Kadawunu Poronduwa
Encyclopedia
Kadawunu Poronduwa was the first film to be made in the Sinhala language; it is generally considered to have heralded the coming of Sinhala Cinema. The film was produced and filmed in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 however, and was highly influenced by South Indian melodrama. It was first shown on January 21, 1947 at the Kingsley Cinema in 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...

, 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...

.

A remake
Kadawunu Poronduwa (1982 film)
Kadawunu Poronduwa is a 1982 film directed by Roy De Silva. It is a remake of the first Sinhala film Kadawunu Poronduwa and stars Vijaya Kumaratunga as Samson and Sumana Amarasinghe as Ranjani....

 was released in 1982.

Plot

Ralahamy, a member of high status, dies leaving his family in debt after having squandered his fortune through extensive drinking and other vices. To get back into wealth, Ralahamy's wife Tackla pushes her daughter Ranjani to get married to a wealthy older man Victor with a child through an earlier marriage. In this process, Samson, Ranjani's boyfriend, who had tried extensively to get the family back into good graces going so far as to pay off their debts, is spurned. He then goes abroad to win a fortune.

When Samson returns he learns of Ranjani's engagement to Victor and tries to reach her through letter. His letters are hidden from her however, and rumours spread that Samson is now a cripple. Ultimately the truth is revealed.

Cast

  • Rukmani Devi
    Rukmani Devi
    Rukmani Devi was a Sri Lankan singer and actress, who was often acclaimed as "The Nightingale of Sri Lanka". She made it to the silver screen via the stage and had acted in close to 100 films, at the time of her death...

    as Ranjani: A high class girl who is pushed into a marriage with an older man and forced to reject her boyfriend.
  • Jemini Kantha as Jossie: village woman; love interest of Manappuwa
  • Rupa Devi as Tackla: Ranjani's mother
  • Miriam Jayamanne as Hilda
  • Eddie Jayamanne
    Eddie Jayamanne
    Wanniaarachchige Don David Victor Jayamanne was a popular Sri Lankan comedian and actor of early Sri Lankan cinema....

    as Manappuwa: naive village simpleton; comic relief
  • B. A. W. Jayamanne
    B. A. W. Jayamanne
    B. Aloy W. Jayamanne was a Sri Lankan playwright, director, producer and actor. He played a major role in the making of the first Sinhala film Kadawunu Poronduwa in 1947; Jayamanne achieved a level of popularity as a director with movies starring Rukmani Devi and Eddie Jayamanne in the 1950s.Aloy...

    as Samson: love interest of Ranjani; seeks to help her family achieve financial success but is spurned by the mother
  • Peter Peries as Victor: old wealthy man that Ranjani is forced into engagement with
  • Stanley Mallawarachchi as Hemapala
  • D. T. Perera as Jayasena
  • Asilyn Balasooriya as Sumana
  • J. B. Perera as Harmahana
  • Hugo Fernando
    Hugo Fernando
    K. Hugo Fernando , popularly known as Hugo Master, was a Sri Lankan film personality. Debuting in the first Sinhalese film Kadawunu Poronduwa, Fernando had an over 30 year career as a character actor, lyricist, assistant director and music director.Fernando was born in Periyamulla, Negombo...

    as doctor
  • Suriya Rani as Aaya
  • Sina Pishpani as Narsi
  • Wida Soyza
  • S. S. Ponnisena

Production

Kadawunu Poronduwa was at first a successful play for dramatist B.A.W. Jayamanne. In 1947 he filmed and processed the movie in South India.

Kadawunu Poronduwa produced a formula that Sinhala films would follow up through the 1960s; Jayamanne describes the formula as such:

Songs

  • "Sri Jaya Vijaya" – Minerva Singing Group
  • "Prema Daya" – Rukmani Devi
    Rukmani Devi
    Rukmani Devi was a Sri Lankan singer and actress, who was often acclaimed as "The Nightingale of Sri Lanka". She made it to the silver screen via the stage and had acted in close to 100 films, at the time of her death...

  • "Lapati Rupe Age" – Eddie Jayamanne
    Eddie Jayamanne
    Wanniaarachchige Don David Victor Jayamanne was a popular Sri Lankan comedian and actor of early Sri Lankan cinema....

  • "Deva Swarmi" – Rukmani Devi
    Rukmani Devi
    Rukmani Devi was a Sri Lankan singer and actress, who was often acclaimed as "The Nightingale of Sri Lanka". She made it to the silver screen via the stage and had acted in close to 100 films, at the time of her death...

  • "Sandyawe Sriya Ramya Lesa Pena" – Rukmani Devi and Hugo Fernando / Stanley Mallawarachchi
  • "Is Issara Wela Umbawa Mamayi" – Eddie Jayamanne
    Eddie Jayamanne
    Wanniaarachchige Don David Victor Jayamanne was a popular Sri Lankan comedian and actor of early Sri Lankan cinema....

     and Jemini Kantha
  • "Papi Shayapi Do" – Rukmani Devi
    Rukmani Devi
    Rukmani Devi was a Sri Lankan singer and actress, who was often acclaimed as "The Nightingale of Sri Lanka". She made it to the silver screen via the stage and had acted in close to 100 films, at the time of her death...

     and Hugo Fernando / Stanley Mallawarachchi
  • "Mage Saka Bambaru" – Eddie Jayamanne
    Eddie Jayamanne
    Wanniaarachchige Don David Victor Jayamanne was a popular Sri Lankan comedian and actor of early Sri Lankan cinema....

     and Jemini Kantha
  • "Thakkita Tharikita" – Eddie Jayamanne
    Eddie Jayamanne
    Wanniaarachchige Don David Victor Jayamanne was a popular Sri Lankan comedian and actor of early Sri Lankan cinema....

     and Jemini Kantha
  • "Sundari Rupa Rajini" – Stanley Mallawarachchi and Peter Peries
  • "Jevithaye Saamey" – Rukmani Devi
    Rukmani Devi
    Rukmani Devi was a Sri Lankan singer and actress, who was often acclaimed as "The Nightingale of Sri Lanka". She made it to the silver screen via the stage and had acted in close to 100 films, at the time of her death...

  • "Yam Indiya Desawa" – Rukmani Devi
    Rukmani Devi
    Rukmani Devi was a Sri Lankan singer and actress, who was often acclaimed as "The Nightingale of Sri Lanka". She made it to the silver screen via the stage and had acted in close to 100 films, at the time of her death...


External links

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