Ravindra Randeniya

Randeniya was born in Dalugama, Kelaniya Sri Lanka on 5 June 1945 as the second child in a family with 6 siblings.^[6] His father, L.P. Perera was a well-known businessman in Dalugama, Kelaniya who was popular in the brass hinge industry. His mother was Caroline Egodawatte, born in Sapugaskanda. Ravindra has one elder brother: Callistus, two younger sisters: Gertie, Helen, and two younger brothers: Amal and Shantha.^[7]

Randeniya attended St. Benedict College in Kotahena. His beloved friend was his classmate Vijaya Kumaratunga. Though he was a good student, he failed to pass his A-level examination and didn't pursue higher education. Randeniya instead joined his family business of manufacturing hardware products.^[8]

Dalugama was a small village filled with paddy fields and streams. Randeniya appreciated nature growing up often spending evenings looking over the fields; he was also an avid reader from a young age immersing himself in the works of acclaimed Sinhala authors like Martin Wickremasinghe, Prof.Ediriweera Sarachchandra, Kumaratunga Munidasa, and Wimalaratne Kumaragama.^[8]

Randeniya is married to fellow actress Preethi Pramila Seneviratne,^[9] and the wedding ceremony was celebrated on 31 October 1974. They have two sons, Sachindra Nirmal andSameera Manabarana and one daughter Umayangana Indrachapa.^[10] Preethi Randeniya is a poet and an author of children's books.^[11]

He gave priority to studies over art and at school, he acted as 'Kashyapa' in the school play Sigiriya Kashyapa. He excelled in writing short stories and won the first prize in the short story competition organized by the College Literary Society in 1962. Both Kumaratunga and Randeniya were introduced to art and literature by Wilfred Perera, a well-known school teacher and a staunch leftist who was the brother of dramatist Anthony C. Perera.^[7]

In his free time, Randeniya started taking courses in theater decor and screenwriting at Lionel Wendt Theatre Workshop. Randeniya became interested in acting while taking a required general acting class under Dhamma Jagoda; he gradually became fascinated with the idea of acting over the two years he spent at the school. He joined the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery in 1969, to learn drama, screenplay, direction and stage decoration.^[12] Randeniya got his first starring role in the student production Mudu Puththu directed by Gallapaththi at the age of 25. Veteran photographer Ralex Ranasinghe baptized Boniface as 'Ravindra Randeniya'.^[7]

His performance in the film drew praise from well-known director Lester James Peries. He next appeared in Kalu Diya Dahara, considered "a watershed in the annals of Sinhala films", which dealt with a struggle between workers and administration in a tea plantation. It was made in 1971 and shown nationwide in 1974.^[8] Peries, who was a fan, picked Randeniya for one of the three main roles in Desa Nisa alongside Joe Abeywickrema and Sriyani Amarasena. This would be his breakthrough role, and established him as a popular actor when screened in 1975.^[8] The 1989 film Siri Medura is the most difficult film character played by Randeniya, the character of 'Sampath Hamu', a paralyzed man who is confined to a wheelchair after an accident and his whole body is paralyzed and unable to move his head. He later won the Sarasaviya Award for Best Actor for this role in 1990, naming him as the first unanimous decision of the jury without recommendation.^[7]

Later Randeniya was elected to Sri Lanka Parliament for United National Party. He served as a member between 2000 - 2004.

In a career spanning more than 5 decades, Randeniya has acted in more than 100 films across many genre.^[13]

• Deweni Gamana (2019)^[66]
• Ganga Addara ^[67]
• Kahala Nadaya (2000)^[68]
• Kula Kumariya (2007) as Edward Deraniyagala ^[69]
• Sherlock Holmes

• Ravindra Randeniya's Biography in Sinhala Cinema Database
• Official Website - National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka
• sundaytimes