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The Popular Sinhala Cinema : Rukmani Devi; Mohideen Baig ; Gamini Fonseka – by Laleen Jayamanne Source : island Rukmani Devi, the first star of the Sinhala cinema and incomparable singer with a unique voice, originally known as Daisy Rasamma Daniel, was a Tamil Christian. It was well known that she couldn’t read or write Sinhala and that her dialogue and lyrics were written in English. Al-Haj Mohideen Baig, who sang some of the most cherished, perennial popular Sinhala film songs (including Budhu Gee), wrote down the Sinhala lyrics in his mother tongue, Urdu. The multilingual Mohideen Baig came to Lanka in 1932 for his brother’s funeral and stayed on. With the guidance of Mohammed Gauss at Columbia records, he began singing on radio soon after. In India he had sung Ghazals in Urdu in his village Salem and also Hindi and Tamil songs. Once film production began in Lanka, he ...

May 20, 2023 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged cinema, Daisy Rasamma Daniel, film production, Gamini Fonseka, Lankan film industry, Mohideen Baig, Rukmani Devi, Sinhala cinema

PRASANNA VITHANAGE ACCLAIMED PIONEER IN THE THIRD GENERATION CINEMA MAKERS EXCELLED TO UNPARALLELED TALL ALTITUDES WITH MANY AWARDS – By Sunil Thenabadu Image Source : hindustantimes Udaya Prasanna Vithanage born 14 March 1962 is an acclaimed Sri Lankan filmmaker. He is considered one of the pioneers of the third generation of the Sri Lankan cinema. He has directed many feature films including Death on a Full Moon Day (1997), August Sun (2003), Flowers of the Sky (2008) , With You, Without You (2012) had won many prestigious national and international awards , had also been commercially successful director cum producer of films in Sri Lanka. Prasanna’s parents in Panadura had instigated and stimulated him, the duo’s only child to like films not having any intention of making him a monthly wage earner in a government department. When Prasanna was taken to watch films , he was in the second standard at ...

Nov 19, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Sunil Thenabadu Tagged Akasa Kusum, Anantha Rathriya, films, Gamini Fonseka, Prasanna Vithanage, sabeetha perera, Sanath Gunatilleke, Sisila Gin Gani, Sri Lankan film maker. Sri Lankan cinema

NADEEKA GUNASEKERA PHENOMINAL AUTOGRAPHED, ONLY FEMALE GRADUATE ACTRESS HAVING PORTRAYED CINEMATIC ROLES INITIALLY WHILE STILL AN ADVANCED LEVEL STUDENT, CLIMBED TO THE SUMMIT OF CELEBRITY – By Sunil Thenabadu The decades of the seventies and eighties the Sinhala films were in the said ‘Swarname Ugaya”. In the end of 1970 decade Sandya Darshani Gunasekera had entered the cinema changing her name to be more appropriate to an actress to Nadeeka Gunasekera This had been to camouflage her correct name as she was in the advanced level class with just three months to the university entrance examination. The history teacher Ms Ranatunga had warned her as the Principal Ms Fernando was very strict. for her participation in films as studies had to be given precedence. Nadeeka had told her mother she wants to enter the University to do a degree and will not continue has acting vocation as she was a ...

Nov 13, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Sunil Thenabadu Tagged Amarasiri Kalansuriya, Chanchala Rekha sinhala film, D.R Nanayakkara, Devika Mihirani, Dilhani Ekanayake, Dr Lestor Pieirs, film Ahinsa, film Baddegama, Gamini Fonseka, Joe Abeywickrema, Malini Fonseka, Nadeeka Gunasekera, Okkomaha Hari film, Parakrama Silva, popular actors, popular actresses in sri lanka, Ramya Wanigasekera, Rodney Jonklass, Sabitha Perera, Sanath Gunatilleke, Sinhala films, Sri Lanka film corporation, Sri Lankan actress, Sriyani Amarasena, Sumithra Pieris, Sunil Ariyaratne, Swarna Mallawarachchi, Tony Ranasinghe, Vasanthi Chathurani, Vijaya Kumaratunga, Wally Nanayakkara

