By Susitha Fernando The announcement of ‘Rejinie’ (The Queen), the latest film based on the life of Sri Lanka’s legendary actress Malani Fonseka, has already stirred controversy even before cameras begin rolling. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Aruna Jayawardena and produced by Jayantha Dharmadasa of the Nawaloka Group, the biopic aims to portray the life and [...]
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The announcement of ‘Rejinie’ (The Queen), the latest film based on the life of Sri Lanka’s legendary actress Malani Fonseka, has already stirred controversy even before cameras begin rolling. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Aruna Jayawardena and produced by Jayantha Dharmadasa of the Nawaloka Group, the biopic aims to portray the life and cinematic journey of the actress widely hailed as the ‘Queen of Sinhala Cinema’.
The muhurath ceremony for the film was held recently at the banquet hall on the 14th floor of the Nawaloka Building, where the background to the project, the people involved, cast details and several issues surrounding the film were discussed.
With her extraordinary talent and remarkable screen presence, Malani Fonseka lived a life filled with many dimensions both on and off the screen. Capturing the journey of an actress who won the hearts of millions through commercial successes as well as critically acclaimed auteur cinema is no easy task, especially when many of her memorable performances came under celebrated filmmakers such as Lester James Peries and Dharmasiri Pathiraja.
‘It is not an easy task to make a biopic in a country like ours’ said actress Senali Fonseka, niece of Malani Fonseka.
Speaking on behalf of the family, Senali thanked the director, scriptwriter and producer for taking the initiative to bring her aunt’s life story to the screen. “I hope all of you will do justice to her character and personality without tarnishing her image,” the young actress said, expressing her concern and expectations about the film.
Within cinema circles and among the public, concerns and debate over the film have already surfaced both openly and across social media platforms. While some believe that a biopic on Malani Fonseka should not be made at all, others have criticised the selection of actors chosen to portray characters connected to different stages of her life.
Veteran actor Lucky Dias, Malani’s husband, has also reportedly raised objections to the project and appealed to family members, friends and fans to oppose and prevent the making of the film.
On another front, a social media post shared following a discussion with Damith Fonseka, son of legendary actor Gamini Fonseka, highlighted concerns over not consulting the family or obtaining permission to feature his father in the film. He had also questioned the suitability of the actor selected to portray Gamini Fonseka, who is widely regarded as one of Sri Lanka’s finest actors. In ‘Rejinie’, the role of Gamini Fonseka is scheduled to be played by Janith Wickramage.
Responding to criticisms, the screenplay writer Suneth Malinga Lokuhewa said that ‘Rejinie’ is the biopic film version his team while anyone else can do another film. Quoting the statistics, he said there were hundreds of films on Napoleon Bonaparte, 16 films on Abraham Lincoln, six films Mahatma Gandhi which are different to each other. He went onto say that ‘biopic’ is a popular genre in cinema and there are about 130 biopics made every year in Hollywood.
However Jayantha Dharmadasa, the producer of the film thinks that the negative publicity on the film and the criticism are ‘blessings’ for the film project. ‘More you attack Dharmadasa and Nawaloka, more we get publicity. We would not take a step back on this project. Please go ahead with the attack’ he told the crowd while asking them also to join the critics.
The main role of Malani is to be played by talented Tharuka Wanniarachchi, while Vijeya Kumaratunga is to be played by Damith Wijethunga.
‘This is one of the most special and most distinguished role I received in my life and cinema’ Tharuka told the audience and she explained it would be a great challenge to play Malani but she is ready to take up the challenge.
Among the others scheduled to be in the main cast are Cletus Mendis, Sudeeksha Samadhi, Senali Fonseka, Hashan Rathnayake, Amila Karunanayake, Dineth De Silva, Viduravi Hansaja, Anuradha Edirisinghe and Lavan Ashishek.
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Print Edition – The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka
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