GAMINI FONSEKA
The legendary figure of Sinhala Cinema:
Rodney Martinesz
Today marks the fifth death anniversary of screen legend Gamini
Fonseka who strode Sinhala cinema's landscape like a colossus for over
four decades. In fact the Sinhala cinema is yet to come to terms with
the huge void left by the demise of this unique artiste.
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Gamini Fonseka |
Perhaps Sinhala cinema will never see the likes of a Gamini Fonseka
whose dominance of the Silver Screen was of such a scale he was almost
deified by the local cinema going public at the peak of his career. He
was the uncrowned king of the Sinhala cinema. There were of course
pretenders to the throne down the line, but non who could capture the
aura and the sway he had over the local cinema going public.
National renaissance
In a way Gamini personified the ground breaking change witnessed in
the Sinhala cinema in the late fifties.
That was a time of national renaissance on the political and social
scene and the Sinhala cinema too underwent a cultural transformation
along with the changing ethos. Gamini ideally fitted into the milieu and
proved a catalyst in the change.
That was a time when every aspect of the cinema be it acting,
directing or music were styled on South Indian productions. Our actors
and actresses were mere caricatures of their South Indian counterparts
to the minute detail.
Gamini changed it all by bringing in his unique style of acting and
his own brand of heroics into the screen, which appealed to the masses
and infused a wholly local dimension and indigenous appeal to the local
cinema.
His swashbuckling appearance, handsome profile, macho image and
dashing screen presence struck a ready chord with young local fans who
flocked to the cinemas in their multitudes. He was their hero in a
country bereft of heroes and cinema halls registered record Box Office
returns on his films.
Cult figure
Gamini in fact became a cult figure and provided the momentum to take
the Sinhala cinema to dizzy heights. Mile long queues before theatre
halls were the order of the day where police had to battle with crazy
fans. This period in the 60s is still considered the golden era of the
Sinhala cinema and its mood and atmosphere is yet to be recaptured
notwithstanding all the modern facilities and cinematic techniques of
the present day.
Gamini was particularly fortunate in having a new and revolutionary
crop of film directors who coincidentally emerged at the same time of
this transitory period of the Sinhala cinema. Among them Lester James
Peries, Titus Totawatte, Mike Wilson, K.A.W. Perera and Tissa
Liyanasuriya to name a few did have a profound effect on Gamin's rise to
fame and stardom.
It was Ranmuthuduwa, Sinhala cinema's first colour production which
made Gamini a household name. The adventure film with its daring
underwater scenes shot in the placid waters of Trincomalee in the
backdrop of the famous Koneswaran Temple and its spell binding escapades
sent viewers into delirious raptures. The thirst for reruns even decades
after it was first shown in 1962 saw the inevitable destruction of the
film. A negative though still remains in a famous London Studio.
Tributes
It would be tribute to his memory if the State Film Corporation or
some other agency provides the opportunity for the present generation to
view this film. Viewers also saw Gamini in contrasting roles in many of
his hit movies that belied his true image. Nobody who viewed his block
buster film 'Chandia' in the mid 60s could ever visualize him in
priestly robes in 'Deviyani Oba Kohida' a decade later. Nor his role as
"Captain Vanthropp" in a local stage production of the venerated musical
'The Sound of Music' around the same time.
Who could have imagined the glamour boy of the blockbuster 'Sooraya'
series playing the ugly drooling half-wit in the equally famous 'Hulawali'.
Examples are a plenty but Gamini fitted into all such roles with ease
without any dent to his popularity.
The uniqueness about Gamini is that he personified his screen
characters in real life. He was a rebel of sorts and fought tooth and
nail against the Film establishment, like the many characters he
portrayed on screen.
Local film industry
He instilled pride and dignity among the local artists who were
earlier made to genuflect before the nabobs of the Film Industry. There
was a story told of how he flung some inferior quality lunch packets
into the Dutch Canal in Hendala during a shooting stint at the Studio.
Gamini was incensed that the same hospitality extended to him were
denied to other artistes by the producer. It was inevitable that his
screen talents would extend to directing and this happened with his
maiden effort being Parasathumal. But it was as actor par excellence
that Gamini will be remembered by generations of filmgoers, an icon
tragically lost to the Sinhala cinema.
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