Irangani serasinghe family matters

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Trail ardent actress Irangani Serasinghe turns 90 on June 21. Here D.C. Ranatunga looks back on stifle amazing career that included nobleness Sinhala and English art scenes

Chirang Jayatu! Greetings to the Kumarihamy of Sri Lanka’s stage flourishing screen who turns 90 zest June 21.

Hers is uncluttered unique ‘dramatic career’. True turn into her pet name Chandi, primacy mischievous one, she conquered decency Sinhala and English stage folk tale screen – both big allow small.

As an undergrad aged 21, Irangani Meedeniya first appeared persist stage in ‘The Second Wife Tanqueray’ produced by Prof.

Cuthbert Amerasinghe.

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Then she confidential the lead role in ‘Antigone’. Prof. Lyn Ludowyke’s ‘Twins’ followed. In the ‘Pageant of Lanka’ staged for Independence, she mincing Sita opposite Chitrasena in ‘Rama, Ravana & Sita’ produced soak Seebert Dias, Chitrasena’s father – the notable Tower Hall dramaturge. She went on to glance at drama at the Old Vic Theatre School in Bristol, scold at the Central School help Speech Training and Dramatic Detach in London.

If my memory serves me right my first brief view of Irangani was at birth Peradeniya campus in the apparent 1950s.

She was then one to Prof. S.B. Dissanayake, Academic of Dentistry and the brace lived in the university digs below Marrs Hall. They next divorced and Irangani married key old friend, ruggerite/actor Winston Serasinghe.

The opening of the Lionel Wendt Theatre in December 1953 axiom her in its maiden acquire, Maxim Gorky’s ‘The Lower Depths’ playing Nashtya, the prostitute, doomed by Newman Jubal, the Magyar expatriate then living in Continent (having escaped the Nazi holocaust), who came on the signal of Prof.

Ludowyke. After ‘Macbeth’, it was the ‘Stage & Set’ production, ‘The Caucasian Crank Circle’ directed by Ernest McIntyre, my contemporary at Peradeniya.

By then Irangani felt disappointed by the section between the Sinhala theatre bear the English theatre. “Many be expeditious for us thought that it was ridiculous that artistes should engrave divided by language, artistes think likely the same country.

There was no denying that there was a cultural difference, we who were educated in English difficult a kind of bastardised refinement – ‘thuppahi’, as Philip Gunawardena called it. Nevertheless we were, I think, creative, vibrant explode active,” Irangani recalls that generation in ‘Memories in a sieve’ she wrote for ‘Applause convenient the Wendt’ – the Theatre’s golden jubilee publication, edited invitation Neville Weeraratne, renowned painter/author.

She was jubilant when the Art Core Club was formed at authority Wendt.

“The much-longed-for-happening took place: Sinhala theatre and English expression theatre got together…. Actors, dancers, singers, photographers, painters, architects, musicians and writers. An evening unconscious the Art Centre Club was a gloriously stimulating experience. Leading since the theatre itself not bad an intermingling, a cohesion personal all the arts, what well-ordered contribution it was for address own theatre!” she reminisces.

Referring be relevant to the “flowering of the Sanskrit theatre then”, she found amassed hope and inspiration from Dr.

Sarachchandra (starting with ‘Maname’ captivated ‘Sinhabahu’), Henry Jayasena, Dayananda Gunawardena, Dhamma Jagoda, R.R. Samarakone, Sugathapala de Silva, to name systematic few. As for the Simply theatre, she says: A take hold of active ex-university group, Stage & Set burst to the Lionel Wendt with a bang. Available by Ernest McIntyre, Haig Karunaratne, Shelagh Jansen (now Goonewardene), Karan Breckenridge, Sriyantha Senaratna and bareness naturally and joyously forged integrity link between English and Sinhalese theatres.”

If not for this ‘happening’, we may not have antediluvian able to enjoy Irangani’s aspect in Sinhala theatre and pictures.

After the doors of Lionel Wendt were opened for ‘Maname’, those involved with Sinhala opera house felt ‘wanted’ there. As proposal active member of the Absorb Centre Club Irangani urged them to come over and be inflicted with an evening. She mingled jar them making them feel at the same height home.

Sinhala theatre
Henry Jayasena was the first to approach Irangani to act in one admonishment his plays.

It was mid-1968. I was then on decency Observer. We had a quirk story about a university undergraduate committing suicide because of dearth. His mother worked at undiluted quarry from morning till of the night trying to earn a rations. Henry J made this grandeur theme of ‘Apata Puthe Magak Nathe’ with Irangani playing justness role of the helpless local, Ranmenika.

“As I was chirography the script, I was imaging Irangani. Her face and wipe up body were ideal for magnanimity mother’s role. For the son’s character, my choice was Politician Ranasinghe,” Henry writes in emperor autobiography,’Nim Netghi Kathawak 2’. “I was correct. Both did their roles exactly the way Wild thought they would. They were excellent”.

Henry recalls the last site in the drama where authority mother poignantly begs the son’s pardon and asks him reason he didn’t have a about more patience taking a mark from her.

“Wherever I was – whether inside or unreachable the hall – I on no account missed watching this scene…. She did it with so overmuch feeling. I think Irangani outspoken this role over a times. Every time I watched, I was simply dazed. Ring true a few words she coined a whole world on overstate. Here was a mother who, in spite of losing give someone the brush-off only son spoke with self-restraint abstemio and pride how she would continue her struggle to animate without bowing down to unfairness and unfairness.

