Laila Mehdin
| Laila | |
|---|---|
| Born | 24 October 1980 |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1996–2006 |
| Spouse(s) | Mehdi (2006–present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Website | http://www.laila.net/ |
Laila is an Indian actress. She has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi language films. She is probably best known for her critically acclaimed and award-winning performances in the Bala-directed films Nandha (2001), Pithamagan (2003), the commercial blockbusters Dheena (2001) and Dhill (2001).
Career
She made her debut in the Telugu film Egire Paavurama (1996) directed by S V Krishna Reddy. Laila began to receive offers from prominent directors to feature in Tamil films and turned down films such as Dharma Chakram and Kadhal Palli by K S Ravikumar and Pavithran respectively. She subsequently signed on to appear in the lead role in VIP after Pooja Kumar had walked out of the project. However, Laila was left unimpressed when the producer asked her to consider changing her stagename to Pooja, as the invitations for the film had already been printed, and furthermore, she revealed that she was unaware of Rambha also being a heroine in the film. Laila subsequently dropped out of the project, wanting to make her Tamil debut in a film where she played the sole heroine.[1]
The Mumbai-based Laila then worked with Ajith in Dheena and Parthen Rasithen with Prashanth.
Then came Dhill and Pithamagan with Vikram. In between, Laila took a break and went back to Mumbai. However, she returned to Kollywood with a big bang. Her role in the movie Ullam Ketkumae won her accolades from the masses. She was one of the successful Tamil actresses for a brief time.
Personal life
She got married to Mehdi, an Irani businessman, on 6 January 2006. She dated him for 8 years before marriage. According to Laila, they were engaged for four years before marriage. The couple has two sons, aged 6 and 8. She is Goan but speaks English at home and she is a Roman Catholic.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Dushman Duniya Ka | Lata | Hindi | |
| 1997 | Egire Paavurama | Telugu | ||
| Ugadi | Telugu | |||
| Pellichesukundam | Laila | Telugu | ||
| Kelona | Urdu | |||
| Itha Oru Snehagatha | Hema | Malayalam | ||
| 1998 | Khaidi Garu | Telugu | ||
| Pavitra Prema | Dr.Shakunthala Devi | Telugu | ||
| Subhalekalu | Telugu | |||
| Love Story 1999 | Meena | Telugu | ||
| 1999 | Kallazhagar | Andal | Tamil | |
| Mudhalvan | Shubha | Tamil | ||
| Naa Hrudayamlo Nidurinchee Cheli | Telugu | |||
| Rojavanam | Roja | Tamil | ||
| 2000 | Parthen Rasithen | Sarika | Tamil | |
| Nuvve Kavali | Telugu | Special appearance | ||
| Devara Maga | Kannada | |||
| 2001 | Dheena | Chithra | Tamil | |
| Dhill | Aasha | Tamil | ||
| Alli Thandha Vaanam | Divya | Tamil | ||
| Nandha | Kalyani | Tamil | Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actress | |
| Kamarasu | Vasanthi | Tamil | ||
| Moosa Khan | Urdu | |||
| 2002 | Unnai Ninaithu | Nirmala | Tamil | |
| Mounam Pesiyadhe | Tamil | |||
| 2003 | Three Roses | Nandhu | Tamil | |
| Pithamagan | Manju | Tamil | Filmfare Award for Best Tamil Actress Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Actress ITFA Best Actress Award | |
| War and Love | Serina | Malayalam | ||
| Swapnakoodu | Malayalam | Guest appearance | ||
| 2004 | Gambeeram | Vijayalakshmi | Tamil | |
| Jaisurya | Baby | Tamil | ||
| Rama Krishna | Lakshmi Vishwanath | Kannada | ||
| Mr & Mrs Sailaja Krishnamurthy | Sailaja | Telugu | ||
| 2005 | Ullam Ketkumae | Pooja | Tamil | |
| Kanda Naal Mudhal | Ramya | Tamil | ||
| Insan | Indu | Hindi | ||
| 2006 | Paramasivan | Malar | Tamil | |
| Thandege Thakka Maga | Pancharangi | Kannada | ||
| Thirupathi | Tamil | Special appearance | ||
| Mahha Samudram | Devi | Malayalam |