Views: 228
Keerthi K Ratnayake a Polymath dominant in diverse roles as Actor, Tuition Teacher ,,Theatre ,Dramatist, Lyricist ,Producer ,Director of Teledramas-by Sunil Thenabadu
Keerthi Ratnayake is an acclaimed popular award winning stage, Rupavahini, cinematic actor, director ,script writer, adjudicator at national level , critic on many fields of art, tuition teacher. lyricist, journalist, conducts workshops on stage plays,author etc Keerthi was born to a underprivileged family down south had attended a number of schools in the village and in the Colombo suburbs. His father had received lands to grow on the Lunugamvehera cultivating project though not having a fertile soil suited for cultivation but lived there had attended the ‘Tharaperiya’ junior school in Beliatte thereafter educated in Lunugamvehera Junior school then in the same senior school. His mother deserted to Colombo in search of greener pastures leaving all four boys including the youngest Keerthi had come to Colombo seeking employment. His father was engaged in farming growing paddy with the meagre income he had fed them. In certain periods the income was very low from paddy cultivation he used to be a labourer to husk coconuts, to dig holes to plant coconut trees for which he earned a meagre sum of rupees twenty or twenty five only for a day. Keerthi reminisces his father had worked with enthusiasm to earn this meagre sum to feed the four boys who had starved skipping the morning and afternoon meals . It was his father who used to cook invariably the night meal to fill the empty stomachs of the siblings. The four brothers were empty stomach until the dinner meal but there was no other alternative, however lately his Punchi Amma had assisted in cooking .Hence Keerthi has had a close binding to his father though living he felt then he died for the cause of making the four siblings live. It was emphasized that he sacrificed his likings and desires by killing them for the sake of the siblings In this stance Keerthi liked to precede death as otherwise the father ( who is now 88 years old) in the coffin will make him cry by saying by this assumption we are proceeding in the familiar road, take the prescription of the medicine to make him (Keerthi ) cry
After Keerthi, was brought to Boralesgamuwa in Colombo to meet his mother , he found the city as a ‘magic’ clad wearing his school shorts and shoes with blue T shirt .After returning home he had developed false illnesses acting as he was in somewhat in a trance shouting in a peculiar fashion screaming ‘amma’, ‘amma’ wanting to go back to Colombo to be with mother. She had worked in the . Lady Ridgeway Children’s hospital lived in a small rented out room in Rajagiriya which was insufficient for Keerthi to share hence he was left in “Ratnaramaya’ temple in Boralesgamuwa to be ordained at a time when he had been induced by JVP mania. After getting caught for watching the temple television he was beaten by the chief monk which compelled him to scoot off from the temple, instead of going home had met a friend and lived in his boarding thereafter admitted to a school in Boralesgamuwa until mother constructed a house in the Borella area.
His eldest brother had joined the army the second brother like him had dwelled in a temple who too was brought to Colombo and educated by mother. He had died in a tragic car- train accident at the time his daughter had just been admitted to a school .It is Keerthi who had looked after all her interests. Today she is after her graduation lives in Japan for which Keerthi is elated for been the father to her as well as to his son.His other brother is his twin brother had graduated from the Ruhunu campus like him is a tuition teacher doing great. There is saying the youngest in the family is the ‘Badapissa’ , Keerthi had confessed to a media he is actually in real life is a ‘Pissa’. As only for a person who could produce a story is such as explained within a ‘Nirmana Karuwa’. Who are predominantly disobedient personnel according to Keerthi., but they execute to make them succeed to win not to lead them to catastrophes or devastations, hence Keerthi is a character who often does exercises on disobediences in his playwrights. As a crazy fan of drama had connected with many such folks as close friends who were interested in drama which craze he also acquired had shadowed the stage play culture .
