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Golden
memories of grand old lady of the silver screen As presenter
Wijeratne Warakagoda announced her name, the hall exploded into
non stop applause till she walked up to the stage, collected her
award from Prime Minister Dudley Senanayake and walked back to her
seat. Well known
film critic of Filmfare, the popular Indian film magazine, Mrs Karanjia,
who was a guest of Sarasaviya at the Awards Festival having seen
Denawaka Hamine's first film, G.D. L. Perera's 'Sama asked whether
"the old lady" could be sent to Bombay. "Our stars
will have a lot to learn from her," she said. Dr. Roger Manvell
having seen 'Sath Samudura' insisted on meeting "the old lady".
A car was sent to bring her. When she arrived, Dr. Manvell congratulated
her warmly on her excellent performance. Denawaka Hamine
(Mrs. Dona Meraya Denawaka/ Denawaka Aunty to fellow artistes) proved
that age was no barrier for acting. Until a few months before her
death last week in the mid nineties, she was a much sought after
actress. She was so natural be it on stage, big screen or the small
screen. She did not act her roles - she just lived in them. And
the audiences simply loved to see her. It was quite
by chance that Denawaka Hamine, a school teacher by profession,
turned to acting. When G. D. L. Perera formed the Kala Pela with
the intention of promoting theatre and other art forms, Denawaka
Hamine accompanied a young girl for rehearsals in a play. One day,
G. D. L. asked her to stand in to play the role of an elderly woman.
Though it was her first appearance, she acted like a veteran. So
much so that when the play was staged and she had to die, she did
it so well that the audience was dumbfounded. They wondered whether
she had actually died! The break in
'Kandulu' was followed by other Kala Pela productions 'Manamalayo'
and 'Sakkarawattang'. And when she played the role of Nonnohamy
in 'Sama' she excelled as the dominating mother. In 'Totupola',
her role as a kind-hearted village woman brought her a Merit Awards
at the annual Arts Council Drama Festival. Denawaka Hamine
broke into films in the cinematic version of 'Sama' when, with her
authentic acting, cinemagoers experienced something rare in Sinhala
cinema at the time. Her performance in 'Sath Samudura' was on par
with the best in any country. Her greatest gift was her ability
to capture the audience even when she played a very minor role.
In 'Parasathu Mal', for example, she was a perfect village gossip.
In 'Sadol Kandulu' she played the role of a domestic in the walauwe. Contracts simply
flowed in when filmmakers realised she had the potential to turn
any role into a memorable performance. Her tally of films is said
to be around 300. "I have the confidence that I can portray
any type of character. Even if they want me to play a romantic role,
I will not hesitate. Of course, I wouldn't know how the audiences
would react," she once said. In the small
screen, she appeared in 'Kopi Kade' and many other teledramas. Many
are the awards she won during her career spanning three generations
of filmmakers. The State recognised her talent conferring on her
the 'Kalasuri' title in 1987. The lovable
lady of the silver screen is no more. Yet her portrayals will remain
etched in our memories for a long time to come. Leopard
watch A watchful
leopard was what Aruna Kirtisinghe, a professional photographer,
captured during the wee hours of the morning, at Yala in June this
year. When the photographs were developed, Aruna realised that he
had a winner. And indeed the shot won him the prestigious Nature
Photographer of the Year 2002 award. "Actually,
the leopard was looking at a squirrel on a tree, who was making
a lot of noise," explains Aruna. "I think the squirrel
captured its attention and that's why it had that faraway look in
its eyes." The photograph
was taken around six in the morning, and that is why there is an
element of darkness in the picture. "The yellow background
is the grass, but since I used a telephoto lens, the grass appears
to be the sunlight. It was quite dark at that time, yet somehow
the lighting conditions were perfect," he explains. "Yes,
it is rare, I suppose. But that is because leopards are shy, and
since our jungles are thick, they can disappear into them anytime
and we lose track of them." "I was
in Habarana at a relative's house, when this small boy summoned
me to see a snake in the garden. I took a series of photographs
of the snake eating the lizard. It was stunning to watch, and the
snake did not seem to mind my presence because it was more concerned
with its food." There was also
a photograph of Randenigala taken in 1996, during the drought. This
shot of the parched, cracked land with the yellowish sky was also
placed in the Landscapes section. Giving advice
to young nature photographers, Aruna says one must not look out
for big majestic animals all the time but focus also on smaller
objects, such as butterflies, lizards and frogs. "They are all beautiful in their own way, and the best way to start is to notice what is beautiful about them. And of course, a love for nature is essential," he adds. Kala
Korner by Dee Cee Sunil takes
us back to the old days when the Kelani river had a bridge of boats
- built in the time of British Governor Edward Barnes in the 1820s.
It's a romantic number cleverly written by Ashoka Kovilage using
the simplest of words set to music by Rohana Weerasinghe. It's a
fine example to lyric writers who use harsh and cheap words just
to create a sensation. The vivid picture created by Ashoka portrays the thoughts of a young man who arrives in the city - at Gas Works Street in Pettah - with his fellow carters and is impatient to meet Selestina at Kayman's Gate, whom he invites for a boat trip at the San Sebastian canal and a tramcar ride to a poets' corner. It's so well rendered by Sunil. 'Paru Palamen'
is one in a collection of 14 songs in a cassette by the same name
- another quality Singlanka production - sung most exquisitely by
Sunil. Among them are compositions by well known lyricists - Rambukana
Siddhartha Thero (Senehasa Leba), Ratna Sri Wijesinghe (Ma Ithin
Yanna Yanava), W. A. Abeysinghe (Pinthaliya), Sunil Sarath Perera
(Amme Pembara) and Sunil Ariyaratne (Andara Waten) Seldom heard There are still
a few singers like Sunil who are not swayed by big money to sing
anything in the name of Sinhala music. The highly talented Somatilaka
Jayamaha is another who has resisted such temptations and prefers
to go slow (where sales are concerned) with Singlanka, who continue
the policy of lending a hand to the talented singers who wish to
do something good. 'Siri Yahane'
is the title of Somatilaka Jayamaha's latest release containing
16 well-rendered songs. Here again, they are sober numbers when
compared with the jazzy stuff we hear throughout the day on the
numerous radio channels. Listeners seldom get a chance of hearing
Somatilaka's voice over them. What the criterion is, in selecting
numbers for broadcast, we do not know. Spotlight
on Amarasiri
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Copyright © 2001 Wijeya Newspapers
Ltd. All rights reserved. |
Venue: Ladies College Hall
images
of leopards. The island offers probably the best chance of seeing
a leopard. For a photograph of a leopard to stand out, it has to
be special. And special, this photograph was. 
