K. A. W. PERERA WHO MADE FILMS FOR THE COMMON MAN IS DEAD, BUT
HE WILL LIVE IN THEIR HEARTS FOR A LONG TIME TO COME

By Walter Jayawardhana

A versatile Sinhala film Director who produced some of the most successful films in Sri Lanka, Kalasuri K. A. W. Perera died after a brief illness at the age of 81.Perera started his career in the film industry by becoming a script writer for Dr. Lester James Peiris’ Rekhava in 1956 , an epoch making film, that took Sinhala film industry away from the cheap melodramas of South Indian mould. He was the script writer for many other successful films like Saravita, Sri 296 and Getawarayo.
Before becoming a full fledged director he worked as a co-director for Primiyek Nisa and Suhada Sohoyuro.

His most popular and the first film was Senasuma Kothanada that took many artists who took part in the production like Jeevarani Kurukulasooriya to the zenith of their popularity among the youth, since it was a moving love story of a nurse and a doctor who could not get together. Senasuma Kothanada also is considered another mile stone in the Sinhala cinema that marked a revolutionary change in film music produced by Premasiri Kemadasa combining the talents of Dharmasiri Gamage as a lyric writer. Through the film was born another singer, Haroun Lantra who sang Sulang kurullo, the most popular in a Sinhala film so far. The film won many Sarasaviya awards. Critics said , actually the real Sinhala film music started with Senasuma Kothanada.

During a fifty years period K. A. W. Perera gave movie goers 26 films until until Sumedha. A grateful nation remembered him by conferring the title “kala suri”.He gave the nation artistic films but but their content was not overtly intellectual. Before becoming a director he worked closely with films like Ranmuthudoowa, Getawarayo and Sarawita not low grade melodramas but commercially successful films. By working with Lester he had learnt classical films too. Gleaning from both categories he directed Senasuma Kothanada that became a very successful film.

In a career spanning half a century the versatile director introduced very many artists to the film world. Geetha kumarasinghe, Oswald Jayasinghe , Sampath Sri Nandalochana, Rex Kodippili, Ajantha Ransinghe, Upali Attanayaka, Gothami Pathiraja, Manouri Wimalatunga, Jayanthadas Perera, Freddie Silva, Premakeerthi de Alwis and Ranjith Weerasinghe are some of those artists.
Deepashika, Sarasawiya, OCIC, are some of the awards he has won. He also won the Ranathisara life time award of the Sarasaviya film festival. His Lasanda won a commendation certificate at the Tashkent Soviet Film festival.

Some of his best known films are : Kapatikama(1966) Bicycle hora (1968) Seeye nottuwa (1971) kathuru Muwath (1971) Lokuma Hinawa (1972) Aparadhaya ha Danduwama (1973) Duleeka (1974) Lasanda (1974) Vasana (1976) Nedeyo (1978) Janaka saha Manju (1978) Hingana Kolla (1979) Adara Ratne (1980) Bangali Walalu (1981) Wathura karaththaya (1982) Dhawala Pushpaya (1994) Madhuri (1996) Undaya (2000)

When one studies those titles it could be realized how close those stories were to the man on the street, whom he tried to entertain. Bicycle hora is Bicycle thief. Kathuru Muwath is about a knife sharpening man. Wathura karaththaya is about a carter who carries water. No doubt, he will remain immortal in the hearts of the common man whom he made to cry and laugh.