Until Keerthi entered the Colombo university he had lived with mother had totally disremembered the village but the person within the culture still exists having had deep dreams and imaginings to be an actor to be seen on television as his associate friends were stage actors with a huge trend which Keerthi too had acquired had dreamt to be a stage actor. But though there were a lot of conflicts in north and south the involvement in academic studies allowed him to focus on his academic career instead of taking to arms he and his colleagues took the pen and book to their advantage improving their reading culture too. During this era the Russian,France and Indian cultures were read by him and premeditated. This was an advantage as the teachers they were thought were found to be walking encyclopedias who pointed to them in order to become an actor one has to read voraciously.To this thought Keerthi visited the public library on all free days which assisted him to gather knowledge in many domains.. He used to enter the library early morning and read varied books until 7.30 pm revealed he had read almost all books on diverse categories not only on drama field in the public library, which he even continue to read now as a relaxation and hobby.For him to fall asleep too he needs to be reading some book or newspaper. This though he is not an accomplished artiste but to some extent to have succeeded because of his reading culture., in comparison to those grown as huge plants he humbly adds he is still a shrub comparable to a small tree. During the tenure of his and his colleagues in the university they had thought of their stand and what they would be in future, to which they had answered with pen and book. The results of them are what Keerthi enjoys now as an individual owning an upstairs house almost adjacent to the parliamentary complex owning a car. Keerthi commenced tuition classes when he was wondering to exist in Colombo which was expensive in the early 1990 decade at that time he had known the leading accomplished economics teacher Hemantha Jayasinghe who has had the most students after Bandula Sir.It was Hemantha Jayasinghe who wanted to do tuition alongside him to be the Sinhala teacher in his tutorial cluster.
The knowledge gained in reading voraciously had helped in his initial tuition career also on life issues by which Keerthi was able to capture a lot students to his tuition class .According to Keerthi there are no weak students only there are weak teachers.The teacher should know the precise strategies as how to teach. Keerthi says our schools are premeditated to develop bright students only. In many classrooms the students who are not bright always occupy the back benches the teachers always focus on a small cluster in the front few rows who are bright. Teachers never endeavour to bring those in back rows to the front which is a calamity explains Keerthi. He teaches the students not the manner he taught yesterday and tomorrow it will deviate too In our schools the motive is to only just teach lacks on new strategies .In a television dialogue Keerthi stressed the point where the weak students are never been honoured, he suggests a system to compliment and salute them too..As a dramatist he knew diverse ways to teach the students in order to obtain their complete attention. By this manner he was able to earn a lot of money in huge proportions in the tuition era remembered in contrast he had only the solitary white trouser, shirt and the pair of shoes he possessed when young. The amount he had earned in his acting, producing and directing drama etc were relatively negligible but he had only received popularity and famous by them. He recollected to the media, once he had to terminate tuition after birth of his son but after a long lapse but he has now has commenced tuition again.Keerthi confessed that among his students there are doctors, lawyers,permanent secretaries also some beggars.Once in a petrol queue in Maharagama area a student who had become a peasant was begging but Keerthi did not allow time to recognise him by closing his door shutter, while reminiscing this he trembles unable to imagine how this bright student was begging.There had been unpleasant happenings in his tuition era like hand bills been distributed to his Sinhala tuition students, he compared this to someone who grabs his plate of rice who are termed by Keerthi as ‘guru horu’ . Keerthi elaborates that a life is not essentially money. .
