Anula Karunathilaka

Anula Karunathilaka (Sinhala: අනුලා කරුණාතිලක, born 23 January 1946) is a Sri Lankan film actress and theatrical performer.[1] Her work is noted during the 70s film and cinema history in Sri Lanka. One of the most popular actresses in Sinhala cinema in 1960s, she is best known for the popular role 'Dammi' in the blockbuster film Golu Hadawatha.

Anula Karunathilaka
අනුලා කරුණාතිලක
Anula Karunathilaka
Born
Anula Karunathilaka

(1946-01-23) 23 January 1946
Alma materWellawatta Girls School
OccupationActress
Years active1960–2010
Known forDhammi in Golu Hadawatha
SpouseDaya Ranaweera

Personal life

She was born on 23 January 1946 in Wellawatte, Colombo, Sri Lanka as the second of the family. Her father, Thomas Karunatilake had a shop in Wellawatte Market. Her mother Somawathi was a housewife. She has one older sister and two younger sisters. She completed education from Sri Lankadhaara Girls' School in Wellawatte.[2]

She was married to Daya Ranaweera, who worked at Dawasa Newspaper. They wedding was celebrated in March 1968 when Anula was 22 years old. The couple had two sons. Daya died in 2001.[2]

Career

Karunathilaka's entry into the industry in the early 1960s came about as a result of a chance meeting with senior film industry figures at a beauty contest organized by the Dawasa newspaper in 1962.[1] Having applied as a contestant at her sister's insistence, her photo was published in the newspaper among the other candidates' for the public to vote on.[1] Filmmakers Sumitra Peries and Tissa Abeysekera were among the audience of the final event and, using the photo published in the newspaper, identified Karunathilaka during the day's proceedings.[1] A week later, Sugathapala de Silva and G. W. Surendra visited the Karunathilakas' home with a message from Lester James Peries, Peries, and Abeysekera, inviting her to audition for the role of Nanda in Lester James' upcoming Gamperaliya.[1][3] Despite her interest, Lester decided her to be too young for the part, and instead gave her the role of Liza, auditioning for the part in a scene alongside Gamini Fonseka.[1] She thus made her on-screen debut at 16.[1]

Karunathilika played a role in the local film industry's efforts to produce truly local performances, moving away from highly Indianized productions and plots.[4][5][6]

Acting style

Karunathilaka was an acclaimed popular and awarded actress. She is known for character acting.[7] Her style is said to derive from her nurturing under strict culture and family restrictions in the 1940s.

Key performances

Golu Hadawatha made many notable contributions to Sinhala cinema, and became one of the most popular actresses in the late 1960s.[8][9][10] Her most important role was as Dhammi[11] in Golu Hadawatha (Silent Heart).[12] Karunathilka was awarded with national Sarasaviya Awards in 1969 for the role.[13] Another key role was Sugath.[14]

Personal life

Karunathilaka was married to photographer and journalist Daya Ranaweera.[15]

Awards
  • 1965 - Sarasaviya Award - Popular Actress
  • 1969 - Sarasaviya Award - Best Actress - Golu Hadawatha
  • 2011 - UV Sumathipala Memorial Award[16]

Selected works

Filmography
YearFilmRoleRef.
1963GamperaliyaLaissa[17]
1965ChandiyaSumana[18]
1965Sonduru Yuwala
1966Seethala Wathura
1966Parasathu MalNona[19]
1967Daru DukaSumana
1967Ran SaluSarojini 'Sara'
1967Sadol Kandulu
1967Vasanthi
1968Punchi BabaCaretaker
1968Golu HadawathaDamayanthi 'Dammi'
1969Oba Nathnam
1969NarilathaSoma Weerasooriya[20]
1969Mee Masso
1969Paara Walalu
1969Mokada UneLucy
1969Bakmaha DeegePabilina
1970Penawa Neda
1972Ihatha AthmayaPriyani
1976NedeyoNirmala Gunaratne
1977YakadayaRathi[21]
1995Demodara PalamaSumana
2004Randiya DaharaSamantha's mother
2010Tikiri SuwandaSamanmalee's mother
2017Wassanaye SandaMihiri's mother
2019RushMrs. Saparamadu

