada language films. She was first recognised for her work as a sculptor in 2002 and then as a theatre actress in Chennai based stage plays. After appearing as a video jockey with SS Music, Lekha's breakthrough film role was as an independent estranged sister in Jayamkondaan (2008), whilst she has gone on to portray roles in the multi-starrer Vedam and the comedy Va.

Lekha Washington
in 2008
Born30 April 1983
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
NationalityIndian
Alma materStella Maris College, Chennai
OccupationActor, product designer, artist, lyricist
Years active2007 – present

Early life

Lekha Washington was born in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India to a father of mixed Burmese, Italian and Punjabi ancestry, Kenneth, and a Maharashtrian mother, Geeta.[1] Despite the mixed heritage, Lekha has stated that she prefers herself as Tamilian due to her upbringing in Chennai and speaks English, Tamil and Marathi at home.[2] She is a huge fan & supporter of Chennai Super Kings in IPL.[3]

Lekha did her schooling in Good Shepherd Convent, Chennai [4] and later pursued a degree in Fine Arts at Stella Maris College, Chennai and went on to attend the National Institute of Design taking courses, first in Lifestyle Product Design, and then re-applying to enrol in the Film and Video Communication course. During her time studying film-making, she opted for a career in "front of the camera, rather than from behind".[2] During her time on the course, she made three short films called Spoonerism, Catch 22 and Sunn with locations ranging from Myanmar to Mauritius.[5]

Career

While pursuing her education, she decided to appear in Chetan Shah's experimental English film, Framed, and subsequently received offers to be a music video jockey from SS Music. In early 2007, Lekha was signed on to play the lead role of an orthodox Tamil Brahmin girl alongside Silambarasan in his project Kettavan, after the actor and the film's director Nanthu had spotted her at a cinema hall. She replaced the team's original choice Sana Khan in the lead role, but despite completing a schedule, the film was shelved and later cancelled after the lead actor and director had creative differences.[6][7][8] She had earlier made an uncredited appearance in a song from the 1999 romance film Kadhalar Dhinam and also made a guest appearance in director Jeeva's 2007 film Unnale Unnale as a bride at a wedding. In November 2007, Lekha signed on to play a supporting role in R. Kannan's directorial debut Jayamkondaan alongside Vinay Rai and Bhavana (actress).[9] Appearing as Vinay Rai's estranged stepsister, Brindha, in the film, Lekha won critical acclaim for her role with a reviewer citing that she "sparkles as the half sister in a well etched role" and is "the surprise packet and has the credentials to make it big".[10] Another critics cited that Lekha "pulls off with élan" and "her costume spells class and character as does her performance", and subsequently the film went on to become a critical and commercial success.[11]

In 2010, Lekha appeared in three films in three regional languages. Her first release was in the multi-starrer Vedam, where she played a role as a part of the troupe of a lead character, Manoj Manchu. The film won positive reviews, and Lekha's small role was labelled as "adequate support" by critics, as the film enjoyed a successful run commercially.[12][13] She then appeared in Pushkar-Gayathri's comedy film, Va, playing a suicidal schoolgirl who meets the characters of Shiva and Charan on an election night in Chennai. The film received average reviews, whilst Lekha's portrayal also received mixed acclaim with a reviewer citing that she "carries off her role of a dimwit quite well", whilst another cites that she "does not impress and needs to brush up her acting skills and lip sync".[14][15] Her final release of the year was the romantic Kannada film, Huduga Hudugi opposite Sameer Dattani, which became a commercial and critical failure, with Lekha receiving mixed reviews for her role.[16][17]

Lekha was signed on to appear in her debut Hindi film, John Owen's Peter Gaya Kaam Se beating hundred other actresses in an audition, after the producers felt that "she looked like a super model, could play football and was an Anglo-Indian".[18][19] The film opposite Rajeev Khandelwal features Lekha as Mira, an undercover agent, but is yet to release, after disputes between the producers and the director.[20] She has also shot for another Hindi project, Power by Rajkumar Santoshi, featuring her as Sneha alongside Amitabh Bachchan, Anil Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt and Ajay Devgan, though the film has been delayed.[21] In 2013, Lekha was seen in Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola as Imran Khan's friend.[22] She won acclaim for her portrayal of a Tamil Brahmin bride in the romantic comedy Kalyana Samayal Saadham (2013), before portraying a guest role in the action thriller Arima Nambi (2014).

