Rukmani Devi


Daisy Rasammah Daniels, known popularly as Rukmani Devi was a Sri Lankan film actress and singer, who was often acclaimed as "The Nightingale of Sri Lanka". She made it to the silver screen via the stage and had acted in close to 100 films, at the time of her death. Having an equal passion for singing as well as a melodious voice, she was Sri Lanka's foremost female singer in the gramophone era. After her death, she was awarded the Sarasaviya 'Rana Thisara'- Life Time Achievement Award at the 1979 Sarasaviya Awards Festival.

Background

Rukmani Devi, was born as Daisy Rasammah Daniels to a Tamil Colombo Chetty Christian family on 15 January 1923 at Ramboda in Nuwara Eliya, Sri Lanka. Second, in a family of five, her father, John Daniel worked on a plantation and her mother, Helen Rose was a teacher.
She grew up in Colombo and had her early education at St. Matthew's School and then moved on to St. Clare's School, Wellawatte.
As a little girl, Daniels showed an inborn talent to sing and dance. At the age of seven, she was picked to sing Christmas carols. Impressed with her ability to sing, dance, and also to act, she was selected to perform a main role in a Christmas play, 'The Shoemaker's Wife'.
The stage play was trained and presented by St. Clare's School, Wellawatte.
Watching her play this role much enthusiastically, Walter Abeysinghe, a drama producer sought permission from her father, to invite her to play the lead role of 'Sita' in his drama 'Ramayanaya.' Thus, in 1935 at the age of just 12 years she performed in this stage play, presented by the 'Sinhala Natya Sabha'.
She was married to veteran dramatist, actor and singer, Eddie Jayamanne, whom she fell in love with as a result of her close association with him, when performing in dramas produced by "Minerva Dramatic Club" founded by B. A. W. Jayamanne. They lived at "Jaya Ruk", at Angurukaramulla, Negombo.

Career

This marked the beginning of an illustrious career that would span over four decades. As her performances were highly appreciated by the packed audience, well-known dramatist Dick Dias chose her for two of his stage plays, "Jana Kiharanaya" and "Mayawathie". She was now flooded with stage dramas, as she became Mayawathi in Charles Dias' 'Mayawathi', Juliet in a Sinhala adaption of Romeo and Juliet, playing the lead female role in all of them.
With her first audio recording of the famous song "Siri Buddhagaya Vihare" with Master in 1938, she captured the hearts of the masses and she shaped her career from that of an actress to that of an actress turned singer. This song was recorded to 78 rpm record label HMV with the number N-9300 and issued in 1939 by the Cargills Ltd, local agents for HMV
Her unique voice attracted many music directors, as her singing career moved from the stage to the silver screen.
It was also, around this time that her name underwent a change from Daisy Daniels to the well known 'Rukmani Devi'. There are two schools of thinking as to how the name "Rukmani Devi" originated. According to one school, the late H. W. Rupasinghe maestro created the name, while the other believe that Jayantha Weerasekara and Michael Sannas Liyanage who is in his 90s, created it.
B. A. W. Jayamanne, founder of "Minerva Dramatic Club" of Negombo took Rukmani to perform remarkable roles in his dramas, such as 'Apparition', 'Broken Promise', 'Changing Fate, 'Defeated Aim', 'Evasive Denial', 'Fanatic Faith', 'Grisly Guardian', 'Hasty Decision' and lastly 'Irangani'. Above-mentioned plays followed the English alphabet.
The popular play 'Broken Promise', was adapted into a film by B. A. W. Jayamanne. This was the first Sinhala film – Kadawunu Poronduwa, screened on 21 January 1947. Rukmani Devi, who also began her film career through the role of 'Ranjani' in this film, also became the first local cinema actress. Her film career, which thus began spread over a period of more than three decades.
According to Sri Lankeya Cinema Vanshaya written by Nuwan Nayanajith Kumara, from Kadawunu Poronduwa in 1947 to Ara Soyza in 1984, Rukmani Devi had played different roles in 99 films, up to the time of her death.
An equally talented singer, some of the immortal songs she sang for films are Sandyave Sriya for 'Kadawunu Poronduwa', Pinsara Mage Soyura for 'Kapati Arakshakaya', Gala Kandeni, and Moranawa Preme Hade for 'Weradun Kurumanama', Nindede Rathri Yahane for 'Peralena Iranama', Mavila Pena vi Rupe for 'Kela Handa', Pem Sihina Loke Maya for 'Mathabhedaya', Melavi Yanna Hada Mage for 'Daiva Yogaya', Suva dena Sita Sanasum for 'Ladalu' and Doi Doi Puta for 'Ahasin Polavata'.
In 1975 Rukmani sing "Pem Rajatahane" with Milton Mallawarachchi.
In the mid sixties she joined the sinhala calypso musical group 'Los Cabelleros' led by late Neville Fernando. They recorded ever popular sinhala songs such as 'Malbara Himidiriye','Menike Obe sinawe' & 'Sandak nage'.
Rukmani Devi was also featured prominently on the airwaves of Radio Ceylon, the oldest radio station in South Asia.

Songs

Rukmani Devi, died in a tragic motor accident near St. Mary's Church, Thudella on 28 October 1978. She was returning after a musical show in Uyanwatte, Matara. Her funeral ceremony was attended by a very large gathering; film makers and dramatists, friends, politicians, relatives and her beloved fans.
She was the most celebrated Sri Lankan artiste and a statue in memory of her was erected at the Kanuwana Junction.
The road on which the Rukmani Devi Museum in Negombo is located was also renamed 'Rukmani Devi Mawatha' by President Ranasinghe Premadasa, on 28 October 1990.