Television

Theater
  • Boarding Karayo
  • Ranthodu

References
  1. Usha Perera (26 June 2011). "Anula Karunathilaka Life". The Nation. Retrieved November 26, 2017. Dhammi in Real Life
  2. "I'm really angry with Dammi: Anula Karunatilake". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  3. Dee Ceer (11 January 1998). "All that Jazz". The Sunday Times. Retrieved November 30, 2017. Farewell my friend
  4. D.B.S. Jeyaraj (2016-12-24). "Sinhala Cinema's Line of Destiny Re-drawn By 'Rekava' 60 Years Ago". Daily Mirror. Retrieved November 26, 2017.
  5. Vilasnee TAMPOE-HAUTIN (14 Feb 2017). "Blurring boundaries: early Sinhala cinema as another Adam's Bridge between Ceylon and India (1948-1968)". E-era. 14 (2). doi:10.4000/erea.5862. Retrieved November 27, 2017. Histories of Space, Spaces of History
  6. Dave N. Pathak (September 27, 2016). "Whither Sinhala Cinema Today: From an Actor's perspective". Retrieved November 27, 2017. Sinhala Cinema Completed Sixty Nine years in 2016
  7. Uditha Devepriaya (February 22, 2017). "Star of Yesterday". Daily News. Retrieved December 1, 2017. The Dhammi of our sensibilities
  8. DBS Jeyaraj (April 12, 2017). "Lester James Peries, The Legendary Pioneer Of Authentic Sri Lankan Cinema". dbsjeyaraj.com. Retrieved December 1, 2017. Golu Hadawatha
  9. Uditha Devapriya (July 28, 2008). "Getting (into) Sinhala Films". dailymirror. Retrieved December 1, 2017. The best works of Lester James Peries
  10. Uditha Devepriya (September 7, 2017). "The landed and the landless: "Golu Hadawatha" & "Akkara Paha"". dailymirror. Retrieved December 3, 2014. Golu Hadawatha, the first of three films that Lester James Peries directed for Ceylon Theatres, was also the greatest love story ever conceived onscreen here
  11. Sanath Weerasuriya (April 29, 1999). "TV Times & Entertainments". Sunday Times - Mirror. Retrieved December 3, 2017. "Golu Hadawatha" portrays teenage love
  12. Renuka Sachithananathan (27 May 2017). "Sumudu Sudu Muthu thalawe". colombotelegraph. Retrieved December 1, 2017. I came to worship Siri Gunesinghe and found Dhammi
  13. Ruwani Jayawardana (December 16, 2016). "Feature". Daily News. Retrieved December 3, 2017. Anula Karuanthilaka
  14. DC Ranathunga (May 24, 2006). "Lester in Perspective". Sunday Observer. Retrieved December 3, 2017. Extract from The Formidable Genius
  15. Channa Bandara Wijekoon (18 February 2013). "PeojectorJazz". Daily News. Retrieved November 30, 2017. Of Dhammi after Sugath
  16. Lanka Help Magacine (November 22, 2011). "Sumathi Tele Award 2011". Help Lanka Magazine. Retrieved December 1, 2017. Senior Actress Anula Karunathilaka awarded with UW Sumathipala Memorial Award
  17. "All about the blockbuster film "Gamperaliya"". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  18. "All about "Chandiya"". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 2021-04-04.
  19. "All about "Parasathu Mal"". sarasaviya. Retrieved 2021-01-23.
  20. "All about Narilatha". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  21. "All about Yakadaya". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 22 February 2020.
  22. "'Bavathra' deals with science fiction". Sunday Times. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
  23. "'Ganga Addara' released". Sunday Times. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  24. "Hirusanda Maima : Sinhala Tamil love tale". Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  25. "'Laabai Apple' underway". Sunday Times. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  26. "'Mahathala Hatana': ITN's latest tale of Sri Lankan heroes". Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  27. "'Rosa Katu' passed 250 parts". Sunday Times. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  28. "Swarnavahini turns to 'Sayaveni Patumaga'". Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  29. "'Senehase Nimnaya': Tale of an adopted son". Sunday Times. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  30. "සේපාලිකා සතියේ දින පහේම". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  31. "Friendship, Family and foreign dreams". Sunday Times. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  32. "'Tharuka': A family divided with wealth". Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
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