Iranganie Serasinghe

Kala Keerthi[3] Iranganie Roxanna Serasinghe (née Meedeniya) (born 9 June 1927[1]) is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television. Since her debut in Rekava, Serasinghe has become recognized for playing motherly figures in various films and television serials.[4] She is the aunt of Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe.

Iranganie Roxanna Serasinghe
අයිරාංගනී සේරසිංහ
Born (1927-06-09) 9 June 1927[1]
Mudungomuwa, Ruwanwella, British Ceylon
NationalitySri Lankan
Other namesIranganie Roxanna Meedeniya
Education
OccupationTeacher (Musaeus college)
Journalist (Times, SLBC)[2]
Film, Television and Stage actress
Years active1950-present
Spouse(s)
  • Prof. S.B. Dissanayake (Div.)
  • Winston Serasinghe
ChildrenRavi & Ranjit
AwardsKala Keerthi, Sri Lankan of the year

Early life and education

Born Iranganie Roxana Meedeniya to Joseph Hercules Meedeniya, Rate Mahatmaya of Ratnapura and Violet Ellawela. Her paternal grandfather was J. H. Meedeniya Adigar and her uncles included D. R. Wijewardena and Sir Francis Molamure. She had three siblings, Indrani Meedeniya, Kamani Vitharana who married Professor Tissa Vitharana and Mahinda Meedeniya.

Iranganie Meedeniya grew up in Moodugomuwa, near Ruwanwella in a tranquil village setting. Her early touches with nature later led her to become an environmental activist. While attending Bishop's College she played in several end-of-term plays; at Girls' High School, Kandy whilst pursuing a HSC; Meedeniya took a leading role in Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion.

Against her father a Rate Mahatthaya's wishes, Meedeniya entered the University of Ceylon in 1947 with the support of her cousins. He died in her first year away at a time when Marxist ideas were the norm. She immersed herself in the Ceylon theater scene while there under the guidance of Professor E. F. C. Ludowyk; she also became a proficient dancer with lessons from Chitrasena.

She eventually graduated with an Arts degree and traveled to London with letters of recommendation from Ludowyk following a marriage to Professor Dissanayake (they divorced some time later). There with the help of actresses Flora Robson and Sybil Thorndyke, Meedeniya attended Bristol Old Vic Theatre School for a year and the London School of Speech Training and Dramatic Art for two years.[5]

Theater and film

Returning to Sri Lanka, Meedeniya met up with Ludowyk and Austrian Jew director Neuman Jubal and got back into theater. The Lionel Wendt Art Centre theater portion of the center opened on 12 December 1953 with the production of Maxim Gorky's "The Lower Depths", starring Iranganie Serasinghe and produced by Neuman Jubal. Doing mainly English roles at first, she started playing in Sinhala theater in Henry Jayasena's Apata Puthe Magak Nethe and followed with roles in Damma Jagoda's Sinhala version of A Streetcar Named Desire, Ves Muhunu, and Porisadaya. The following years saw Meedeniya in constantly changing settings–teaching briefly at Musaeus College, working for The Times of Ceylon after returning from London, doing a stint at the SLBC and handling a post in the tourist trade working as a junior executive and guide of Walkers Tours and Travels (Pvt)Ltd. Accordingly, Serasinghe is the first Sri Lankan actress to have received an academic training in acting.

Meedeniya started her career in cinema in Lester James Peries "Be Safe or Be Sorry" for the Government Film Unit . Peries subsequently cast her in his debut feature film Rekava as a mother . It has since achieved an iconic status in Sri Lanka.

In 1960 Meedeniya married Winston Serasinghe who had appeared in Rekava and some other productions with her. With the new surname, Iranganie Serasinghe achieved fame as an actress appearing in many of Peries' early works.[6]

National Awards
  • Kala Keerthi - Sri Lankan Government
  • Sri Lankan of the Year (2017) - Entertainment Distinguished Achievement - Ada Derana [7]
  • Best actress Special jury award - State Radio Awards 2019 [8][9]

Biography
  • Irangani as Told to Kumar de Silva - by Kumar de Silva
  • අයිරාංගනී - Sinhala version by same author.[10]

Filmography

Film[11]
Year Show Role Notes
1956 Rekava Karthina
1960 Sandesaya Female Spy
1966 Delovak Athara Nissanka's mother
1967 The Yellow Dress
1969 Bakmaha Deege Kumarihami
1969 Romeo Juliet Kathawak [12]
1970 Thewatha
1970 Priyanga
1974 The God King Varuni
1981 Sagarayak Meda
1982 Deveni Gamana Saman's mother
1984 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Village Woman
1984 Dadayama Brothel owner [13]
1984 Avurududa Malani's Mother
1985 Adara Kathawa) Kanthi's mother
1990 Awaragira Dingiri Menike
1996 Loku Duwa Punna's Mother [14]
1998 Iqbal (Italy) Nonna
2001 Poronduwa Mrs. Rambukwella [15]
2001 Kinihiriya Mal Sylvia Madam[16]
2002 Sudu Sevanali
2002 Mansion by the Lake Aunt Catherine
2003 Sakman Maluwa Tissa;s mother
2003 Irasma Ima's granny
2005 Pawana Ralu Viya Mrs. Weerasinghe
2005 Sudu Kalu Saha Alu Nogo Nonna
2005 Water Mother in Law
2007 Nisala Gira Radha's mother-in-law
2007 Samaara Indu's paternal granny [17]
2008 Heart FM Shakya's granny
2008 Rosa Kale Akalanka's granny
2013 Abhinikmana Buddhadasa's mother
2013 It’s a Matter of Love[18] Chathuri's granny
2014 Kalpanthe Sihinayak Menu's elder mother
2017 Paha Samath[19] Vinura's granny
2018 Vaishnavee Osanda's granny
2018 Kalu Hima[20] Chunda's granny
2019 Sulanga Apa Ragena Yavi[21] Granny
TBD Theja [22]
TBD Guththila[23]
TBD Gaadi Bulathgama Disawe's mother

