Devi Sakunthala
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Ummu Salma (died 1 March 2019 as දේවී සකුන්තලා) inhala, popularly known by her stage name Devi Sakunthala, was an
actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
in Sri Lankan cinema, stage drama and television. She is most notable for the role 'Angu Hami' in the television serial ''
Kopi Kade Kopi Kade (''Coffee Shop'') ( Sinhala:කෝපි කඩේ) is a popular Sri Lankan comedy-drama television series broadcast on the Independent Television Network. One of Sri Lanka's iconic television series in history, Kopi Kade remains the mos ...
''.


Personal life

Devi Sakunthala was born in Neboda,
Kalutara Kalutara ( si, කළුතර, ta, களுத்துறை) or Kalutota is a major city in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is also the administrative capital of Kalutara District. It is located approximately south o ...
, Sri Lanka to a Muslim family. Her birth name is Ummu Salma. She is also known as R. A. Premavathi. Her sister Lakshmi Bai was a popular actress and singer who sung the song 'Pita Deepa Desha Jaya Gaththa'. Lakshmi went to Tower Hall to perform in stage along with 40-day old Devi. Her parents tried to send Devi to school when she was young, but she did not want to go to school. So she could't read or write Sinhala. She was married to popular comedian in Tower Hall, Piyadasa Perera who played the other main role along with Devi in the stage play ''Amma''. The couple has one daughter and four sons. Her youngest son is Sisira Perera.


Career

When she was seven years old, she played the role of a boy in the play ''Sweet Honeymoon'' which was performed at Tower Hall. Devi played many child characters in the early days and later played young characters in the plays such as ''Sri Vikrama'', ''Vidura'', ''Sathyavadi Harishchandra'', ''Ramayana'', ''Angulimala'', ''Chinthamani'', ''Samudra Devi'', ''Gahala Kella'', ''Sooty Gamarala'' and ''Raigama Banda'' from 1940 to 1958. Later, she played the main character 'Swarna' in
Sirisena Wimalaweera Sirisena Wimalaweera ( si, සිරිසේන විමලවීර; born 23 June 1901 – died 24 August 1963) was a Sri Lankan filmmaker and theater master. He made several critically acclaimed films from 1949 to 1960. He is the first indepe ...
's play ''Amma''. She learned dance from Boota Bai who came to Sri Lanka from Bombay and Sarala Bai who was considered as the beacon of the Tower Theater at that time. For the first time, she performed her dance on a huge stage in the center of Kandy during a concert called 'Bombay Dance' which was held in the center of Kandy. Devi along with her husband Piyadasa Perera, sister Lakshmi Bai and sister's husband Upasena Suryakumar and T. A. P. Almeida, performed the special short comedy drama series on the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and as well as throughout the country. During this period, she was invited to act in the film ''Surangani''. In the film, she played a major role as 'Ranjani's mother'. Then she made contributions in films such as ''Pitisara Kella'', ''Siri Sangabo'' and ''Sapathak Soya''. Meanwhile, she traveled all over the country every day with carnival programs, comedy shows and dramas. After a brief break from the drama, she returned to the pantheon in the 1980s. In 1981, Devi was selected to the television serial ''
Kopi Kade Kopi Kade (''Coffee Shop'') ( Sinhala:කෝපි කඩේ) is a popular Sri Lankan comedy-drama television series broadcast on the Independent Television Network. One of Sri Lanka's iconic television series in history, Kopi Kade remains the mos ...
'' by
Thevis Guruge Thevis Guruge (died 23 July 1989) was a distinguished broadcaster with Radio Ceylon and subsequently the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC) ( si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා ගුවන් ව ...
. Her role as "Angu Hami: Suwanda's mother" became highly popularized among the public and she was usually known by his character name rather than real name. She first appeared in the series from the beginning which first aired on 1 April 1987. and continued to act in the series for 25 consecutive years. Later, she received numerous awards, including the Silver Jubilee Award for her service in the teledrama. As a Tower Hall actress, she performed in the plays such as Louis Rodrigo's ''Josie Baba'' and Ogan Rodrigo's ''Balagathu Kasiya'' which became very popular. In 2000, she acted in the concert ''Tower Hall Nurti Jawanika'' co-produced by Stanley Master and Victor Wickramage. She has also acted in the play ''Sooty Gamarala and Raigama Banda'' for a record fifty years. To mark the 70th anniversary of her acting career, the drama troupe of ''Sooty Gamarala and Raigama Banda'' paid homage at the Tower Theater. Then in 2007, she was honored with Lifetime Achievement by Prime Minister
Ratnasiri Wickremanayake Ratnasiri Wickremanayake ( si, රත්නසිරි වික්‍රමනායක, ta, ரத்னசிறி விக்கிரமநாயக்க; 5 May 1933 – 27 December 2016) was a Sri Lankan politician who was Prime Mi ...
at The Temple Trees on the occasion of the 97th Anniversary of the Tower Theater as well as Honorary Award from Sri Lanka National Arts Forum in the same year.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sakunthala, Devi Sri Lankan film actresses 2019 deaths Sinhalese artists