Amarasiri Kalansuriya


Amarasiri Kalansuriya, popularly known as Kalan, was a Sri Lankan actor. Kalansuriya made his first film appearance alongside Vijaya Kumaratunga in Hanthana Kathawa. His next film Ahas Gauwa won him a best actor award in 1974.

Early life

Kalansuriya was born on 20 September 1940 in Kandy, Sri Lanka as the second child of the family. His father Kalansuriya Francis Appuhami was a farmer. His mother Bengamuwa Arachchige Podi Hamine was a housewife. Kalansuriya started his school career with Kiribathkumbura Sri Swarnajothi School and then attended Dharmaraja College in Kandy. When studying at Dharmaraja, he was a talented athlete who set the school record for 800m in athletics. He finished second in intercollegiate sports as well as got school colors for boxing.
Kalansuriya worked in the Agricultural Department in Mahiyanganaya as a minor worker. At the age of 18, he served as a soldier in the Second Volunteer Lions Regiment for six years. In 1966 he worked at Mallika Studio in Kandy. He started a business in Kandy in 1970, a sale of old bells. Profiting from this, he started a small sewing company called 'My In' in Kandy. Successful he moved up into tailoring and owned two tailor shops. Here he got the chance to make clothes for the army and rub shoulders with rising political figures like Lalith Athulathmudali.

Acting career

Kalansuriya was chosen as the lead actor for an 8mm film Reyath Dawalath directed by a young man who was a member of the Photographic Society, a student of Kingswood College. Anoma Wattaladeniya played the lead role in this film who later married director Ranjith Perera. She was also a TV presenter. Then on Dharmasena Pathiraja's recommendation, he got the opportunity to act as a university student in the romantic film Hanthane Kathawa directed by Sugathapala Senarath Yapa. He also acted in various roles in Pathiraja's' Ahas Gawwa, Lester James Peiris' Akkara Paha and Ranjith Lal's Nimwalalla as a talented actor.
Kalansuriya accepted an invitation from H. D. Premaratne to star in the film Apeksha in 1978. His second film after the hiatus, Parithyagaya, won him more awards from OCIC and Sarasaviya. He won Best Supporting Actor for Puja in Presidential Award in 1986. Some of the other notable films include: Tharangā, Bambaru Avith, Apēkṣhā, Anūpamā, Poḍi Mallī, Kānchanā, Parityāgaya, Sinhabāhu, Vajirā, Sakvithi Suvaya, Yasa Isuru, Doringē Sayanaya, Poojā, Poḍi Wijē, Ahas Māḷigā and Sāgarayak Mæda. He won the Critics' Award for his performance in Ahas Gawwa in 1974. He won the Sarasaviya Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1982 and Sarasaviya and Presidential Awards for Best Supporting Actor in 1986 for the film Pooja.
Kalanasuriya had a leading role in the first television serial made in Sri Lanka, Dimuthu Muthu directed by D. B. Nihalsinghe. As a theatre actor, he produced and acted in the play Podi Vijay. After another hiatus, Kalansuriya returned to film with Shilpa Denumena in 2001 directed by Rodney Widanapathirana.
Sujith Lakmal Weerasekera wrote an autobiography in 2015 titled Duka Dinū Diviyaka Amaraṇīya Sæmarum Kalan.

Personal life and death

Kalansuriya had one elder brother, Nissanka and two younger brothers, Padmasena and Ariyapala.
Kalansuriya was married to Ajantha Thalatha Kumari Ekanayake. They married on 18 December 1972, and the couple had a son and two daughters. Eldest son Duminda is a businessman and married to Janaki Wijesekara. Two daughters are Madhumathi Kumari who is married to Dr. Dhammika Sedara and the younger daughter, Vindhya, is employed by SriLankan Airlines.
Amarasiri Kalansuriya died at his residence in Ja Ela on 1 April 2023, at the age of 82.

Filmography

YearFilmRole
1969Reyath Dawalath
1969Hanthane Kathawa
1970Akkara PahaGunapala
1970Nim Walalla
1974Ahas Gauwa
1975Tharanga
1978ApekshaNimal
1978AnupamaRanji
1978Bambaru AvithSanath
1979Podi MalliBerty
1980KanchanaLal
1980ParithyagayaDhanaprema
1980SinhabahuSinhabahu
1981VajiraNimal
1981Sagarayak Meda
1982Pradeepaa
1982Yasa IsuruSuranga
1982Sakvithi Suvaya
1983Samanala Sihina
1984Welle Thenu Maliga
1985Rajina
1985Doringe Sayanaya
1986Puja
1986Mal VarusaDeesal
1987Podi Vijey
1990Pem Raja DahanaSargent Jayathilaka
1991Dolosmahe Pahana
1994150 Mulleriyawa
1994Ambu Samiyo
1994Ahas Maliga
2004Diya Yata GindaraJayakody
2009Rosa Mal Sayanaya
2014Que Sera
2017Hima Tharaka
TBDKumaru Chaththa Manawaka
TBDMegha