Television
Year Show Role
1980s Yashorawaya (යශෝරාවය) Suduhamine
1990–1995 Doo Daruwo (දූ දරුවෝ) Dulsey/Sudu aachchi
1988 Village by the Sea-Gamperaliya
1996–1997 Nadayo
1997 Ammai Thaththai (අම්මයි තාත්තයි)
1999–2001 Sathpuravesiyo (සත්පුරවැසියෝ)
2000 Smarana Samapthi [24]
2001 Suseta Mayam [25]
2003/04 Paaradeesaya [26]
2004 Vihanga Geethaya [27]
2004 Jeewithayata Idadenna [28]
2004 Nonimi Yathra [29]
2005 Dangayanta Pamanai [30]
2006 Mage Kaviya Mata Denna [31]
2006 Veeduru Mal [32]
2007 Samanala Wasanthaya [33]
2007 Weten Eha [34]
2009 Sudu Hansayo [35]
2008–2009 Muthu Kirilli
2010 Doratu Rakinno [36]
2010–2011 Amanda granny
2012 Duwaru [37]
2018 Thaththa Prison officer's step mother
2020 Sihini A rich bed-ridden old lady - isolated by her children

References
  1. "Irangani As Told to Kumar de Silva", Kumar de Silva, Samaranayake Publishers, 2013
  2. "Lankadeepa Online". www.lankadeepa.lk.
  3. "The Sunday Times News and Comments". www.sundaytimes.lk.
  4. "A Shining Star striving to protect Planet Earth". Daily News(Sri Lanka). 23 May 2007. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
  5. "Iranganie Serasinghe: Mischievous young girl who turned a brilliant actress". Daily News (Sri Lanka). 29 April 2006. Archived from the original on 16 March 2008. Retrieved 3 March 2008.
  6. "Fascinating facet of genuine original art". Sunday Observer (Sri Lanka). 16 December 2007.
  7. "Ada Derana Sri Lankan of the Year 2017 - award winners". www.adaderana.lk.
  8. "Award-winning artiste Malaka Dewapriya decries censorship". dailymirror. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  9. "Soaring in the waves". dailynews. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  10. "සිනමාවේ අද්විතීය මාතාව අයිරාංගනීගේ ජීවිත කතාව එළි දකී". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  11. "Iranganie Serasinghe". IMDb.
  12. "Romeo Juliet Kathawak". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 2021-01-10.
  13. "Dadayama: The hunt that was a hunt". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  14. "Loku Duwa appears on Rupavahini". Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  15. "'Poronduwa':Ratnam on correct track again". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  16. "Kinihiriya Mal - කිනිහිරියා මල්". Sinhala Cinema Database. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  17. "Sanjaya enters cinema with 'Samara'". Sunday Times. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  18. "ඉට්ස් අ මැටර් ඔෆ් ලව්". Sarasaviya. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 1 November 2017.
  19. "Tear falling cinema about a village boy". Sarasaviya. Archived from the original on 26 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  20. "කළුහිම". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  21. "A fresh wind for cinema". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
  22. "තේජා පූර්ව ප්‍රචාරය අරඹයි". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
  23. "Tale of Guththila becomes a cinema". Sarasaviya. Retrieved 10 November 2018.
  24. "'Smarana Samapthi' brings out a hidden past". Sunday times. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  25. "'Suseta Mayam' : Story of two girls in an asylum". Sunday times. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  26. "Depicts social differences". Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  27. "'Vihanga Geethaya': A tale of triangular love". Sunday times. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  28. "'Jeewithayata Idadenna' : Love, smiles and tears". Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  29. "A voyage from here to eternity". Sunday times. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  30. "'Dangayanta Pamanai': For mischivous only". Sunday Times. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  31. "'Mage Kaviya Mata Denna' : Mano's filmic dream". Sunday Times. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
  32. "'Veeduru Mal': Depicts a topsy-turvy tale". Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  33. "'Heidi'comes to TV". Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  34. ""Weten Eha", a tale of neighbours". Sunday Times. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  35. "'Sudu Hansayo', Discusses problems in marriage". Sunday Times. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  36. "'Doratu Rakinno' opens for public". Sunday Times. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
  37. "'Duwaru' to make a difference". Sunday Times. Retrieved 22 December 2019.


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