After been an accomplished tuition teacher for advanced level been at peak in year 2009 begun in the 1990 decade he stopped his established profession. From the standpoint of financial loss it was definitely true but after birth of his son Keerthi was compelled to take this radical instantaneous pronouncement. This was as his wife Madani Malwattage becoming a busy actress for the benefit of the trio this decision was taken was confirmed in a television hostility. He did emphasise the feeling one gets to a father in front of newly born baby was colossal. Madani had been admitted to Peradeniya maternity hospital for her confinement as it was in her native familiar locality. His father had called Keerthi at a moment he was extremely busy had told him a threatening like tone ’Oya Enne Nedda’ which had forced him to proceed to the Peradeniya maternity hospital leaving abruptly all his work. As Keerthi was very busy has had the intention of forgetting the wife in hospital expecting their first baby but the threatening call from Madani’s father compelled him to leave to hospital . As his face was well known he was allowed to enter to the maternity ward sans any disinclination and hesitancy. The feeling a father gets on seeing a child for the first time is difficult to express.,.Keerthi recollected a verse of legendary poet Munidasa Kumaratunga ‘ මගේ පුතා මගෙ දෑතට එන්න මේ
ඇතිද රෝසමලේ අගයෙක් ඉතින් දැක ඔබේ මුහුණේ සුරතල් සිනා මැළවුනෙ එමලයි පිපුණෙම් මමයි
Although the baby did not smile he reminisced the child did smile, Keerthi also during a ‘frequency modulated radio channel interview that there is a saying ‘a child smiles with Gods above’ .At that moment Keerthi had felt he had ‘blossomed’. Keerthi also in the same confrontation remarked this feeling each and every father would experience including his father. Through ‘Hamara Bana’ often associated with Budu Bana applying Buddha’s Buddhist teaching’s to modern life Keerthi was successful in compiling lyrics to his song was sung by Ravi Royster , when the song was heard he remembered his father after his mother deserted them.
After his son was born Keerthi has had to decide whether it was money or the development of the family which was of more significant and priority. At that instant Madani had been at her peak too having portrayed many main roles in acclaimed popular stage plays like Maname, Sinhabahu,Kelani Palama,Suba Saha Yasa etc was the sought after actress in Sri Lanka Hence Keerthi had opted to give priority to continue in her lucrative and popular acting profession.
Keerthi had initially met Madani who had come to learn drama to the National Youth Services Centre in Maharagama as a drop out from the university of visual and performing art when Keerthi was a renowned teacher in Drama school Priorly Keerthi has had interested in sixteen girls but had not prolonged as the ideas had not agreed .Keerthi had observed Madani to possess skills in abundance to go with it beauty had thought this may be my future wife, to draw attention had commenced a short drama for the annual all island drama festival focusing exclusively Madani but the drama unfortunately did not get off the blocks. Keerthi had been adjudicated as the best actor in the all island Youth drama festival was a renowned personality. In many other short drama festivals like Sarasavi Mithuro, Api Mithuro,Sesath, Navamaga Yanno etc Keethi had bagged many awards in successive years was considered an accomplished actor winning awards for best actor, best supporting actor best script writer, best production etc in many youth award ceremonies. Altogether at his residence there are forty one awards in Keerthi’s name which is very praiseworthy as only a few actors will have such a collection also he was known as a reputed individual in the drama society. This Keerthi attributed for Madini to be attracted to him . Keerthi had felt and believed that Madini had got married to him to commence her career in acting .After child birth in order to allow Madani to continue to flourish in her acting portfolio Keerthi had sacrificed a lot from his positions as an external lecturer in the university from his teaching job in Maharagama Janadhipathi College and in tuition for her to develop as an accomplished actress winning awards too at regular intervals having acted in many dramas in the school syllabus too , hence she has had opportunities to perform continuously when Keethi was performing all household chaos looking after the son and the extra burden of marketing and cooking, washing even Madiini’s under skirts, ironing etc. Keerthi recollected that when she was portraying vivid roles in Jayalath Manoratne’s plays who himself had told Keerthi to give her the liberty to act to forget about your earning from tuition classes which you could earn later. Keerthi has added it was in addition Manoratne ,legends in the dram field Douglas Siriwardena, Nissanka Diddeniya and Manoratne’s son Bhanuka’s collectively appealed to him which allowed him to stop all his professions to allow Madani to continue in her profession which then had already bloomed. This behaviour in discharging the duties of a mother had classified Keerthi as an extraordinary unusual individual However unfortunately the family life was restricted to twenty three years as may have been due to her busy schedules the family begun to rupture as it was a routine to observe a van arriving early morning daily to fetch her while she returns in the dead of night .It appeared that she was living within a fantasy, unreal, imaginary phase.Keerthi has added the ‘love’ is an essential ingredient to one’s life to millions of minds ,ultimate ecstasy, delight ,like breadth and water.Hence Keerthi loves it said ‘Mama Premayata Prema Karanawa’ , in this context losing Madani was a calamity and tragedy to him hence he likes the ‘Pem kaviya’. Those living in a physiological state of mind do not get proper feelings to work from mind only through feelings was the conclusion of Keerthi.In this circumstance Keerthi asks to himself who is responsible for this dire situation. Though Keerthi possesses a comfortable upstairs dwelling, a car and son he believed he is deprived of contentment.
