Joe - stardom spanning generations

Joe Abeywickrama’s funeral under state patronage

Nipuni Wimalapala

The funeral of veteran actor Joe Abeywickrama will be held under full state patronage at the Borella Kanatte today on a special request from President Mahinda Rajapaksa

At a press briefing held at the National Film Corporation, Culture and Arts Minister T.B. Ekanayake said the remains of the award winning actor lying at the Jayaratne Funeral Parlour Borella will be removed to the National Art Gallery where it will lie from 9 am to 3 pm for the public to pay their respects.

Thereafter it will be removed for cremation at Borella Kanatte at 4 pm. “This is a very sad and emotional moment for the local cinema where we have lost a great actor who had won a number of awards including an international award,” said actor Ravindra Randeniya.

“His talents and acting skills are incomparable and no one can replace him,” he said.

Joe Abeywickrama passed away on Wednesday at the age of 78. Joe had a remarkable career as an actor.

He was born in Ratnapura on June 13, 1933. He started acting in 1957. He is considered the best actor of the Sri Lankan cinema even today.

The passing away of veteran actor Joe Abeywickrema removes from our midst one of last of the icons of the Sinhala cinema who ignited the local silver screen in its golden era of the 60s.

Joe was a rare artist who fitted into any role- the comedian, lover, villain, village oracle - with equal ease and yet succeeded in retaining his popularity in equal measure.

Though essentially a comedian in the early days of his career, he acquitted himself with distinction in the serious character roles which he was thrust into by producers who spotted his unique talents and versatility, which won for him many an award and accolades from his multitude of fans.

Like his illustrious contemporary Gamini Fonseka, Joe burst into the Sinhala cinema at a time when the local film industry was heavily influenced by the South Indian cinematic genre and where local artistes were made virtual caricatures of their South Indian counterparts.

Joe with the likes of Gamini, D.R. Nanayakkara et al was singularly responsible for radically changing the status quo and was one of the pioneering artistes who helped contribute to transforming the local cinema into its own unique identity shedding off the slough of the South Indian influence.

In this they were helped immensely by film makers of the calibre of Lester James Peries, Tissa Liyanasuriya and Titus Totawatte who strove to indigenize the Sinhala cinema and it was not surprising that the fist choice artistes for their projects were Gamini and Joe.

It was said by some that Joe came into prominence thorough his combination with Gamini, the undoubted hero of the Sinhala cinema, in the sixties and that the rise his popularity was chiefly attributed to the reflected glory of acting as the ideal foil to the legendary icon.

But there were those who still contend that Joe held his own and in some instances clearly outshone and outacted the doyen of the Sinhala cinema notably in films such as Welikathara.

Producers knowing magic of the duo in combination never failed to exploit this alliance in their films which were invariably box office hits.

Joe was one of the few actors who succeeded in cutting across the generation gap in retaining his popularity well past his prime, which speaks volumes for the versatility of the actor. Though not a superstar in the mould of a Gamini or a Vijaya, he nevertheless commanded a vast following due to his unique style and boundless talent of the kind which still remains unequalled. - RODNEY