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Anula Karunathilaka (Sinhala: අනුලා කරුණාතිලක, born 23 January 1946) is a Sri Lankan film actress and theatrical performer.[1] Her work is noted during the 70s film and cinema history in Sri Lanka. One of the most popular actresses in Sinhala cinema in 1960s, she is best known for the popular role 'Dammi' in the blockbuster film Golu Hadawatha.

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Anula Karunathilaka අනුලා කරුණාතිලක
Born	Anula Karunathilaka (1946-01-23) 23 January 1946 (age 76)
Alma mater	Wellawatta Girls School
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1960–2010
Known for	Dhammi in Golu Hadawatha
Spouse	Daya Ranaweera

Personal life

She was born on 23 January 1946 in Wellawatte, Colombo, Sri Lanka as the second of the family. Her father, Thomas Karunatilake had a shop in Wellawatte Market. Her mother Somawathi was a housewife. She has one older sister and two younger sisters. She completed education from Sri Lankadhaara Girls' School in Wellawatte.[2]

She was married to Daya Ranaweera, who worked at Dawasa Newspaper. They wedding was celebrated in March 1968 when Anula was 22 years old. The couple had two sons. Daya died in 2001.[2]

Career

Karunathilaka's entry into the industry in the early 1960s came about as a result of a chance meeting with senior film industry figures at a beauty contest organized by the Dawasa newspaper in 1962.[1] Having applied as a contestant at her sister's insistence, her photo was published in the newspaper among the other candidates' for the public to vote on.[1] Filmmakers Sumitra Peries and Tissa Abeysekera were among the audience of the final event and, using the photo published in the newspaper, identified Karunathilaka during the day's proceedings.[1] A week later, Sugathapala de Silva and G. W. Surendra visited the Karunathilakas' home with a message from Lester James Peries, Peries, and Abeysekera, inviting her to audition for the role of Nanda in Lester James' upcoming Gamperaliya.[1][3] Despite her interest, Lester decided her to be too young for the part, and instead gave her the role of Liza, auditioning for the part in a scene alongside Gamini Fonseka.[1] She thus made her on-screen debut at 16.[1]

Karunathilika played a role in the local film industry's efforts to produce truly local performances, moving away from highly Indianized productions and plots.[4][5][6]

Acting style

Karunathilaka was an acclaimed popular and awarded actress. She is known for character acting.[7] Her style is said to derive from her nurturing under strict culture and family restrictions in the 1940s.

Key performances

Golu Hadawatha made many notable contributions to Sinhala cinema, and became one of the most popular actresses in the late 1960s.[8][9][10] Her most important role was as Dhammi[11] in Golu Hadawatha (Silent Heart).[12] Karunathilka was awarded with national Sarasaviya Awards in 1969 for the role.[13] Another key role was Sugath.[14]

Personal life

Karunathilaka was married to photographer and journalist Daya Ranaweera.[15]

Awards

• 1965 - Sarasaviya Award - Popular Actress
• 1969 - Sarasaviya Award - Best Actress - Golu Hadawatha
• 2011 - UV Sumathipala Memorial Award[16]

Selected works

Filmography

Year	Film	Role	Ref.
1963	Gamperaliya	Laissa	[17]
1965	Chandiya	Sumana	[18]
1965	Sonduru Yuwala
1966	Seethala Wathura
1966	Parasathu Mal	Nona	[19]
1967	Daru Duka	Sumana
1967	Ran Salu	Sarojini 'Sara'
1967	Sadol Kandulu
1967	Vasanthi
1968	Punchi Baba	Caretaker
1968	Golu Hadawatha	Damayanthi 'Dammi'
1969	Oba Nathnam
1969	Narilatha	Soma Weerasooriya	[20]
1969	Mee Masso
1969	Paara Walalu
1969	Mokada Une	Lucy
1969	Bakmaha Deege	Pabilina
1970	Penawa Neda
1972	Ihatha Athmaya	Priyani
1976	Nedeyo	Nirmala Gunaratne
1977	Yakadaya	Rathi	[21]
1995	Demodara Palama	Sumana
2004	Randiya Dahara	Samantha's mother
2010	Tikiri Suwanda	Samanmalee's mother
2017	Wassanaye Sanda	Mihiri's mother
2019	Rush	Mrs. Saparamadu

Television

• Aba Yaluwo
• Bhavathra[22]
• Ganga Addara [23]
• Hirusanda Maima [24]
• Laabai Apple[25]
• Mahathala Hatana [26]
• Rosa Katu [27]
• Sayaweni Patumaga [28]
• Senehase Nimnaya [29]
• Sepalika[30]
• Sith Bindi Rekha [31]
• Tharuka [32]

Theater

• Boarding Karayo
• Ranthodu

References

External links

• "වැඩේට හරි ගිය කෙල්ල". v2.mirrorarts.lk.
• "Anula Karunathilaka: The Dhammi of our sensibilities".
• "PARASATHUMAL MARKS GOLDEN JUBILEE TODAY : mirrorcitizen.lk". mirrorcitizen.dailymirror.lk. Archived from the original on 2017-09-23. Retrieved 2017-11-26.
• "'Thaksalawa' tops Sumathi awards". www.sundaytimes.lk.
• "Sumathi Tele Award 2011". 22 November 2011.
• "Sumudu Sudu Mutu Thalawe: I Came To Worship Siri Gunasinghe & Found Dhammi". 27 May 2017.
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• "Premaranjith Tilakaratne and the roads that take us to him".
• "PressReader.com - Connecting People Through News". www.pressreader.com.
• Tampoe-Hautin, Vilasnee (15 June 2017). "Blurring boundaries: early Sinhala cinema as another Adam's Bridge between Ceylon and India (1948-1968)". E-rea. Revue électronique d'études sur le monde anglophone. 14 (2). doi:10.4000/erea.5862.
• "Whither Sinhala Cinema Today: From An Actor's Perspective!". 27 September 2016.
• Trip, Culture. "Guide To Sri Lankan Cinema | Films And Stories You Should Know". Culture Trip. Retrieved 2018-05-30.
• දම්මි තක්ෂිලාවට

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