Malini among the top in Asia

Dulshani GUNAWARDENA

Veteran Sri Lankan actress Malini Fonseka has made it continental! The 'Queen of the Sri Lankan Silver Screen' has been named by CNN as one of Asia's greatest actors of all time, with her 1972 film

Nidhanaya commended as her best work ever.

The list comprises 25 'great's in the Asian circuit. This includes the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Nargis, Zhou Xun, Gong Li, Takeshi Kitano, Ahn Sung-Ki and Fann Wong. from a diverse range of countries including China, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Pakistan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Cambodia.

Fonseka was the first Sri Lankan actress to reach international heights, winning awards at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1975 and the New Delhi Film Festival in 1977.

Apart from the many Sarasaviya Awards she has won, she has also earned other honours like the Presidential Awards, OCIC Awards and also international recognition. With a career spanning over 40 years, Fonseka has bagged many international accolades, her latest achievement being the Silver Peacock Award in the 39th International Film Festival in India for the greatly critically acclaimed Akasa Kusum.