Roshan Pilapitiya; a revelation of a dignified superlative actor
View(s):Roshan Pilapitiya was born as the youngest in a family of four siblings to affluent parents in Hanguranketha close to Kandy. His father Ariya Abhayasinghe, was a proprietary tea planter while his mother Mallika Pilapitiya had been the lead actress in the first outdoor movie ‘Rekawa ‘directed by Lester James Peiris. After his primary education in native Hanguranketha, Roshan was admitted to Dharmarajah College Kandy to pursue his higher education. While he was good at studies, he also had excelled in dramas and won the best actor in school drama competition in year 1988.
Although Roshan possessed innate aptitude for acting with his mother’s influence he had never thought of creating a career for himself as an actor. This is because music was his obsession then. His passion for music continued after leaving school and he joined the Red Heart band as a vocalist cum guitarist and key board player. He had recorded a number of his own songs. He had confessed that he has a tremendous fervour for music appreciating a variety of styles.
Roshan has a unique inclination of travelling overseas to view concerts. He had confessed that from his schooldays he always was bent on taking his own decisions and was not influenced by his parents.
His debut tele drama was Lester James Peries’ ‘Golu Hadawatha’ in the year 1988 while his debut film was an English film ‘Disco Girl’ in the year 1990. In all Roshan has acted in about 20 films including in another English and a French film. In year 1999 Mandakini,in 2001 Daru Upatha,in 2006 Hatharadenama Soorayo in 2008,Ammawaruni,in 2011 Mahindagamanaya,in 2014 Bavatharanaya are some of his more popular films. He had also acted in many tele dramas and a number of stage plays. Amongst them the most popular were ‘Ek Murgabbawiyak’ and ‘Sihina Aran Enna’. More recently Roshan has portrayed the role of “Keppettipola” in the film “Giriwesipura” and a character in the popular Tele drama “Sal Sapuna”
Apart from being the Peoples’ Actor, the awards won by Roshan were the Upcoming Actor in Sumathi Awards – 2000 Dharmaraja Abhinandana Award – 2001 Best Upcoming Actor in Sarasaviya Awards – 2002 Best Upcoming Actor in Presidential Awards – 2002 Most Popular Actor in Sumathi Awards – 2003 Most Popular Actor in Sumathi Awards – 2004 Best Actor in Sumathi Awards – 2005
Roshan has been in film, stage and Tele drama fields for almost three decades and has faced a few hurting obstacles in life for which music has come to his rescue when solace was needed.
He has lamented on several occasions over the years that Sri Lanka was the only country in the world where there was no national policy to look after actors, technicians, photographers, helpers like tea makers in old age. After so many proposals made to the related authorities by many quarters for this cause to bring in an Act the matter had been discussed in Parliament only a few months ago where Roshan too had been in the gallery listening. There had been a very few parliamentarians present at that moment when this issue was taken up but had ended abruptly without any action being taken. However it is the fervent hope of Roshan that he would be fighting on this topic even until his death until redress was acknowledged.
Roshan at a television programme recently added that ours is the only country in the world where the records are not maintained by a state authority for musicians, recording engineers and singers about recordings that they were involved in, which indeed is deplorable.
Roshan also reiterated that for all films, musical shows, stage plays etc 10%is charged by the government as entertainment taxes out of which not even .001% benefitted the artistes which is appalling and horrendous situation that needs to be critically addressed.
Sunil Thenabadu