''Beddegama'' (''The Village in the Jungle'') is a 1980
Sinhala drama film directed by
Lester James Peries
Sri Lankabhimanya Lester James Peries ( Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකාභිමාන්ය ලෙස්ටර් ජේම්ස් පීරිස්; 5 April 1919 – 29 April 2018) was a Sri Lankan film director, screenwriter, a ...
that follows the lives of village people in British Colonial Sri Lanka. The film is based on the 1913 book ''
The Village in the Jungle'' by
Leonard Woolf
Leonard Sidney Woolf (; – ) was a British political theorist, author, publisher, and civil servant. He was married to author Virginia Woolf. As a member of the Labour Party and the Fabian Society, Woolf was an avid publisher of his own wo ...
. Sir
Arthur C. Clarke also has a minor role in the film as an English Judge.
Plot
The lives of a poor family in a small village called Beddagama (literally, "The village in the jungle") as they struggle to survive the challenges presented by poverty, disease, superstition, the unsympathetic colonial system, and the jungle itself. The head of the family is a hunter named Silindu, who has two daughters named Punchi Menika and Hinnihami. After being manipulated by the village authorities and a debt collector, Silindu is put on trial for murder
Cast
*
Malini Fonseka
Wanniarachchige Malini Senehelatha Fonseka, popularly as Malini Fonseka ( Sinhala:මාලිනී ෆොන්සේකා) (born 30 April 1947, in Kelaniya) is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theatre and television as well as a director. ...
as Punchi Menika
*
Joe Abeywickrama
Deshabandu Gammana Patabendige Don John Abeywickrama ( Sinhala:ජෝ අබේවික්රම) (22 June 1927 – 21 September 2011), popularly as Joe Abeywickrama, was an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television. Initially famed ...
as Silindu
*
Vijaya Kumaratunga
Kovilage Anton Vijaya Kumaranatunga ( si, කොවිලගේ ඇන්ටන් විජය කුමාරණතුංග; ta, விஜய_குமாரணதுங்க; 9 October 1945 – 16 February 1988), popularly known as Vijaya ...
as Babun
*
Tony Ranasinghe
Deshabandu Ranasinghe Hettiarachchilage Ignatius Anthony Silva (31 July 1937 – 16 June 2015 as ටෝනි රණසිංහ), popularly as Tony Ranasinghe, was an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television.
He is known as the Lov ...
as Fernando mudalali
*
Nadeeka Gunasekara
Dissanayake Wijesuriyage Sandhya Darshani Gunasekara (born May 13, 1958 as නදීකා ගුණසේකර) inhala, popularly as Nadeeka Gunasekara, is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema and television. Gunasekara is best known for the char ...
as Hinni hami
* Trilishya Abeykoon as Karlina hami
*
D. R. Nanayakkara
Don Ruter Nanayakkara (15 March 1915 – 4 January 1989) was a Sri Lankan actor in Sri Lankan cinema as well as in British drama. Playing lanky villains and comedic characters, Nanayakkara gained popularity in movies like ''Rekava'', ''Kurulu Be ...
as Exorcist and traditional physician
*
Henry Jayasena as Village head Babehami Arachchi
*
Arthur C. Clarke as
Leonard Woolf
Leonard Sidney Woolf (; – ) was a British political theorist, author, publisher, and civil servant. He was married to author Virginia Woolf. As a member of the Labour Party and the Fabian Society, Woolf was an avid publisher of his own wo ...
*
Trilicia Gunawardena
Trelicia Abeykoon (born 14 October 1934 – died 26 April 1999 as ට්රිලිෂියා ගුණවර්ධන)), popularly as Trelicia or Trilicia Gunawardena, was an actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television as well a ...
as Karalina, Silindu's sister
*
David Dharmakeerthi
Kalukapuge Don David (born 1 September 1913 – died 10 September 1987 as ඩේවිඩ් ධර්මකීර්ති), popularly known as David Dharmakeerthi was an actor Sri Lankan early Sri Lankan cinema.
Personal life
He was born on 1 ...
as
Mudali
* Indira Abeydheera as Nanchohami
*
Vincent Vaas
Andara Vaas Patabedige Vincent (7 November 1922 – 6 May 2004 වින්සන්ට් වාස්), popularly known as Vincent Vaas was an actor in Sri Lankan cinema. Often considered one of the best character actors in Sinhala cinema, ...
See also
*
List of Sri Lankan films
References
External links
*
National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka - Official WebsiteSri Lankan Lagest Sinhala Films Online - Online WatchOfficial website of Lester James Peries in association with Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Sri LankaSan Francisco International Film Festival
1980 films
1980s Sinhala-language films
Films directed by Lester James Peries
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