Awards

She was the one and only Sri Lankan actress on the cover page of popular Indian Film Magazine "Filmfare" and was also featured in "My like and dislike" in 1958 in the Filmfare. The second generation Toyota Hi-ace is known in Sri Lanka as the 'Rukmani Model', because she was travelling in one when she had her fatal accident.

Attack on Grave Site

On 12 August 2011, a former mayor of Negombo and a former Minister of the Parliament Mr. Ananda Munasinghe was allegedly charged and arrested by the Negombo Police for dislodging the statue of Rukmani Devi, erected on her grave by one of her fans Mrs. Sriyani Achala Dissanayake. Several popular media bloated this incident as an attack by an unidentified group of criminals to Rukmani Devi's grave, and a protest rally to this incident was organised in Negombo on 14 August 2011. However, later it was revealed that Mr. Ananda Munasinghe who is also the Son-in-Law of Bernard Aloysius Jayamanne is in fact the present owner of this grave and he has dislodged the statue to erect a proper statue of Rukmani Devi as the statue which was erected earlier was a disrespect to the beauty and looks of Rukmani Devi.
The grave Rukmani Devi is buried is the ancestral family plot of the Jayamanne family and all her in-laws are buried there. This can be seen on the tombstone erected and is evident on the deed title held by the family. The statue erected by "Mrs. Sriyani Achala Dissanayake" was a cheap publicity stunt to restore her lost fame to make a living. She did not take approval from the family nor informed the family. She fabricated this attack story by providing "favours" to the right people in law and publicity

Filmography

YearFilmRoleRef.
1947Kadawunu PoronduwaRanjani
1948Kapati ArakshakayaMallika
1948Waradunu KurumanamaSwarna
1949Peralena IranamaSunetha
1950Hadisi VinischayaKanthi
1951Segawunu PilithuraKusumalatha 'Chandralata'
1952Umathu VishwasayaSusila / Padma
1953Kele HandaMalini
1954IranganieIranganie
1955MathabhedayaKusuma
1955Perakadoru BenaMalini Gunathilaka
1956DostharaChandra
1957SiriyalathaSiriyalatha 'Agnes' 'Kusina' / Sriyawathie
1959DaivayogayaSheela Kumari
1960Kawata AndareAndare's wife
1960NalanganaPrema
1960Kawata AndareAndare's wife
1962DaskonPremila
1963MangalikaMangalika
1964Samiya Birindage DeviyayaWife Chandra
1964Heta Pramada WadiRupa
1965Sathutai Kandulai
1965Laa Dalu
1966Sampatha
1967Rahas Dupatha
1967Rena GirawClubgoer
1967Pipena Kumudu
1967Magul Poruwa
1968Abuddassa Kale
1969Paara Walalu
1969Romeo Juliet Kathawak
1970Nim Walalla
1971Sahanaya
1971Seeye Nottuwa
1971Samanala Kumariyo
1972Veeduru GewalAuntie
1972Hathara WateManike
1972Ihatha AthmayaEmily 'Pissu Amma'
1973Suhada PathumaChamila's mother
1973Hondata HondaiChammi's mother
1974Hadawath Naththo
1974LasandaChai Jayawansa
1974Jeewana Ganga
1974Dinum Kanuwa
1974Sagarika
1975Kohoma KiyannadaSamanthi's mother
1975Jeewana Geethaya
1975Hitha Honda MinihekRukmani
1975Obai MamaiSheela
1975Sukiri KellaSoma Dharmapala
1975Lassana DawasakNilanthi's mother
1976Nayana
1976Kawuda RajaNilanthi's mother
1976WasanaMrs. Rajadasa
1976Harima Badu ThunakAuntie
1976Unnath Dahai Malath Dahai
1976Hariyata HariMrs. Gunathilake
1976Onna Mame Kella Panapi
1976Saradielge PuthaKumari Hami 'Manike'
1976Adarei Man Adarei
1976NedeyoSara
1976Ran Thilaka
1977Sudu ParaviyoRajesh's mother
1977Sri MadaraMercy de Soysa
1977Chin Chin Nona
1977Tom PachayaRanawaka
1978KundalakeshiQueen
1977Deviyani Oba KohidaElizabeth's mother
1977Sajaa
1978MadhuwanthiMaduwanthi's mother
1978Apsara
1978Ahasin Polowata
1979SamanmaliMother
1979MonarathennaBiso
1979AnushaMrs. Ratnayake
1979Nuwan RenuNuwan's Mother 'Silawathie Hamine'
1979Jeewana KanduluGeetha's mother
1979Amal Biso
1979Ran KurulloSujatha's mother
1979Podi MalliNalika's mother
1979Tak Tik Tuk
1980Silva
1980Sinhabahu
1981Sathara Diganthaya
1981Hondama Naluwa
1981Bamba Ketu Hati
1981Senasuma
1981Jeewanthi
1982Thana GiraviClara
1982Sakvithi SuwayaTissa's mother
1982Sudu AyyaMrs. Ranatunga
1982Kadawunu Poronduwa remakeSong Performer
1982Sithara
1983Hithath Hondai Wadath Hondai
1983SandamaliSandamali's mother
1984Ara SoyzaVadigapatuna's mother