Veteran Hindi film actress Leela Naidu passes away

Veteran actress Leela Naidu, who acted in a number of Hindi films as well as The Householder by Merchant Ivory Productions, died on Tuesday in  Mumbai after a prolonged illness. She was 69.Born to an Irish mother and an Indian father, Leela Naidu was crowned Miss India in 1954. “Vogue" once called her one of the five most beautiful women in the world.
 
Naidu made her debut in Balraj Sahni's Anuradha in 1960. The film didn't do well at the box office, but got the National Award for best film and she got critical acclaim. However, she became famous after her non-orthodox role with Sunil Dutt in Yeh Raaste Hain Pyar Ke (1963), based on the famous K M Nanavati vs. State of Maharashtra court case. In the same year, she was offered a role in the first Merchant Ivory Production "The Householder", which was directed by James Ivory.
Leela Naidu was first married to Bikki Oberoi, the son of Mohan Singh Oberoi -- the founder of Oberoi Hotels. Later she divorced Oberoi and married poet Dom Moraes.