Silver screen’s golden girl Swarna marks glorious 50 year jubilee 

Being in the limelight for 50 years is no small feat. Vivacious actress Swarna Mallawarachchi is crossing that significant landmark and she was honoured at a colourful felicitation ceremony at the National Film Corporation on Thursday, January 16. 

August 1 born Swarna is perhaps the luckiest actress in the Sinhala cinema, going by the wide ranging and power-packed emotional roles she played in milestone movies. She made her acting debut as  Soma in Sath Samudura. Soon people started taking special note of this girl who was indeed different and unique. She soon became Subha in Hanthane Kathawa, Irene in Anantha Rathriya, Rathmalee in Dadayama, Suddhi in Suddilage Kathawa, Nanda in Kedapathaka Chaya, Heen Menika in Sagara Jalaya, Lalani in Ayoma, None in Bawa Duka. 

Swarna proved that she was a star of substance by clinching award after award for her outstanding acting prowess. It was virtually  a one horse race for Swarna whenever she was in the fray for the best actress award category in almost all leading film award ceremonies in the country. 

Swarna has participated in several international film juries and film festivals in her honour have been held in several countries under the theme ‘A spotlight on an Asian actress’. 

Daily Mirror Life caught up with the evergreen actress to share her feelings about her glorious career innings spanning five decades. 

How does it feel when you recall the long and noteworthy film career spanning five decades? 

Five decades or 50 years is indeed a very long period. It’s hard to believe I made this journey. It feels good and I am contented with what reel life and real life have offered me. Nothing to grumble. 

You portrayed roles that championed the cause of women’s rights. Don’t you think such roles were tailormade for you? 

May be so because I had also gone through traumatic phases in real life.  Dedication, but on top of that I must say that we worked as film actresses with lots of dedication and commitment. We were so passionate with what we did. Money was secondary. We discussed a lot with the director about our characters, the background and how they should be recreated. I never read newspapers or listened to the radio while on the sets. There were no mobile phones then. Our main focus was on the character we played. For instance will you believe that in Dadayama, we shot the last scene first? We must be ready to play our roles at any given point. There were no monitors like today. There was one person who made note of the continuity aspects and that included even our expressions. Regarding female-centric roles I played, I must say that such roles motivated several popular actresss to produce films and portray dominant roles. 

But you never produced a film? 

I had an idea at one stage after Dadayama, but I gave up the idea when Dr. D. B. Nihalsingha cautioned me. You can’t make big money as an actress. I generated money from four shops I had when my daughter was schooling. 

Your views about the new generation artistes? 

It’s so unfortunate that today they only have the television to showcase their talents. Only rarely does someone get a chance to venture into the big screen. Even on TV they can get better and consolidate themselves if they work with good directors, scriptwriters ad cinematographers. In that sense I consider myself extremely fortunate. I must also say that there a crop of young creative directors in our cinema industry. I am glad I was able to help one such creation ‘Ho Gana Pokuna’. The film would be still languishing if not for film producer Sunil T. Fernando who pumped in some Rs. 20 million to ensure its release, prints and publicity. I must also thank Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and his good office for recommending it to school children. On the other hand we have paid enough tribute to Ashley Rathnavibushana who has played a vital role in exposing our films, filmmakers and artistes to the world. 

Your daughter Narendra Bandaranayake is playing a crucial role with her father Dharmasiri Bandaranayake in organizing this landmark film festival and felicitation ceremony to mark your golden jubilee in films. Can you please explain? 

It’s not an easy task though. I know how painstaking it is. I even asked them to shelve the idea initially, but she was determined to make it a reality. I know they had issues in finding sponsors because the potential ones said they saw no commercial value in it and they could not gain marketable mileage through it. It’s a fiercely commercialized world here. I am glad they have pulled it through despite hurdles. 

Isn’t she interested in following in your footsteps? 

Not acting for sure. She’s more focused on academic aspects. She has travelled extensively and has watched the best films in the world, much more than her mother and father. Her hobby is capturing snaps of beautiful locations in the countries she visits. 

Your plans beyond 50 years in cinema? 

Nothing beyond cinema. I would love to do a few more good films. 

If you are invited to join politics? 

Well, I was approached with such invitations decades ago but I said no. My stance remains unchanged even today. 

TEXT by Ramesh Uvais 
PHOTOGRAPHS by Kushan Pathiraja