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{{Short description|Sri Lankan film director (1900–1963)}}
{{More citations needed|date=May 2007}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Sirisena Wimalaweera <br> සිරිසේන විමලවීර
| other_names =
| image =
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| birth_date = {{Birth date|1901|7|23|df=yes}}
| birth_name =
| birth_place = [[Tangalle]], Sri Lanka
| death_date = {{death date and age|1963|8|24|1901|7|23|df=yes}}
| death_place =
| resting_place =
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| nationality = [[Sri Lanka]]n
| education = Christchurch Sinhala College, Tangalle
| years_active = 1949–1963
| party =
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| children = 5
| awards =
| signature =
| website =
| footnotes =
| occupation = Director, lyricist, screenwriter, producer
}}
'''Sirisena Wimalaweera''' ({{langx|si|සිරිසේන විමලවීර}}; born 23 June 1901 – died 24 August 1963) was a [[Sri Lanka]]n [[filmmaker]] and theater master.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nfc.gov.lk/artist/sirisena-wimalaweera-467/ | title=Filmmakers in Sinhala cinema - Sirisena Wimalaweera | publisher=National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka| access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref> He made several critically acclaimed films from 1949 to 1960. He is the first independent Sinhalese and Sri Lankan to direct a Sinhala film and first Sinhala Independent Producer.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.divaina.com/2015/10/16/cineart05.html | title=Daya Wimalaweera's reappearance | publisher=Divaina| access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Wimalaweera was born on 23 June 1901 in [[Tangalle]]. He was a man of good knowledge about different languages such as Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, etc. At the age of eleven, he traveled to India with his uncle to study Ayurvedic medicine. But, unfortunately, he got the idea of doing drama. He has two daughters - Somawathi and Premawathi; and three sons, Daya, Upasena and Ranjith.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.sarasaviya.lk/features-story/2019/08/15/8409/නරක-කලාත්මක-චිත්%E2%80%8Dරපටයකට-වඩා-හොඳ-වාණිජ-චිත්%E2%80%8Dරපටයකට-කැමැති-වූ-දයා | title=Daya Wimalaweera who liked a good commercial film rather than a bad art film | publisher=Sarasaviya| access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref> His elder son [[Daya Wimalaweera]] was a popular film director, cameraman, script writer and also a producer. Upesena Wimalaweera is also a sound engineer and editor.

Wimalaweera was rushed to the Khalil Private Hospital in Maradana and was 62 years old when he died on August 24, 1963.<ref name= wimal>{{cite web | url=http://www.sarasaviya.lk/story/2019/03/07/3433/අඟුරු-මුට්ට-කර-ගසමින්-සිනමාවේ-සිංහල-ලකුණ-සොයා-ගිය-විමලවීර-මාස්ටර් | title=Wimalaweera master who searched for Sinhala mark in cinema | publisher=Sarasaviya| access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref>

==Career==
Wimalaweera came back to Sri Lanka and did many dramas and Wimalaweera went to the Neptune studio in South India on November 19, 1948 and spent eight months producing his first film ''Amma'' in 1949.<ref name= wimalaweera>{{cite web | url=http://www.divaina.com/2012/01/20/cineart04.html | title=Sirisena Wimalaweera and local cinema | publisher=Divaina| access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref> His second feature ''Seedevi'' was produced the following year. He directed many stage plays such as ''Gan Wathura'', ''Seedevi'', ''Amma'', ''Rodi Kella'' and ''Heladiva Purangana''.<ref name= wimal />

He continued his film career by directing many films such as ''Pitisera Kella'' and ''Saradeyal'' in 1954, ''Podi Putha'' in 1955, ''Asoka'' in 1957, ''Ekamath Eka Rataka'' in 1958, ''Ma Alaya Kala Tharuniya'' in 1959, and many more.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.films.lk/ArtistDetails.php?id=1329 | title=Sirisena Wimalaweera filmography | publisher=Sinhala Cinema Database| access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref><ref name= wimalaweera />