LEGENDARY INDRANI PERERA REMINISCED AFTER SIX DECADES OF DOMINANCE IN MELODIC ARENA – by Sunil Thenabadu Indrani Perera is the celebrated Sri Lankan singer and playback singer labeled as the “Nightingale of Sri Lankan music” who was along with Clarence Wijewardena and Annesley Malewana are known as the “Original Sinhala Pop Trio”. She was born in Borella ,a resident of Rajagiriya is the second of three girls in the family. Her father, Abeypala Perera was a Buddhist, mother, Muriel Perera was a Christian. She has one elder sister, Mallika and one younger sister, Iranganie. Indrani studied at Presbyterian Girls School in Regent Street., Clifford Girl’s College and later at Stafford College to study medicine having been interested to be a doctor. Indrani had been an avid reader focusing mainly on Martin Wickremasinghe’s novels. She had studied Kandyan Dancing in the school but had been following, singing mainly English songs. Her sister Mallika ...

Oct 25, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Sunil Thenabadu Tagged Annesley Malewana, Clarence Wijewardena, Dilhani Duwani, Gamini Fonseka, Indrani Perera songs, LIONEL ALGAMA, Music, Original Sinhala Pop Trio, Sri Lankan music, Three Sisters, WD Amaradeva

Lester and Ceylon Theatres : The Peak of a career-By Uditha Devapriya Source:Island The three films that Lester James Peries directed for Ceylon Theatres – Golu Hadawatha (1968), Akkara Paha (1969), and Nidhanaya (1970) – stand out among the finest ever made in this country. They are an affirmation of life, sweeping epic-like fables that seem to tell us about ourselves, who we are and how we live. When Ceylon Theatres commissioned Peries to take on these projects, it was allegedly on the verge of bankruptcy. As he recalled for A. J. Gunawardena many, many years later, the company had reached a point where it preferred serious, low budget productions to expensive box-office flops. The trilogy marked Peries’s second foray into a production financed by a mainstream studio. The first was, of course, Sandeshaya, produced by K. Gunaratnam. But Sandeshaya was of a totally different calibre, mainstream and conventional in ...

Oct 9, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged Ananda Jayaratne, Ceylon Theatres – Golu Hadawatha, Gamini Fonseka, Lester James Peries, Martin Wickramasinghe, P. E. Anthonypillai

Tony Ranasinghe multifaceted, multi-talented stage, film debonair thespian character actor, author, script writer,most romantic lover in our films – By Sunil Thenabadu As a schoolboy, Tony had been too shy to take part in plays but as a grownup, he yearned to be an actor. Even as a schoolboy he had been enamoured of acting but his shyness had stood in the way. But now the acting bug bit him hard. He was drawn towards acting Tony is one of the few actors in our country who uses facial expressions in whatever role he plays in the most natural way. This makes him so unique Tony’s cherished ambition to blaze a name for himself on the silver screen remained unfulfilled for many years. He went for interviews and auditions but was unsuccessful. The yearning to act on screen was stirring within him but try as he might, Tony just could ...

Sep 7, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Sunil Thenabadu Tagged Anthony de Silva, Delovak Athara, Gamini Fonseka, Joe Abeywickrama, Lester James Peries, Ralex Ranasinghe, silver screen, Sinhala cinema, Sinhala films, Sri Lankan film, Sugathapala De Silva, Tony, Tony Ranasinghe, Vanisiye Welenda, Vijaya Kumaratunga

ANANDA WICKRAMAGE UNDISPUTED KING OF COMEDY WITH RHYTHEM, TIMING AND PACE – FOUR AND A HALF DECADES IN AN EFFERVERSCENT VOYAGE IN CELEBRITY – by Sunil Thenabadu Ananda Wickramage the renowned actor on stage, small screen and theatre is identified as a comedy character with a dry sense of sarcastic humor, bit silly, lighthearted shameless and eccentric. Ananda knowing his comedic qualities to unprecedented tall heights has assisted him in identifying specific comedy characters throughout his tenure in acting to date even prior to the advent of television. Ananda possesses unique personality traits to remain at the top to date in his prolonged acting career spanning for approximately over four and a half decades. Each character portrayed sans any blemish has its own comedic attributes, inevitably the diverse audiences would experience a natural, organic merge. Focusing on Ananda’s comedy character will help him find the all-important comedic niche whether on stage, television or silver screen. Ananda has been throughout his tenure as an ...

