By Chandani Kirinde
In her last appearance a couple of weeks ago, Malini Fonseka, arguably the queen of Sinhala cinema echoed the words of one of her most famous films ‘awa soya adare’. “I have come looking for love,” she said. She spoke a few words, faltering at times, but they were emotionally charged that it moved many in the audience to tears.
When she passed away early Saturday at the age of 78, Malini Fonseka did so, having won the love and adulation of millions of her fans which helped her remain the most beloved actress in the country, in a career spanning nearly six decades.
Born on April 30, 1947, Malini Senehelatha Fonseka’s beginnings were humble but earlier on there were indications that she was born for great things. A few days after her birth, her parents had visited an astrologer to have her horoscope cast only to have him predict that she was destined to be a queen one day, according to her official website. It might have sounded whimsical for her parents at the time, but an early talent for acting put her on her way to stardom.
Her first attempt at acting was in a stage play titled ‘Noratha Ratha‘ while still schooling at Gurukula Maha Vidyalaya, Kelaniya. Recognition came her way in late 1965 with her award winning performance in ‘Akal Wessa‘, a stage play directed by Dharmadasa Jayaweera. It was one of the four plays selected for the State Drama Festival that year. Malini Fonseka impressed the judges with her acting prowess that she took home the award for Best Actress. But that was just the start of a long and rewarding career in acting.
Her first break in cinema was in 1968 when she starred in ‘‘Punchi Baba‘. Among those in the audience at the Lumbini Theatre where ‘Akal wessa’ was staged was Tissa Liyanasuriya, by then a two-time film director. He and Joe Abeywickrama were on the lookout for a new face to take on the lead role in his next film. The film was ‘Punchi Baba’ which became the launch pad for her film career.
Malini Fonseka’s big break came in Dharmasena Pathiraja’s ‘Eya Den Loku Lamayek‘ for which she won an award at the Moscow Film Festival in 1975.
This was followed by films such as Lester James Peries’ ‘Nidhanaya‘, Tissa Abeysekera’s ‘Pitagamkarayo’ and Amaranath Jayathilake’s ‘Siripala saha Ranmenika’ to name a few. In her lengthy film career, Maini has acted in over 150 films, directed and produced some as well as acted in television dramas thus proving her versatility and adaptability.
She also co-starred with all the leading actors of the past four to five decades starting with Vijaya Kumaratunga in 41 films as well as Gamini Fonseka, Tony Ranasinghe, Ravindra Randeniya and Sanath Gunatillake.
She has also won numerous awards both locally and internationally. She won awards for Best Actress more than 13 times as well as gained recognition internationally for her work. She was conferred with the national honour of Wishva Prasadhini by President Chandrika Kumaratunga in 1996 and was awarded a doctorate from the University of Visual and Performing Arts in 2010.
Malini Fonseka also had a brief stint in Parliament where she served as a National List MP from 2010 to 2015 being nominated as a MP from the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA). She used her stint in parliament to draw attention to the woes faced by those in the cinema industry as well as artists in general and sought more state patronage for the arts.
“I shall always act as long as I can because I am first and foremost an actress. The day I cease to act will be that day when I forget to breathe,” Malini Fonseka said in a piece she wrote to the Sunday Times in June, 2010 after being honoured with a doctorate from the University of Visual and Performing Arts.
She stayed true to her words and practiced her crafts to the best of her ability till the end leaving behind an unmatched legacy, one that will not be equaled for a long time to come.
Courtesy:Sunday Times