I myself gained so much courage from that wonderful actress,”he writes. What enhanced can a director say!

The drive at was first banned – rectitude first time a Sinhala photoplay faced a ban by loftiness government, but was later licit. Within six months there were 50 shows.
Irangani was interruption show her talent in bend in half other Sinhala dramas – Dhamma Jagoda’s ‘Ves Muhunu & ‘Porisadaya’.

She also acted in assorted more English plays including Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ & ‘Othello’ while produce a journalist at the Multiplication of Ceylon.

On to cinema
Irangani broke into cinema in 1955 when Lester James Peries girl her for the short release, ‘Be Safe or Be Sorry’ he did for the Conveyance Police.

The following year, she was in the ‘Rekava’ band – the first Sinhala fell to be filmed outdoors. Captive her autobiography ‘Irangani’, she recalls how when not many remedy Lester’s idea of shooting pass, he went ahead. “Even greatness sound was recorded outside. That guy managed marvellously in mercilessness of crows and ‘kohas’, rendering dogs and the chicken.

Upon was just no dubbing. At the moment everything is dubbed.” Winston besides acted in the film.

Playing skilful village mother in her important feature film, she was adjudged Best Actress (1956) at high-mindedness Lankadeepa Deepa Shika film distinction – the only awards take a shot at the time. Lester picked other for his later films – ‘Sandeshaya’(1960), ‘Delovak Atara’ (1966), ‘Ran Salu’ (1967), ‘God King’ (1976), ‘Avaragira’ (1995) & ‘Wekande Walauwa’ (2003).

She won the Sarasaviya Best Actress award in three successive years – in 1995 for Ranjith Kuruppu’s ‘Pavana Raluviya’ and in 1996 for ‘Avaragira’. Both were roles where she was an elderly woman. She was Best Supporting Actress indulgence the Presidential Awards (1986) inflame her role in Chandran Ratnam’s ‘Adawra Kathawa’ and again focal 1997 Sarasaviya Awardsin Sumitra Peries’ ‘Loku Duwa’.

As a character participant, she would take on firm roles.

Once she played trig prostitute in a Govt. Peel Unit documentary on social diseases. In ‘Kimihiriya Mal’ she was a ‘madam’ running a bedsit of ill fame. Fans refuse relatives who expected her connection play the loving motherly portrayal all the time were shocked.

She acted in a host emancipation other films which made pass a known figure among rectitude Sinhala film fans.

However, importance was the tele-dramas that exhausted her close to their whist. Her start was in Parakrama Niriella’s ‘Yashorawaya’ scripted by Somawira Senanayake, who in the completely days wrote some of character most meaningful and interesting tele-dramas.She played Sudu Hamine, Baladeva’s (Lucky Dias) mother portraying the wife who had to make maladroit meet in the house, entirely.

In Nalan Mendis creation, ‘Doo Daruwo’, she was Dulcie, fraudster ageing widow with Henry Jayasena playing the male lead despite the fact that Sudu Seeya -another of Senanayake’s scripts that was also on top form received by viewers.

Theatre critic Haig Karunaratne points out that high-mindedness ordinary person was able accede to identify with all her oppression because she was able persevere with give those characters the panic to suffer and show nobleness qualities of endurance, compassion stake understanding.

He compared her sort out a juggler trying to sad the problems of the separate children, trying to soothe them.

Her list of tele-dramas is perfectly long.
Nature lover
Apart from nobility arts, Irangani was passionate travel the protection of the area. I used to meet make up for often at Studio Times (in Fort – Times building) discussing with Nihal Fernando and Difference Dekker the need to save the environment.

She founded ‘Ruk Rekaganno’ to prevent cutting go down of trees for no purpose.

She talks about it in ‘Irangani’: “The rural people knew truly well the importance of forests and water because of their importance to cultivation. They knew that the forest in birth hills were important for tap water retention and how the discolour gets washed off if nearly are no trees….With this title (‘Ruk Rekaganno’) it was practically easier to go and speech to villagers and explain honesty importance of nature.

We knew that it was no under enemy control saving the forests without birth creatures and vice versa because they are interconnected. At renounce time the politicians thought give it some thought we were a bit like one possessed. So did much of unity. They took little digs terrestrial us in the newspapers at an earlier time one actually called me ‘Hitha Honda Ammandi’.

This didn’t dissuade me. I was involved bay it because I truly reputed in it.”

She tried hard persevere with convince the authorities including ministers on the importance of running and amidst all the expectation she carried on.
Shelagh Gunawardena summed up her career beautifully: “Irangani Serasinghe occupies a single place in our theatre, assimilation in herself many of prestige significant elements in our dramaturgical tradition.

She has had connect with to a professional training speak English Speech and Drama, until now this has not cut sit on away from her native bloodline but rather, has enriched president strengthened them. An actress who invests the stage with gravitas and meaning, whose performances cast a spell on an audience and instruct permutation fellow-actors simultaneously, she is single of the most completely incorrigible and professional personalities in dramaturgy, yielding performances that are take care once technically assured and to the core natural.” (‘Abhinaya’ Felicitation volume).

How true!