Other work

Lekha currently owns and runs a product design company called Ajji and has recently launched her first range of products in the Pallate store in Mumbai. She currently holds two patents to her name with respect to the products she has created. Lekha has also enjoyed success as a sculptor, being featured by The Hindu newspaper in January 2002 for her maiden exhibition, Exhibition A, for which she won critical appraisal.[23] In January 2011, she showcased her work in an exhibition in New Delhi.[24]

Lekha Washington has also been involved in English stage plays held in Chennai, featuring in Madras Player's production of Twelfth Night in 2002 as Viola.[25] She has also been active in directing the theatre troupe, Khel.

During the maiden season of the Indian Premier League, Lekha was signed on to anchor an analysis and interview show which provided coverage of the cricket played.[26] To prepare for the role, Lekha did research through cricketing journals and enlisted help from Ajay Jadeja, hoping for her reporting to reach a widespread audience. Notably during her time as a reporter, she was briefly criticised for asking umpire Asad Rauf which franchise he had rooted for, as a part of a joke.[2] However, her stint was considered successful and helped her gain more offers from film producers.[27]

Filmography
YearFilmRoleLanguageNotes
1999Kadhalar DhinamGirl at ComputerTamilCameo appearance in "O Maria" song
2004YuvaGirl at embassyHindiCameo appearance
2007FramedViniEnglish
Unnale UnnaleBride at a WeddingTamilCameo appearance in "Ilamai Ullasam" song
2008JayamkondaanBrinda SekharTamilNominated, Vijay Award for Best Supporting Actress
2010VedamLasyaTelugu
VaSaraswathiTamil
Huduga HudugiSoniaKannada
2013Matru Ki Bijlee Ka MandolaKaminiHindiCameo appearance
KaminaVasukiTelugu
Kalyana Samayal SaadhamMeera ChandrasekaranTamil
2014Arima NambiMegha SharmaTamilGuest appearance
Peter Gaya Kaam SeMiraHindi
2015DynamiteNeha SharmaTeluguGuest appearance

As lyricist

Notes
  1. Wrote the lyrics for two songs: "Shimmy Shake" and "Be Still"

References
  1. "She was never much of a cricket buff – Entertainment – DNA". Dnaindia.com. 24 May 2008. Archived from the original on 1 October 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  2. "Bowled over". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 14 June 2008. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  3. "She was never much of a cricket buff". 24 May 2008. Archived from the original on 26 October 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  4. "Art, Life and Filtered Water: The Lekha Washington Interview". Sinndhuja Ramprasad. Silverscreen. 4 May 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2018.
  5. Archived 2 February 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  6. "Lekha Washington remains in 'Kettavan'". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 13 October 2007. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  7. "Kettavan actress downplays Simbu's playboy image – Oneindia Entertainment". Entertainment.oneindia.in. 24 July 2007. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 19 November 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2017.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  9. "Vinay signs a film!". Sify.com. 14 November 2007. Archived from the original on 19 October 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  10. "Jayam Kondaan". Sify.com (Moviebuzz). Archived from the original on 16 September 2012. Retrieved 29 August 2008.
  11. "The makings of a winner". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 5 September 2008. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  12. "Vedam is outstanding". Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 14 March 2011.
  13. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 November 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Review : (2010)". Archived from the original on 7 September 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  15. "Archived copy". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 14 November 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. "'Huduga Hudugi' is a remix of Bollywood blockbusters (Kannada Film Review)". Archived from the original on 19 February 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  17. "Nothing new in Huduga Hudugi". Archived from the original on 18 January 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  18. "What's in a name, asks Lekha". The Times of India. 12 November 2009. Archived from the original on 5 November 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  19. "Lekha Washington to break hearts – Entertainment – DNA". Dnaindia.com. 11 February 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  20. "Lekha Washington goes to Bollywood!". Sify.com. 18 February 2009. Archived from the original on 21 October 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  21. "Lekha is Santoshi's latest muse". The Times of India. 8 October 2010. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  22. "Weary about future projects: Lekha Washington". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
  23. "Expressing ideas differently". The Hindu. 17 January 2002. Archived from the original on 11 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  24. "I love shaping images with clay: Lekha". The Times of India. 18 October 2010. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012. Retrieved 30 June 2013.
  25. "An evening with Shakespeare". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 8 February 2002. Archived from the original on 26 November 2010. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  26. "Lekha as Mandira Bedi in real life – Oneindia Entertainment". Entertainment.oneindia.in. 23 April 2008. Archived from the original on 10 July 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
  27. http://bollyspice.com/view.php/1390-washington-in-a-capital-performance.html%5B%5D
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