He also received an award for best film ''Podi Putha'' (1956), which was critically acclaimed as his best film. He introduced many actors and singers too.<ref name= wimalaweera /> ''Podi Putha'' won the award for the Best Film at the 1956 Deepashika Film Festival. He directed the first film in Sri Lanka with cartoons, ''Ekamath Eka Rataka'' in 1958. His 1955 film ''Asoka'' was the only Sinhala film to be screened in China, according to "Motion Picture" magazine. His film ''Ma Ale Kala Tharuniya'' was adjudged the best movie of the year at the 1959 cinema's edited by Jayawilal Wilegoda. In 1960, Wimalaweera started the film ''Punchi Amma'' and introduced [[Tony Ranasinghe]] to the silver screen. In the meantime, Wimalaweera has started the film ''Rodi Kella'' and has selected Sandya Kumari for the first time to play the lead role. This film also marked [[Premasiri Khemadasa]]'s first musical directorial debut.<ref name= wimal />

Wimalaweera's films attempted to stay true to Sinhala history and culture and are considered a step forward in Sinhala cinema. Due to his indefatigable efforts a film studio named "Nawajeewana" was built in Kirobathgoda, Kelaniya which was established on 13 September 1951, which is known as the only studio owned by a Sri Lankan filmmaker.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.dinamina.lk/2019/08/13/පුවත්/78623/ප්%E2%80%8Dරවීණ-සිනමා-අධ්%E2%80%8Dයක්ෂ-දයා-විමලවීරයන්-අභාවප්%E2%80%8Dරාප්ත-වෙයි | title=Veteran film director Daya Wimalaweera passes away | publisher=Dinamina| access-date=25 January 2020}}</ref> His style and techniques were similar to Jayamanne's work however and Wimalaweera didn't receive critical approval.<ref name= wimal />

==Filmography==
===As director===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Film !! Other roles !! Ref.
|-
| 1949 || ''[[Amma (1949 film)|Amma]]'' || Screenwriter, Lyricist ||
|-
| 1951 || ''See Devi'' || Screenwriter, Lyricist ||
|-
| 1953 || ''Pitisara Kella'' || Screenwriter, Lyricist ||
|-
| 1954 || ''Saradiel'' || Screenwriter, Lyricist, Producer || <ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.lankadeepa.lk/rasawitha/දීකිරි-කෑ-පරපුරේ-විරෝධතා-මැද--විමලවීර-තැනූ-සරදියෙල්/57-533000 | title=Saradiel, built by Wimalaweera amidst protests of the generation that was fed up | publisher=Lankadeepa | access-date=26 February 2020}}</ref>
|-
| 1955 || ''Asoka'' || ||
|-
| 1955 || ''Podi Putha'' || Screenwriter, Lyricist, Sudappu Samaranayake (acting) ||
|-
| 1957 || ''Sirakaruwa'' || Screenwriter, Lyricist ||
|-
| 1958 || ''Ekamath Eka Rataka'' || Screenwriter, Lyricist ||
|-
| 1959 || ''Ma Ale Kala Tharuniya'' || Screenwriter, Lyricist ||
|-
| 1960 || ''Wana Mala'' || Screenwriter, Lyricist ||
|}

===As lyricist===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year !! Film !! Ref.
|-
| 1953 || ''Sujatha'' ||
|-
| 1954 || ''Warada Kageda'' ||
|-
| 1994 || ''Sujatha'' ||
|-
| 2004 || ''[[Seethala Gini Kandu]]'' ||
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.lankadeepa.lk/rasawitha/ලංකාවේ-ප්‍රථම-වර්ණ-සිංහල-චිත්‍රපටය-ගම්බද-සුන්දරී/57-510502 ලංකාවේ ප්‍රථම වර්ණ සිංහල චිත්‍රපටය ගම්බද සුන්දරී]
* [http://www.divaina.com/2016/04/29/cineart04.html ලෙස්‌ටර්ගේ සිනමා භාවිතය ඔහුගේම ආත්ම කථනයක්‌]
* [http://archives.dinamina.lk/baddaramalla/?sid=article&dt=2013/10/15&id=2013/10/15/b1310158 විමලවීර කෝකියාගේ සිංහල කිරිහොදි සිනමාව]

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wimalaweera, Sirisena}}
[[Category:Sri Lankan film directors]]
[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1963 deaths]]

Sirisena Wimalaweera - Revision history

imported>Perst&Jae at 07:00, 28 April 2025