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Sarala Kariyawasam | |
|---|---|
| Born | Sarala Kariyawasam 1996 (age 28) |
| Occupations |
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| Spouse | Eranga Jeewantha (m. 2018) |
| Children | 1 |
| Awards | Best Young Performer in an International Feature Film (Water) |
Sarala Kariyawasam, who hails from Galle, is a former Sri Lankan child actress. A student of Sangamitta Balika Vidyalaya, Sarala is the first Sri Lankan child artist to make an international debut.[ citation needed ] Currently she hosts a children's TV show in Sri Lanka. [1]
Sarala's favourite subjects are English, mathematics and science. She is the youngest in her family, with an older sister and brother.
Hollywood's Young Artist Award foundation has presented the Best Young Performer in an International Feature Film Award to Sarala, for her role of a child widow (Chuyia) in the award-winning film-maker Deepa Mehta's controversial film, Water . [2] [3]
The film is about the harsh treatment received by widows in the 1930s in India. She played the role of a child bride (Chuiya) who lost her husband at the age of eight and sent to an ashram to live with other widows, leading an austere life, sleeping on concrete floors, begging for a living and sometimes being sold as prostitutes to the Brahmin gentry across the river. She befriends Kalyani, stunningly beautiful other widow played by Lisa Ray.
Water has been acclaimed as a regional victory and was shot entirely in Sri Lanka, in partnership with Chandran Rutnam's Film Location Services Lanka Limited and the National Film Corporation. Sarala was selected from out of fifty girls and auditioned by Mehta for this challenging role. She was eight years when she acted but proved to be the most suitable to take up the lead role of the film according to Mehta. Before taking up her role in Water, she has acted in several stage plays in school and had recently won first place in an all island dancing, singing and speech competition. She says that she wants to concentrate on her studies, and has turned down many offers of acting.
"Sarala performed an absolutely outstanding role in a brilliant film that should have been given more recognition by Hollywood," said Maureen Dragone, president of the foundation, which is holding its 28th consecutive year of awards recognizing and honoring talented young child artists all over the world.
Sarala, an extremely bright girl, who did not know a word of English or Hindi, and had to learn all dialogues by heart, but ultimately acted so well that many critics were stunned by her performance. She was able to pick up both the languages within a few weeks to the amazement of the director. As result, they were able to finish the film within three months. The biggest task Sarala had to face with accepting the role was to shave her head. Having previously long hair, she agreed to do so to suit her character for Water.
The film was presented at the Toronto International Film Festival a critic said, "The film is centred by the extraordinary performance of Sarala as the young Chuyia, a girl whose spirit remains unbroken. Her refusal to bend to her plight carries considerable emotive power and elevates Water from a harsh tale of deprivation into one of hope and the possibility of overcoming. Mehta has made a film for the ages."[ citation needed ]
A British critic said of the film:
Sarala as Chuihya is a sheer delight to watch; her innocence and bewilderment of the circumstances before her somehow mirror that of our own. Her childlike wonder a revelation, more so when you realise Sarala doesn't speak a word of Hindi or English and learnt all of her lines phonetically. Ray plays Kalyani with a subtle innocence - of beauty conditioned to be submissive, whilst Biswas as Shakuntala is the newly enlightened conscience of the movie, the rambunctious Chuihya its soul. .…. An immense movie, daunting at times yet unforgettably touching; the images of Kalyani and Chuihya will stay with you for a long while afterwards. [4]
Deepa Mehta, is an Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, best known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire (1996), Earth (1998), and Water (2005).
Water is a 2005 drama film written and directed by Deepa Mehta, with screenplay by Anurag Kashyap. It is set in 1938 and explores the lives of widows at an ashram in India. The film is also the third and final installment of Mehta's Elements trilogy. It was preceded by Fire (1996) and Earth (1998). Author Bapsi Sidhwa wrote the 2006 novel based upon the film, Water: A Novel, published by Milkweed Press. Sidhwa's earlier novel, Cracking India was the basis for Earth, the second film in the trilogy.
Kumara Vidugalage Dona Geetha Samanmalee Kumarasinghe, popularly known as Geetha Kumarasinghe, is a Sri Lankan film actress & politician. She previously served as a Member of a Parliament as well as being the State Minister of Women and Child Affairs from 2022 to 2024.
Water is a novel by author Bapsi Sidhwa that was published in 2006.
Swarna Mallawarachchi, is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema. Often known as the "Golden star of Sinhalese cinema", Swarna began her acting career whilst still a schoolgirl, starring in the 1966 blockbuster film Sath Samudura directed by Siri Gunasinghe. During a career spanning over 40 years, Swarna has won the 'Best Actress Award' 26 times, most by a Sri Lankan actress.
The Elements trilogy of films by Indo-Canadian filmmaker Deepa Mehta deals with controversial issues of social reform on the Indian subcontinent. Fire, the first release in 1996, dealt with issues of arranged marriage and homosexuality in the patriarchal culture of India. Earth, released in 1998, dealt with the religious strife associated with the partition of India and the formation of Pakistan in the mid-20th century. Water, released in 2005, was the most critically successful of the three, and dealt with suicide, misogyny, and the mistreatment of widows in rural India.
![<i>Golu Hadawatha</i> 1969 [[Dominion of Ceylon|Sri Lanka]] film](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/46/Golu-hadawatha1.jpg)
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Sujata Mehta is an Indian actress of Gujarati origin who has acted in plays and Bollywood films, mostly known for her lead role in Pratighaat (1987) and supporting roles in Yateem (1988) and Gunaah (1993). She also played the lead role in the critically acclaimed and National Award winning Malayalam movie Purushartham (1987).
Sachini Ayendra Stanley, is a Sri Lankan actress and beauty pageant titleholder. She won Miss World Sri Lanka 2003 and represented her country at Miss World 2003. She currently working in the Sinhala film industry, her first film Aadaraneeya Wassaanaya directed by Senesh Dissanaike Bandara was released in 2004. She won the award for best supporting actress at Signis Sri Lanka Film Awards for her performance.
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Shayama Ananda, popularly known as Shayama Ananda, is an actress in Sri Lankan Sinhala cinema.
Manorama was an Indian character actress in Bollywood known best for her role as the comical tyrant aunt in Seeta Aur Geeta (1972) and in films such as Ek Phool Do Maali (1969) and Do Kaliyaan (1968). She started her career as a child artiste in 1936 in Lahore, under the name Baby Iris. Thereafter, she made her debut as an adult actress in 1941, and performed to her final role in Water in 2005, her career extending over 60 years. Through her career she acted in over 160 films. After playing heroine roles in the early 1940s, she settled into playing villainous or comic roles. She played comic roles in superhit films such as Half Ticket appearing alongside Kishore Kumar and the legendary Madhubala. She gave memorable performances in Dus Lakh, Jhanak Jhanak Payal Baaje, Mujhe Jeene Do, Mehboob ki Menhdi, Caravan, Bombay to Goa and Lawaris.
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Samarawickrama Dahanayake Sujani Menaka [Sinhala]), popularly as Sujani Menaka, is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television. Started as a child artist in advertisements, she is best known for the role in NSB commercial Sathen Sathe and title role Sara in the teledrama as well as film adaptation.
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