On December 21, a felicitation ceremony was held at the Tharangani hall on the premises of the Sri Lanka Film Corporation to recognise the contribution of veteran filmmaker and dramatist Dharmasiri Bandaranayake to the arts in Sri Lanka.
At the event, Bandaranayake was presented with a special medal of honour from the University of Manchester as well as an honorary doctorate from the University of Ruhuna for the impact he made on society through his work.
Bandaranayake was born on October 6, 1949 and commenced his early schooling at the Kiribathgoda Eriyawetiya Maha Vidyalaya. Two years later he was sent to the Wevita Galthude Maha Vidyalaya in his mother’s village even receiving tutelage under the Chief Incumbent of the Wevita Maha Vihara. Following this, he entered the Horana Vidyarathna Vidyalaya where he first ventured into the field of arts.
At this time, rural Sri Lanka already possessed a politically active theatre culture and Bandaranayake was first influenced by his school’s drama teacher, Hemasiri Liyanage. Liyanage was a turning point in Bandaranayake’s life as he allowed his students including Bandaranayake to express themselves freely through drama in school. The ’60s was also a period of political upheaval in Sri Lanka.
Just aged 17, Bandaranayake was also fortunate to make the acquaintance of veteran artist Dayananda Gunawardane leading to his being chosen to portray the character of an innocent servant called Premadasa in Gunawardane’s film Bakmaha Deege - an adaptation of the French drama Marriage of Figaro. Following this, he was also chosen to depict the character Punchi Rala in Veera Puran Appu, a film directed by Dr Lester James Peries.
During this time film and drama in the country were becoming politically active. In 1971 universities had been turned into rehabilitation centres. Influenced by these events, Bandaranayake embarked on his creative journey. In 1971 he produced the drama Eka Adipathi (Dictator). Recalling the drama Makaraksha, Henry Jayasena’s portrayal of the dragon remains unforgettable due to Bandaranayake’s equally good performance as Lancelot. He later re-created the drama, turning it into his own form of self-expression.
Developing an interest in Eastern European film, Bandaranayake bought a projector and installed it as his home to watch films. Certain critics to date believe that despite Bandaranayake’s talents as an actor, he was keener on cinematography and editing. In fact, he vivified the films of those such as Dr Lester James Peries, Dr Dharmasena Pathiraja and Vasantha Obeysekera.
In the late 60s, Sri Lanka’s youth had to give up on university education due to both internal and external political issues. Bandaranayake was also forced to walk in search of work. In 1971 as a youth of 26, he finally found employment as a clerk in the Rubber Control Department with the intention of balancing both his work and his artistic endeavours.
His drama, Eka Adipathi won many awards at the state drama festival including the award for the best independent drama. During a time when almost 90 per cent of the population watched drama, Bandaranayake was chosen to act out the character of Sarath Gunawardane in Obeysekera’s drama Palagatiyo in 1979, while he also depicted the character of Victor in the drama Seveneli Andi Minissu in 1980. His portrayal of characters in Bamba Ketu Heti (1981), Sathara Pera Nimithi (1981), Muhudu Lihini (1983) and Bora Diya Pokuna (2015) is evidence of his acting prowess.
Creating Hansa Vilak as his debut film, Bandaranayake portrayed the main character Nissanka. While he received the opportunity to be featured at the Mannheim International Film Festival in West Germany, Badaranayake was forced to bid adieu to his job as his superiors refused to grant him the necessary leave to attend the event. Hansa Vilak to date is considered one of the most iconic films in the Sri Lankan film industry as well as Badaranayake’s career. It was produced by Albert Jayasinghe. According to critics, the film was Badaranayake’s true and genuine self-expression.
In comparison with Palagatiyo, Bandaranayake portrays two characters that are abhorred in both films. While Nissanka in Hansa Vilak starts an illicit affair with Miranda portrayed by Swarna Mallawarachchi, the duo faces many obstacles after the affair is discovered by the Police. Unlike the Palangetiyo (Grasshoppers) suffering due to the class divide, Hansa Vilak revolves around personal feelings, family bonds and social restrictions. Master Premasiri Kemadasa’s music also undoubtedly set apart Hansa Vilak and Thunwei Yamaya from other films. The latter was a psychological film revolving around a story of innocence lost in childhood.
Suddilage Kathawa (1985) is yet another brilliant film by Bandaranayake based on a novel by Simon Nawagattegama. It was produced by Dr. Bandula Gunawardane and is based on the physical and sexual exploitation of women in a patriarchal social system. His film Bhawa Duka was written by his father’s younger brother K.S Perera and was produced by M.R Abdeen. One character in the film is portrayed by Bandaranayakes’ father.
In this cinematic work, he describes how caste elitists exploit those from lower castes both physically and sexually in feudal society and the complex mentality of the women who suffer this fate but respectfully accept the harassment meted out by the patriarchy.
Dharmasiri Bandaranaike’s last documentary in 2019, Paradeesaya Soya - In Search of Paradise, shows how myths have affected society from the past up to S.W.R.D Bandaranaike’s murder. This is based on a screenplay by Gamini Viyangoda.
Dharmasiri’s career in drama which commenced with Eka Adhipathi in 1976, has flourished with many controversial dramas like Makaraksha, Dhawala Bheeshana, Yaksha Damanaya, ‘Trojan Women’ and so on. He has received death threats as a result of his work. He was also the lyricist for the popular song Pawanata Salena by veteran singer T.M Jayaratne. The song tells about a father who struggles to raise a child abandoned by his mother and was influenced by a trauma he suffered in his life.
As Professor Jayadeva Uyangoda said at this ceremony, “The gap between the film critic and the great films of this country should be bridged. The time has come to build a discourse and not allow the excellence of the past to lie in the past”.
In fact, Dharmasiri Bandaranaike is a human being in the true sense of the word. This modern artist is truly an asset to Sri Lanka and it brings great joy to many that he was honoured and recognized as deserved for his work in this manner.