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Dhanusha Samanmalee :
Gearing up for a tuneful path
Jayanthi LIYANAGE
Dhanusha Samanmalee sang her way successfully through the fourth
round of the much coveted musical show "Derana London Star", on June 27.
It was held at the Zoroastrian Centre, 440-442, Alexandra Avenue,
Rayners Lane, Harrow, HA2 9TL (opposite Rayners Lane Tube Station).
Samanmalee is among the 24 Sri Lankan contestants who live scattered all
over the United Kingdom (UK) and were selected to the fourth round. She
was competing from Thatcham.
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Dhanusha Samanmalee |
When the program is telecast in Sri Lanka, local viewers can send
their votes to the contest. The program is telecast every Wednesday on
the Derana television channel from 9.30 p.m. to 10.30 p.m. If you want
to elect Samanmalee to the future rounds, send your sms vote to
dlsspace135. Audiences who have access to internet can send their votes
direct to England.
A most promising candidate to the title, Samanmalee has so far
successfully filtered past rounds one to three, based on her talent and
proficiency acquired from studying for the Bathkande exams under the
tutelage of Visharada P.V. Nandasiri. In fact, she has been tagged as
Yavvanaye Svapna Miyasiya which connotes her musical ability of the
saptha svara as opposed to being called a 'dream star' which is more
akin to a beauty pageant. She is conversant in both singing and playing
musical instruments.
"You do not have to act purposefully," The organizers of the contest
had commended Samanmalee. "Your eyes tell the tale. We cannot tell the
others to emulate you because then they might imitate you." They have
given her their blessings to proceed onwards through her natural
instincts.
"Derana London Star" records a first time in the Sri Lankan annals
that a local television channel has scooped up a collection of Sri
Lankans resident overseas to showcase their singing ability on an
international platform. It is not a realty show but a hunt for singing
potential by a collaboration of the Derana Television channel and the
Orlando Group of Companies in the UK.
Applicants were called for from throughout England from which 88
contestants were brought in to compete on stage, narrowing to a 46.
From this, 36 were selected to the third round. Rounds one and two
had judges flown from Sri Lanka to London. Last year, musicians Nirosha
Perera and Nalin Perera held separate workshops for the contestants
filtered from the first round.
The contestants also had to go through a voice audition supervised by
musicians Jagath Wickramasingha and Desmond de Silva.
As a novelty to overcome geographical limitations, in January this
year, the third contest was held in a studio in England by singing
recorded on an audio disc and sent to Derana Sri Lanka to be judged by
musicians Mariyasel Gunatilake and Kitsiri Jayasekera. Results were sent
back to England and announced in a ceremonial gathering. These 24
contestants are now being prepared to the fifth contest through more
workshops. The future rounds of the contest will mainly depend on viewer
voting.
The break through for Samanmalee came when she was requested to sing
along with veteran musicians Nanda Malini, Mariyasel and Desmond de
Silva, for a musical Show "Sunil Gee Sandewa" held in London to
felicitate singer Sunil Edirisinghe. Already popular by singing at
parties, this show resulted in her being asked to apply for the Derana
contest.
A past pupil of Museus College, she had previously worked as a Sales
Consultant at Thomas Cook, being qualified in CIM. She now works as a
manageress in a sphere dealing with foreign exchange.
Samanmalee is the eldest daughter of Sriyani Perera who was crowned
as Avurudu Kumari in 1968 and chosen to act in the film Akkara Paha,
directed by veteran film maker, Lester James Peries. Sriyani also played
the role of Manika in Dayananda Gunawaradena's Bak Mahe Deege and landed
more roles in films Eya Den Loku Lamayek, Desa Nisa, Sanakeliya and
Walmathvuwo. The late Upali Wijewardena chose her for a commercial for
Unic Radio and she had more commercials coming from Grants Advertising
Company such as for Loxene Shampoo and Berec Batteries.
After acting in Director Sathischandra Edirisinghe's film Shri
Madhara, Sriyani bade farewell to films and married Sunil Rantyake.
Blessed with two daughters, Sriyani is happy to have her eldest
advancing very much more beyond the proverbial following in her mother's
footsteps.
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