Sri Lankan Tamils in Sinhala Cinema
Encyclopedia
Tamil cinema in Sri Lanka is not as developed as Sinhala cinema
or its Indian counterpart, the Tamil cinema
of Kodambakkam, Chennai
, Tamil Nadu
. This is especially due to the high production rates of the influential commercial Tamil films from Tamil Nadu
, India and the long run ethnic civil war in Sri Lanka
. Tamils contributed significantly to Sinhala cinema
as well as Indian Tamil cinema
, also known as Kollywood. Only a few Tamil language
films were produced in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Earlier Tamil movies produced were all most destroyed or unrecovered due to civil war.
Cinema of Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan cinema encompasses the films made in Sri Lanka. It is a fledgling industry that has struggled to find a footing since its inauguration in 1947 with Kadawunu Poronduwa produced by S.M.Nayagam of Chitra Kala Movietone.Sri Lankan films are usually made in the Sinhalese language, the...
or its Indian counterpart, the Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
of Kodambakkam, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. This is especially due to the high production rates of the influential commercial Tamil films from Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
, India and the long run ethnic civil war in Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan civil war
The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...
. Tamils contributed significantly to Sinhala cinema
Cinema of Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan cinema encompasses the films made in Sri Lanka. It is a fledgling industry that has struggled to find a footing since its inauguration in 1947 with Kadawunu Poronduwa produced by S.M.Nayagam of Chitra Kala Movietone.Sri Lankan films are usually made in the Sinhalese language, the...
as well as Indian Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema
Tamil cinema is the film industry based in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, dedicated to the production of films in the Tamil language. It is based in Chennai's Kodambakkam district, where several South Indian film production companies are headquartered...
, also known as Kollywood. Only a few Tamil language
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
films were produced in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. Earlier Tamil movies produced were all most destroyed or unrecovered due to civil war.
Producers and directors
- "S. M. Nayagam" A Sri-Lankan Tamil of Indian origin was the first producer ever of a Sinhala Film "Kadavunu Poronduva" or roughly translated as "Broken Promise" which was produced in 1947. Since production and technical facilities were unavailable in Sri Lanka at the time all production work was completed in Madurai, South India. He went on to produce many other sinhala films "Mathalang","Ahankara Istree" and was the pioneer of the Sinhala cinema.
- K. Gunaratnam was one of the most successful producers of early Sri Lankan cinema. With the popular and influential SujathaSujatha (film)Sujatha is a 1953 Sri Lankan romantic musical based on the Bollywood film Badi Bahen. It was the most successful Sri Lankan film made up to that time and started the trend of blatantly copying Indian films.-Plot summary:...
Gunaratnam brought his Cinemas Ltd. company into original productions in 1953. Previously he had dubbed several Indian films into Sinhala. Over the span of the decade, Gunaratnam had hit after hit with such works as Warada Kageda?, Radala Piliruwa and Saradam. In the 1960s, Gunaratnam produced some sophisticated art films like Sandeshaya and Deewarayo which broke away from imitation of Indian cinema.
- M. S. Anandan gained accolades with his camera work for Sri Lankan films like Golu Hadawatha and Nidhanaya. As a director he produced sophisticated commercial movies that were hugely popular in their time.
- T. Somesekeran directed and produced the Sinhala movie Seda SulangSeda SulangSeda Sulang is a 1955 Sri Lankan romantic musical starring Florida Jayalath and Prem Jayanth.-Songs:*"Pem Kekulu Pipee" – Jamuna Rani and A. M. Rajah...
, one of the most popular Sri Lankan films of the 1950s. It helped secure the star status of Sinhala actors Prem Jayanth and Florida Jayalath.
- Robin Tampoe was one of the most prolific early Sri Lankan directors handling the rein on such works as Sudo Sudu (1965). He worked in various genres including village folk drama, comedy and romance. Tampoe produced all of his films and had his own studio, R. T.
- W. M. S. Tampoe directed several films including the popular 1963 film Samiya Birindage Deviya. He is the father of Robin Tampoe.
- K. Venkat directed several Sinhala films in the 1960s and 1970s.
Music directors and singers
- M. K. Rocksamy (1932–1988) was a prolific Sri LankaSri LankaSri 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 musician and music director.Rocksamy became involved in film work after coming in contact with R. MuttusamyR. MuttusamyRamaya Muttusamy was a prolific Sri Lankan music director and singer. He handled the music for most of K. Gunaratnam's productions....
of the Sundera Murugan Studio in Kandana. Rocksamy was asked to contribute to the soundtrack of several films made at the studio beginning with Bandara Nagarayata Pemineema (1952). In 1962, he got the opportunity to play a bigger role directing three songs for Shanthi Kumar's Sansare after its original music director B. S. Perera died.
- A. E. Manoharan is a Jaffna Tamil baila singer highly popular in Sri Lanka during the 1970s. A star of many Sri Lankan Tamil films, his only appearance in Sinhala cinema was in Titus Thotawatte's Maruwa Samage Wase in a baila medley scene that included his hit "Suranganee".
Actors and actress
- Rukmani DeviRukmani DeviRukmani Devi was a Sri Lankan singer and actress, who was often acclaimed as "The Nightingale of Sri Lanka". She made it to the silver screen via the stage and had acted in close to 100 films, at the time of her death...
was the first star of Sri Lankan cinema with her performance in the 1947 Kadawunu PoronduwaKadawunu PoronduwaKadawunu Poronduwa was the first film to be made in the Sinhala language; it is generally considered to have heralded the coming of Sinhala Cinema. The film was produced and filmed in India however, and was highly influenced by South Indian melodrama...
. Through the 1950s and 1960s, she remained highly popular starring in many successful films. She is the only Sri Lankan actress to sing her own songs. She is of Colombo Chetty origin.
- Shyama Anandan was the star of several of her father M. S. Anandan's productions (i.e. Chandi Shyama) that highlighted the exploits of her rebellious teenager character. She also had a supporting role in the art film Gehenu LamaiGehenu LamaiGehenu Lamai is a 1978 Sri Lankan drama movie directed by Sumitra Peries. It introduced actress Vasantha Chathurani and was a critical and box office success.-Plot:Kusum witnesses Nimal leading a procession into their village....
which gained her critical praise.
- Asoka Ponnamperuma was a hefty actor who starred in several films during the 1960s. He directed a film later.