Vijaya Kumaratunga
Encyclopedia
Kovilage Anton Vijaya Kumaranatunga (Sinhala:කොවිලගේ ඇන්ටන් විජය කුමාරණතුංග) (October 9, 1945 – February 16, 1988) (known as Vijaya Kumaranatunga) was a popular Sri Lankan film actor and politician, married to former Sri Lankan president
Chandrika Kumaratunga
from 1978 to his assassination in 1988.
, daughter of the late Sri Lankan prime minister Solomon Bandaranaike
and former prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike
. Vijaya Kumaratunga and Chandrika Bandaranaike had two children, Dr Yasodhara Kumaranatunga Walker and Vimukthi Kumaratunga
is a Veterinary Surgeon
in UK.
, in which he played the lead role. Since then, in a career that spanned nearly two decades, he acted in 114 films including Eya Den Loku Lamayek (1975), Ponmani (1977), Bambaru Avith (1977), Ganga Addara
(1980), and Baddegama
(1980). He also won several awards. He was voted most popular actor in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 1988. Vijaya performed in one English film, The God King
and one Tamil film, Nanguran during his career.
. He later joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was active in the presidential campaign of Hector Kobbekaduwa in 1982. After the election, he was jailed under the emergency regulations by JR Jayawardena for allegedly being a "Naxalite
" (a political creed hitherto and henceforth unknown in Sri Lanka), but he was never charged. He founded the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party (SLMP). He and his party argued for peace in the then ongoing civil war in Sri Lanka
.
outside his residence in the outskirts of Colombo
on February 16, 1988 by Lionel Ranasinghe alias Gamini, who later confessed to the murder upon being questioned by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Ranasinghe, in a 141 page statement, confessed that he was merely carrying out orders given to him by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
("People's Liberation Front"), an armed Marxist organization which is responsible for assassinations during the late 1980s.
Kumaranatunga's death is still mourned by many people in Sri Lanka.
President of Sri Lanka
The President of Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the elected head of state and the head of government. The President is a dominant political figure in Sri Lanka. The office was created in 1978 but has grown so powerful there have been calls to restrict or even eliminate its power...
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005...
from 1978 to his assassination in 1988.
Family life
In 1978, Kumaratunga married Chandrika BandaranaikeChandrika Kumaratunga
Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga born June 29, 1945) was the 4th Executive president of Sri Lanka, serving from November 12, 1994 to November 19, 2005. The daughter of two former Prime Ministers, she was also the leader of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party until end of 2005...
, daughter of the late Sri Lankan prime minister Solomon Bandaranaike
Solomon Bandaranaike
Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (Sinhala:සොලමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බන්ඩාරනායක)(Tamil:சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிச்சர்ட் டயஸ் பண்டாரநாயக்கா)Solomon West Ridgeway Dias Bandaranaike (Sinhala:සොලමන් වෙස්ට් රිජ්වේ ඩයස් බන්ඩාරනායක)(Tamil:சாலமன் வெஸ்ட் ரிச்சர்ட் டயஸ்...
and former prime minister Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Sirimavo Bandaranaike
Sirimavo Ratwatte Dias Bandaranaike was a Sri Lankan politician and the world's first female head of government...
. Vijaya Kumaratunga and Chandrika Bandaranaike had two children, Dr Yasodhara Kumaranatunga Walker and Vimukthi Kumaratunga
is a Veterinary Surgeon
Veterinary surgeon
Veterinary surgeon is a term used to describe:*The full title of a vet, who treats disease, disorder and injury in animals, in the United Kingdom and several Commonwealth countries**See also Veterinary medicine in the United Kingdom...
in UK.
Cinema career
Kumaratunga's first film was Hanthane KathawaHanthane Kathawa
Hanthane Kathawa is a 1969 film based on a love story of university students of Sri Lanka. It was directed by famous Sri Lankan film director Sugathapala Senerath Yapa and screened on August 1, 1968. This film also remarks the cinema debut of famous actor Vijaya Kumaratunga.-External links:**...
, in which he played the lead role. Since then, in a career that spanned nearly two decades, he acted in 114 films including Eya Den Loku Lamayek (1975), Ponmani (1977), Bambaru Avith (1977), Ganga Addara
Ganga Addara
Ganga Addara was a 1980 Sinhalese language film directed by Sumitra Peiris and produced by Sumathi Films. The film stars Vasanthi Chathurani and late Vijaya Kumaratunga in the lead roles. Adapted from a novel by Letitia Botejue, its script was written by veteran director Tissa Abeysekara...
(1980), and Baddegama
Baddegama
Baddegama is a 1980 Sinhalese language film directed by Lester James Peries that follows the lives of village people in British Colonial Sri Lanka. The film is based on the 1913 book The Village in the Jungle by Leonard Woolf. Sir Arthur C...
(1980). He also won several awards. He was voted most popular actor in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 1988. Vijaya performed in one English film, The God King
The God King
The God King is a 1974 British-Sri Lankan historical film directed by Lester James Peries. The film is based on the historical clash between brothers Kasyapa and Moggalana on Sigiriya Rock....
and one Tamil film, Nanguran during his career.
Political career
He was also a politician, who started his political life in the Lanka Sama Samaja PartyLanka Sama Samaja Party
The Lanka Sama Samaja Party is a Trotskyist political party in Sri Lanka....
. He later joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and was active in the presidential campaign of Hector Kobbekaduwa in 1982. After the election, he was jailed under the emergency regulations by JR Jayawardena for allegedly being a "Naxalite
Naxalite
The word Naxal, Naxalite or Naksalvadi is a generic term used to refer to various militant Communist groups operating in different parts of India under different organizational envelopes...
" (a political creed hitherto and henceforth unknown in Sri Lanka), but he was never charged. He founded the Sri Lanka Mahajana Party (SLMP). He and his party argued for peace in the then ongoing civil war 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...
.
Death and legend
He was shot in the head with a Type 56 Assault rifleAssault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
outside his residence in the outskirts of Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
on February 16, 1988 by Lionel Ranasinghe alias Gamini, who later confessed to the murder upon being questioned by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Ranasinghe, in a 141 page statement, confessed that he was merely carrying out orders given to him by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna
The Janathā Vimukthi Peramuṇa is a Marxist-Leninist, Communist political party in Sri Lanka. The party was involved in two armed uprisings against the ruling governments in 1971 and 1987-89...
("People's Liberation Front"), an armed Marxist organization which is responsible for assassinations during the late 1980s.
Kumaranatunga's death is still mourned by many people in Sri Lanka.
External links
- The Bandaranaike Ancestry
- The Ratwatte Ancestry
- Vijaya Kumaratunga's Biography in Sinhala
- Vijaya's Film Details in Sinhala
- 21st death anniversary of Vijaya Kumaranatunga in Sinhala
- Vijaya Kumaratunga in Sinhala 1
- Vijaya Kumaratunga in Sinhala 2
- Official Website - National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka
- Official Website of Lester James Peries in association with Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Sri Lanka
- Remembering Vijaya Kumaratunga, By Kumar Rupesinghe
- Biography for Vijaya Kumaratunga, Internet Movie Database Inc.
- Confessions of Vijaya's killer, WWW Virtual Library - Sri Lanka