To date Keerthi has been involved in portraying roles in over two hundred teledramas. He reminisced his first one was ‘Fantasy Avenue’ when he was attached to the NYSC., a few others that he recollects are Sapumal Loke,Nil Ahasa, Pawela Walakule,Maddhana, Iskole, Maha Polowa,Keerthi recollects on many main roles he portrayed in Poya Days tele films which he adored much which he appreciated as the roles were diverse not the usual ones. Keerthi added that once he commenced tuition classes but he is constantly invited to portray roles in Teledramas which has become a bit of a hassle .However nowadays he added in television dialogue the shooting in teledramas is very different to those in the eras of 1980’s and 1990’s at which the actors and actresses were given the scripts to study but these days only after arrival and make ups the scripts are given.In the good old days it was continuation of the story when the artiste new the story from where to continue.T here is a drastic change in the teledrama shooting today where about twenty scenes are shot in a day with absolutely no continuity of the story which is misleading not performed to ethics, integrity and morality , .
,Most of the above facts were extracted from the interview ‘Me mage Kathawa’ of V FM channel has had with Keerthi a few years ago penned by the writer….
Below are the titles of some of his 41 awards: In year in 1991 the ‘Swara award for the best stage play. for the best stage production 1993 Wijay Kumaratunga special merit award,in 1994 for acting special merit award, In year 1996 at State Awards ceremony special award in appreciation of his acting in ‘Horu Aragena Gihilla’’ 1999 he won his first award best drama production ‘Kiyathak Thiyenawa’, In same y won the award for best script writer in year 1999 at Youth awards ceremony, also for the best actor,In year 2019 had won the award for Sarasavi productions award festival received the ‘one in a lifetime award’ which was the most precious award awarded to Keerthi K Ratnayake. : කලාකීර්ති,භාෂාශාස්ත්ර ශිරෝමනී..නමින් ගෞරව සම්මානයක් . මේක කලාව සහ සිංහල භාෂා ගුරුවරයෙකු ලෙස කළ මෙහෙය වෙනුවෙන් ලැබුණු එකක්
Some of the names of Tele dramas in which portrayed vivid roles: Man Mulawu Man, Jeevithe Horu Aran,Nil Ahasa, Sadisi Tharanaya,Boralu Para,Divyangi,Ransiri Mal,Kindurangana, Ransirimal, Uththamavi, Hiru Thaniwela, Andara Weta,Ira Hengila. Amma, Pawela Walkule, Jathaka katha,Sanda Nodutu Sanda,Situmadura,.Lokkaiyya, Nil Ahasa, Ira Hangila etc etc
Some of the stage plays directed by Keerthi are: Meeyo Nethiwa Be,Wedithiyanno, Kiyathak Thiyenawa,Nemi, Maransarana,etc
Some Tele Films with direction for own script: Es, Sahana, Sasala, Muunu, Harubassa,Man Mulawu Man, Man Witharai, Jeewithaya Horu Aran, a number of Telefilms made for Poya days etc.
Contributions by acting in films: Gindari 2,President Super Star,Mandara,Suriya Sulanga, Sandali, Rassh. Akasha Kusum, Sparsha,Man Witharai, Wayadamma Sankara,Akasa kusum etc
Below is appended a very confidential story sent to me written in Sinhalese by Keerthi K Ratnayake never told or communicated
Written by Keerthi K Ratnayake in Sinhalese translated by Sunil Thenabadu in Brisbane e mail sthenabadu@hotmail.com
