Sarala Kariyawasam
Encyclopedia
Sarala Kariyawasam, who hails from Galle
, is a Sri Lanka
n child actress. A student of Sangamitta Balika Vidyalaya
, Sarala is the first Sri Lankan child artiste to make an international debut. Currently she hosts a children's TV show in Sri Lanka
.
's controversial film, Water.
The film 'Water' has been acclaimed as a regional victory and was shot entirely in Sri Lanka
, in partnership with Chandran Rutnam
's Film Location Services Lanka Limited and the National Film Corporation. Sarala was selected from out of fifty girls and auditioned by Mehta for this challenging role. She was eight years when she acted but proved to be the most suitable to take up the lead role of the film according to Mehta. Before taking up her role in 'Water', she has acted in several stage plays in school and had recently won first place in an all island dancing, singing and speech competition.
She says that she wants to concentrate on her studies, so has turned down many offers of acting.
“Sarala performed an absolutely outstanding role in a brilliant film that should have been given more recognition by Hollywood,” said Maureen Dragone, President of the Foundation, which is holding its 28th consecutive year of awards recognizing and honoring talented young child artists all over the world.
Sarala, an extremely bright girl, who did not know a word of Hindi
had to learn all dialogues by heart but ultimately acted so well many critics were stunned by her performance.
When the film was presented at the Toronto Film Festival a critic said, “The film is centred by the extraordinary performance of Sarala as the young Chuyia, a girl whose spirit remains unbroken. Her refusal to bend to her plight carries considerable emotive power and elevates Water from a harsh tale of deprivation into one of hope and the possibility of overcoming. Mehta has made a film for the ages.”
When her inborn talent was recognised, she knew neither English nor Hindi but she was able to pick up both the languages within a few weeks to the amazement of the director. So they were able to start work soon and finish the film within three months. The biggest task Sarala had to face with accepting the role was to shave her head. She was prettier with her long hair which she grew from her childhood. But she agreed to shave her head to suit her character for 'Water'.
The film is about the harsh treatment received by widows in the 1930s in India
. She played the role of a child bride (Chuiya) who lost her husband at the age of eight and sent to an ashram
to live with other widows, leading an austere
life, sleeping on concrete floors, begging for a living and sometimes being sold as prostitutes to the Brahmin
gentry across the river. She befriends Kalyani, stunningly beautiful other widow played by Lisa Ray
.
This is what a British
critic said of them: “Sarala as Chuihya is a sheer delight to watch; her innocence and bewilderment of the circumstances before her somehow mirror that of our own.
Her childlike wonder a revelation, more so when you realise Sarala doesn’t speak a word of Hindi or English
and learnt all of her lines phonetically. Ray plays Kalyani with a subtle innocence - of beauty conditioned to be submissive, whilst Biswas
as Shakuntala is the newly enlightened conscience of the movie, the rambunctious Chuihya its’ soul. .…. An immense movie, daunting at times yet unforgettably touching; the images of Kalyani and Chuihya will stay with you for a long while afterwards.”
Galle
Galle is a city situated on the southwestern tip of Sri Lanka, 119 km from Colombo. Galle is the capital city of Southern Province of Sri Lanka and it lies in Galle District....
, is a Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
n child actress. A student of Sangamitta Balika Vidyalaya
Sanghamitta Girls College
Sanghamitta Girls College is a Buddhist girls school in Galle, Sri Lanka. It is a national school, which provides primary and secondary education. The school was established in 1919, as the first Buddhist Girls School in Southern province of Sri Lanka. Hon...
, Sarala is the first Sri Lankan child artiste to make an international debut. Currently she hosts a children's TV show in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
Biography
Sarala said that she hopes to become a doctor one day. Her favourite subjects are English, Mathematics and Science. She is the youngest in her family and has a sister and brother, elder to her.Career
Hollywood’s Young Artist Foundation has presented the Best Child Actor of the World in an international feature film Award to Sarala, for her role of a child widow (Chuyia) in the award-winning film-maker Deepa MehtaDeepa Mehta
Deepa Mehta, LLD is a Genie Award-winning Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, most known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire , Earth , and Water , among which Earth was submitted by Indian government for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film...