Jun 22, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Sunil Thenabadu Tagged actor, Ananda Wickramage, Bandula Vithanage, Cyril Wickremage, Gamini Fonseka, handra Kaluarachchi, Lakshman Wijesekera, Lucian Bulathsinhala, Sri Lanka, teledrama, Vasanthi Chathurani, Wijaya Dharmasri Ravindra Randeniya, Wimal Kumar de Costa

Shyami Fonseka: Phenomenal songster reminiscence – by Sunil Thenabadu Shyami Fonseka is a popular vocalist, who possesses a good singing voice, self confidence, love for music, commitment, patience, determination, and discipline with ability to accept criticism. Above all Shyami has hereditary affiliations for her journey in music as father and grandfather both competent musicians with ability to sing and play any musical instrument. Father is a full time musician, mother is a teacher all six siblings three in each gender all could sing well. Hence from her younger days music was heard within her dwelling. Together with her innate singing ability it was a morale booster for Shyami to pursue a career in singing which she had commenced in around year 1976. She had been never thought music by anyone but the environment at home had made her to be a self-made and thought vocalist. Shyami had confessed that it ...

May 16, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged Annesley Malewena, Clarence Wijewardena, Gamini Fonseka, Geeyakin Kese, KDK Dharmawardena, Milton Mallawarachchi, RAJIV SEBASTIAN, Rasa Pirunu katha, Sarath Dassanayake, Sena Samarasinghe, Sinhalese songs, Somapala Leelananda, Sri Lankan music, Sri Lankan singers, yceum International School in Colombo, ‘voice training

The Jetliners Ada Api Inney අඹ ගහ යට Underneath the Mango Tree – by Patrick Ranasinghe The Jetliners This is the Sinhala version of “Underneath the mango tree” from the first James Bond movie “Dr. No”. , sung by Mignonne Fernando with the backing of the original Jetliners (featuring original lead guitarist, Lucien Perera).This song was from the Sinhala movie සතා පනහ “Satha Panaha” starring Gamini Fonseka and Sandya Kumari. The song was mimed by Sandya Kumari in the movie. The Original Jetliners were the first western group to be featured in a cameo role in this film, playing the James Bond theme. Enjoy it. Patrick Ranasinghe ...

Mar 15, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles, Patrick Ranasinghe Tagged Dr. No, Gamini Fonseka, James Bond movie, Sandya Kumari, Satha Panaha, Underneath the mango tree

H. R. Jothipala: Sinhala Cinema’s Most Popular Playback Singer-By D. B. S. Jeyaraj Hettiarachchige Reginald Jothipala known as Jothipala and Jothi was arguably Sinhala cinema’s most popular playback singer. He did sing over the radio, perform in stage shows and make records and audiotapes. Yet he was essentially a playback singer of Sinhala film songs. Many regard him as the finest of them all Jothipala excelled as a singer of Sinhala film songs in a singing career that spanned more than three decades from 1954 to 1987. Jothi sang over thousands of songs in hundreds of films The handsome Jothipala also acted in 35 films of which two were produced by him. Jothi lived for only 51 years on this planet but he enjoyed great popularity and had a huge fan following during the greater part of those years Jothipala was a loveable personality. What endeared Jothi to most persons ...

Feb 26, 2022 Posted by eLanka admin In Articles Tagged Gamini Fonseka, H.K. Podinona Perera, H.R Jothipala, R.A. Chandrasena