Daisy Rasammah Daniels, known popularly as Rukmani Devi was a Sri Lankan film actress and singer who was often acclaimed as "The Nightingale of Sri Lanka". She made it to the silver screen via the stage and had acted in close to 100 films at the time of her death. Having an equal passion for singing as well as a melodious voice, she was Sri Lanka's foremost female singer in the gramophone era. After her death, she was awarded the Sarasaviya 'Rana Thisara'- Life Time Achievement Award at the 1979 Sarasaviya Awards Festival.
Kala Suri Alhaj Kareem Mohideen Baig, popularly as Mohideen Baig, was a Sri Lankan musician. One of the most influential singers in Sinhala music, Baig is known particularly for his Buddhist devotional music. He is a Muslim who moved to Sri Lanka from Salem in Tamil Nadu, but of a Hyderabadi Muslim origin. He was considered a highly influential multicultural figure in the country's arts history. Baig is the first award winning citizen of Sri Lanka.
Cyril Tudor Fernando, popularly known as C.T. Fernando, was a Sri Lankan singer and composer. One of the most popular singers in Sri Lankan music often known as the First Pop singer in Sri Lanka, Fernando was praised by critics for the themes and wording of his songs like "Vana Bamaru," "Bilinda Nelwa Ukule" and "Rosa Male." His other popular songs include "Lo Ada Ninde", "Gile Male Tarawa" and "Mariya Mawu Kuse."
Sujatha is a 1953 Sri Lankan romantic musical film based on the Bollywood film Bari Behen. It was the most successful Sri Lankan film made up to that time.
K. Jamuna Rani is an Indian playback singer who has sung over 6,000 songs in Telugu, Sinhalese, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages.
Dharmadasa Walpola (1927–1983) was the most prominent Sri Lankan male playback singer of the 1950s and 1960s. Walpola was an accomplished musician adapt at playing the flute, harmonium, violin and tabla.
Chitrananda Abeysekera (1930–1992) was a veteran broadcaster, poet, writer and an administrator. He joined Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, then Radio Ceylon as a radio announcer and retired as the Director of Sinhala Services in 1989. He was also the President of Aganuwara Tharuna Kavi Samajaya for more than a decade and initiated a lot of programs that benefited poets and the public alike. He restarted Kavi Suwanda, the poetry newspaper for poets. Chitrananda dedicated his whole life to Sinhala poetry and literature, not forgetting Radio Journalism.
Kele Handa is a 1953 Sri Lankan romantic musical starring Rukmani Devi, Stanley Perera, Eddie Jayamanne, Rita Ratnayake and Mabel Blythe. It is based on a popular Sinhala novel by W. A. Silva.
Chandiya is a 1965 Sri Lankan action movie directed by Titus Thotawatte. In the country, it was the first of its genre to not borrow from Indian cinema.
Ramaya Muttusamy was a prolific Sri Lankan music director and singer. He handled the music for most of K. Gunaratnam's productions.
Dheewarayo is a 1964 Sri Lankan Sinhala drama film directed by M. Masthan and produced by K. Gunaratnam. It stars Gamini Fonseka and Sandhya Kumari in lead roles with Vijitha Mallika and Hugo Fernando in supportive roles. Music for the film is done by M. K. Rocksamy.
Asokamala is a 1947 Sri Lankan historical film co-directed by Shanthi Kumar and T. R. Goppu and produced by Sir Chittampalam A. Gardiner. It was the second film made in the Sinhalese language and the first by a Sinhalese director. It also was the first film that W. D. Albert Perera, Mohideen Baig and Mohammed Ghouse contributed to. The melodies of the songs of 'Asokamala' were original ones devised by Mohamed Ghouse- a departure from what was to be the copying of Indian melodies in the time to come.
Surangani is a 1955 Sri Lankan drama film directed by Cyril P. Abeyratne.
The Kala Suri is a Sri Lankan national honour awarded "for special contributions to the development of the arts". It is conventionally used as a title or prefix to the awardee's name. Kala Suri ranks lower than Vidya Nidhi.
K. Rani was an Indian playback singer who has sung songs in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Sinhalese, Hindi, Bengali and Uzbek. Rani was the first female singer from India to sing in Sinhalese and Uzbek, and sang the national anthem of Sri Lanka.
Kala Suri Gnai Seenar Bangsajayah,, popularly known as G. S. B. Rani, was a Sri Lankan actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theater as well as a songstress, politician and a media personality. She was one of the most popular playback singers in early Sri Lankan cinema industry with a career spanned over five decades.
Mudunkotuwa Munasinghe Arachchige Leelawathi Perera, popularly known by her stage name Wasantha Sandanayake, was a Sri Lankan singer, primarily worked as a playback singer in Sinhala film industry. She is often described as the female symbol in the Buddhist song tradition of Sri Lanka Music.
Sri Lanka cinema family is the largest artistic family tree known in the world spanning over a sixty years in the Sinhala film industry. Many members of the family, both direct biological descendants and those married into the family, have had prolific careers as actors, film directors, producers, singers, scriptwriters, journalists and lyricists which included more than six generations at present.
