Leela was born into a family of professional theater artists in 1943 at Davangere, Karnataka Her father Chindodi Veerappa had established the K.B.R.

Leela has acted in over 32 movies that include Kittur Chennamma, Gaali Gopura, Krishnadevaraya and Sharapanjara, Puttana Kanagal’s Sharapanjara, Tumbida Koda and Gaanayogi Panchakshari Gavayi[3] She rose to fame with her performances in Shakuntala, Lankadahana, Matanga Kanye, Hemareddy Malamma, Gunasagari, Veera Babruvahana, and Belli Bangara in subsequent year.

In 2000, she toured United States and United Kingdom with the help of Government of Karnataka to promote her plays Kitturu Chennamma, Tippu Sultan, and Jagajyothi Basa- veshwara [1] She produced a film, Hamsalekha, about Panchakshari Gavaayi, a blind musician, which won numerous central government and state awards.She was developing the young kids in drama "HASYA KALAHA" from the school of RJS in Ravindrakalkshithra " She ran the Karnataka Nataka Academy for more than three decades, acted in more than 20 films, and was a member of the Karnataka Legislative Council.

A small green park on the outskirts of Davangere, a first of its kind in the country to preserve the legacy of a theatre personality.

At the center of the part is a tall statue of Leela, the figurines installed across the park give a peek into the versatility of the actor, interior walls bear the pictures of famous roles played by Chindodi Leela, and the exteriors sport drawings that depict the rural life, and above all, a Ranga Dhwaj, a ceremonial flag depicting theater.