The beauties and the beasts of our movies

SINCE time immemorial most films here have concentrated on triangular plots based on the hero, heroine and the villain. The south Indian influence during the early stages of our film industry and later the formula method of hindi films largely influenced the local commercial film maker.

At a time when many a young women was not allowed by family to make career in the field of performing arts and men disguised as women performed on stage (notable dancer Sarala Bahai was one of them) at the famous Tower Hall in Maradana the beautiful Rukmani Devi, who was a chorus singer with the Minerva Singers was coaxed by B.A.W. Jayamanne the founder of the Minerva Singers to act in his productions, both stage and films.

It was under those circumstances that Rukmani playing various characters based on the young and the innocent damsel had her path stalked by Mark Samaranayake, Laddy Hettiarachchi and later Dommie Jayawardena who were the top villains during that period.

Out of them Dommie Jayawardena became the most noted and had a longer stint in films and was recognised in parallel with the famous hindi actor Pran.

The more demure and innocent the character portrayed by the heroine in a film the more hated was the villain by the audiences, Rukmani Devi surely had an edge in this aspect over the other leading ladies of that era, whenever she was confronted by the villain in a scene during the film her 'wailing ways' immediately won her the sympathy and the villain was hated more by audiences.

Later as Rukmani Devi faded playing the leading role in films amidst stars of her era like Clarice de Silva, Florida Jayalath and Rita Ratnayake, Rukmani's noted innocence was represented in the form of Jeewarani Kurukulasooriya who became the most popular actress among movie going audiences of that era.

She won more sympathy than her predecessor for the novel reason that she had to always deal with not only the notorious villain but also the vamp in the form of the wicked sister-in-law or the girl next door angling for the hero.

A sprightly and bubbly Sandya Kumari fitted the bill well enough for directors to create movies with the story giving enough prominence to the vamp equally as much to the heroine.

However both Dommie Jayawardena and Sandya Kumari were cast in leading roles that spelled out different characters in comparison to the bad images they were made out to play and became popular through during the early part of there careers.

In 'Samiya Birindage Deviyaya' Dommie played a cancer patient while Sandya played a few leading roles as the good girl, namely in 'Patachara' 'Maha Re Hamu Wu sthriya' and 'Dheewarayo'

When Sandya opted out of her long standing controversial acting career Soniya Disa who was already playing small time roles by then stepped prominently in to the limelight and managed to play a whole string of roles as the vamp, almost during the same period as Lionel Deraniyagala. Bandu Munasinghe, Alexander Fernando, Baptist Fernando and Somi Ratnayake played leading villains in a number of films wrecking the lives of leading ladies at the time Neeta Fernando, Malini Fonseka (who made a sensational entry in to films with her matching histrionics during that time) and others such as Sriyani Amarasena, Sumana Amerasinghe and later Geetha Kumarasinghe.

There have been many instances where leading stars have played contrary roles not necessarily the villain or the vamp but roles which in comparison to the regular good image characters that directors offer them, This has happened at one instance or the other during their span as career actors. Ravindra Randeniya in 'Podi Malli' and 'Dadayama' Anoja Weerasinghe in 'Mal Deniye Simiyon' Geetha Kumarasinghe in 'Pembara Madhu' and 'Karumakkaroyo' Swarna Mallawaarchchi in 'Hansa Vilak' and 'Sagara Jalaya Madi Henduwa Numba Handha' Anula Karunatileka in 'Ran Salu' Gamini Fonseka in 'Chandiya'and 'Hulawali' Joe Abeywickrama in 'Bambaru Awith' and 'Desa Nisa' Sabitha Perera in 'Sisila Ginigani' Sangeetha Weeraratne in 'Bahu Baharya' Ranjan Ramanayke in 'Yakada Pihatu' Sanath Gunatileka in 'Rajya Sewaya Pinisai'

In contemporary local cinema actors are looking for challenging roles than star status unlike in the past the aspiration of actors were to serve as glamour slaves to their audiences who were transferee to a world of tinsel every time they saw them appearing on celluloid.

But today things have changed, Yes! we shall always remember not only the beauties and heroes but the vamps and the villains that made life so exciting for us in the glorious past of our cinema.

- Prasad Abu Bakr