Leela Mishra was discovered by a man called Mama Shinde, who was working for
Dadasaheb Phalke's Nasik Cinetone. He persuaded her husband to make her work in films. During those days there was a severe scarcity of women actors in films; this was evident in the paychecks that the Mishras received when they went to
Nasik for the shooting. While Ram Prasad Mishra was hired on a salary of Rs. 150 per month, Leela Mishra was offered Rs. 500 per month. However, as they fared poorly in front of the camera, their contracts were cancelled. The next opportunity that came their way was an offer to work in the movie
Bhikarin, which was being produced by a company owned by the
Maharaja of
Kolhapur. However, Leela Mishra lost out on this opportunity too, as the role required her to put her arms round the actor (who was not her husband) while delivering a dialogue, which she flatly refused to do. She faced a similar problem while working in another film titled
Honhaar. She was cast opposite
Shahu Modak as a heroine, and was supposed to hug and embrace him, which she again refused steadfastly. Since the company was legally in a weak position, they couldn't turn her out of the film, which proved to be a blessing in disguise for her. She was offered the role of Modak's mother in the film and it clicked instantly. This opened the doors for her to play mother roles at the young age of 18. ==Notable works==