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Leena Manimekalai Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth7 June 1980

Age42 Years

BirthplaceSrivilliputtur, Tamil Nadu

ProfessionFilmmaker, Poet, Actor

NationalityIndian

Marital statusDivorced

FamilyFather - Iragupathi; Mother - Rama; Brother - Elango Raghupathy

Leena Manimekalai Biography

Leena Manimekalai is an Indian filmmaker, poet and actor from Srivilliputtur, Tamil Nadu. Her work often addresses social issues including caste, gender, L

Early life and background

Leena Manimekalai was born on 7 June 1980 in Srivilliputtur, Tamil Nadu. Raised in a family with a father who worked as a college professor and a brother who is also a filmmaker, she attended Holy Cross Convent in Madurai and later studied at Madurai Kamaraj University. She holds a B.E. in Instrumentation and Control Engineering and went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Filmmaking from York University in Canada. Growing up, she practised Bharatnatyam and accompanied her father to film screenings, influences that would later shape her artistic path.

Career

Leena began making films in the early 2000s. Her directorial debut in short film form dates to 2003, and she appeared as an actor in Tamil films beginning in 2004. She has directed a number of short films and features that have travelled internationally, often focusing on social themes such as women’s empowerment, caste discrimination and LGBTQ rights.

Notable early short films include Parai (2004), Connecting Lines (2005) and Goddesses (2008). Among her feature and documentary work are Sengadal (The Dead Sea) (2011) and White Van Stories (2013). She has also acted in films including The White Cat (2004), Love Lost (2005) and Sengadal (2011).

As a writer, Leena has published several poetry collections. Titles attributed to her include As a Lone Leaf (2003), The First Beautiful Woman in the World (2009), Queen of Sluts (2011), Antharakanni (2012) and Chichili (2016). Antharakanni is described in the available material as a landmark as a Tamil-language lesbian poetry book, and in her work she has been open about her bisexual identity.

Her films and literary work have been recognised at festivals and award forums. Over the years she has received multiple honours and participated in international events as a juror and visiting scholar. Awards and recognitions listed include festival trophies and fellowships spanning locations such as Chicago, Mumbai, Paris, Norway and Tokyo, as well as literary awards for her contributions to Tamil poetry.

Public profile

Leena’s filmmaking has frequently engaged with contentious and politically charged subjects. Sengadal explored the impact of the Sri Lankan ethnic crisis on fishermen and drew on her own political upbringing and involvement with anti-war activism in her youth. Her choices of topics have at times made it difficult to secure mainstream collaborators; she has said actors sometimes declined to work on her projects when they did not see commercial or recognition value in them.

Her public life has included moments of controversy. In 2018 she used social media to allege a sexual harassment incident, a complaint that was publicly disputed by the person she named. In 2022 she faced legal and public reactions connected to the poster for her documentary Kaali, which depicted a woman as a goddess holding a Pride flag and smoking; the image prompted a complaint that led to police involvement and wider debate. The same year she said she received threats related to the film’s planned release.

Leena has also been vocal about her personal beliefs and identity. She is described as an atheist and identifies as bisexual. Her social-media presence includes personal photographs and commentary; she frequently posts images of herself and of dogs she cares for.

Latest updates

In 2022 Leena released the film Kaali, which generated controversy over its poster image. Earlier projects remain part of her active body of work, and she has spoken publicly about an intention to pursue an independent film on the poet Kamala Das, a project she framed as prioritising artistic expression over commercial concerns.

Personal life

Leena was married and is now listed as divorced. She has described a difficult period in her youth when family expectations and village customs pressured her toward an arranged marriage; those experiences contributed to her decision to pursue education and a career in cinema. Her parents are named as Iragupathi and Rama.

Awards and recognition

Across two decades Leena’s films and writing have been showcased and honoured internationally. Festival awards, fellowships and literary prizes cited in available records include recognition for documentary work, festival jurieships, visiting scholar fellowships and Tamil-language literary awards.
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Recent Work

Kaali

Documentary film whose poster depicting a woman as a goddess with a cigarette and the Pride flag generated controversy in 2022.

2022
Maadathy, an Unfairy Tale

Film that received an AIFF award in 2020 (film dated 2019).

2019
Sengadal (The Dead Sea)

Feature/documentary examining fishermen affected by the Sri Lankan ethnic crisis; Indian Panorama selection (2011).

2011
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Career Highlights

  1. Directed short films and features addressing caste, gender and LGBTQ rights
  2. Published multiple Tamil poetry collections including Antharakanni, noted as a Tamil lesbian poetry book
  3. Received festival awards, fellowships and literary honours internationally
  4. Sengadal selected for Indian Panorama and awarded at Asian women cinema festivals
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Leena Manimekalai born?

7 June 1980

What is Leena Manimekalai known for?

Filmmaker, Poet, Actor

What is Leena Manimekalai’s marital status?

Divorced