's controversial film, Water.
The film 'Water' has been acclaimed as a regional victory and was shot entirely in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
, in partnership with Chandran Rutnam
Chandran Rutnam
Chandran Rutnam is a well known film maker from Sri Lanka and was more than 38 years in Los Angeles. He is of mixed minority Tamil and majority Sinhalese ancestry...
's Film Location Services Lanka Limited and the National Film Corporation. Sarala was selected from out of fifty girls and auditioned by Mehta for this challenging role. She was eight years when she acted but proved to be the most suitable to take up the lead role of the film according to Mehta. Before taking up her role in 'Water', she has acted in several stage plays in school and had recently won first place in an all island dancing, singing and speech competition.
She says that she wants to concentrate on her studies, so has turned down many offers of acting.
“Sarala performed an absolutely outstanding role in a brilliant film that should have been given more recognition by Hollywood,” said Maureen Dragone, President of the Foundation, which is holding its 28th consecutive year of awards recognizing and honoring talented young child artists all over the world.
Sarala, an extremely bright girl, who did not know a word of Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
had to learn all dialogues by heart but ultimately acted so well many critics were stunned by her performance.
When the film was presented at the Toronto Film Festival a critic said, “The film is centred by the extraordinary performance of Sarala as the young Chuyia, a girl whose spirit remains unbroken. Her refusal to bend to her plight carries considerable emotive power and elevates Water from a harsh tale of deprivation into one of hope and the possibility of overcoming. Mehta has made a film for the ages.”
When her inborn talent was recognised, she knew neither English nor Hindi but she was able to pick up both the languages within a few weeks to the amazement of the director. So they were able to start work soon and finish the film within three months. The biggest task Sarala had to face with accepting the role was to shave her head. She was prettier with her long hair which she grew from her childhood. But she agreed to shave her head to suit her character for 'Water'.
The film is about the harsh treatment received by widows in the 1930s in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. She played the role of a child bride (Chuiya) who lost her husband at the age of eight and sent to an ashram
Ashram
Traditionally, an ashram is a spiritual hermitage. Additionally, today the term ashram often denotes a locus of Indian cultural activity such as yoga, music study or religious instruction, the moral equivalent of a studio or dojo....
to live with other widows, leading an austere
Austere
Austere is the first release by the band Sparta, just one year after break-up of their former band At the Drive-In.-Track listing:#"Mye" – 3:33#"Cataract" – 5:09#"Vacant Skies" – 3:32#"Echodyne Harmonic " – 3:50-Personnel:...
life, sleeping on concrete floors, begging for a living and sometimes being sold as prostitutes to the Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
gentry across the river. She befriends Kalyani, stunningly beautiful other widow played by Lisa Ray
Lisa Ray
Lisa Ray , born 4 April 1972, is a Canadian actress and former model.-Early life:Lisa Ray was born in Toronto to a Bengali Indian father and a Polish mother and grew up in the suburb of Etobicoke...
.
This is what a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
critic said of them: “Sarala as Chuihya is a sheer delight to watch; her innocence and bewilderment of the circumstances before her somehow mirror that of our own.
Her childlike wonder a revelation, more so when you realise Sarala doesn’t speak a word of Hindi or English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and learnt all of her lines phonetically. Ray plays Kalyani with a subtle innocence - of beauty conditioned to be submissive, whilst Biswas
Biswas
Biswas is a surname common in West Bengal and Bangladesh:People*Abdur Rahman Biswas , a Bangladeshi politician*Anil Biswas , an Indian film music composer...
as Shakuntala is the newly enlightened conscience of the movie, the rambunctious Chuihya its’ soul. .…. An immense movie, daunting at times yet unforgettably touching; the images of Kalyani and Chuihya will stay with you for a long while afterwards.”