Sesha Palihakkara
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David Sydney Loku Palihakkara (June 5, 1928 – July 12, 2009), popularly as Shesha Palihakkara, was a
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
n dancer, film actor, and producer. He achieved critical recognition with a starring role in
Lester James Peries Sri Lankabhimanya Lester James Peries (Sinhala language, Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකාභිමාන්‍ය ලෙස්ටර් ජේම්ස් පීරිස්; 5 April 1919 – 29 April 2018) was a Sri Lankan film director, ...
' masterpiece ''
Rekava ''Rekava'' (Sinhala language, Sinhala for "Line of Destiny") is a 1956 film based on village life and mythical beliefs in Sri Lanka (then Dominion of Ceylon, Ceylon). It is the first Sinhala film fully shot in Ceylon and was shot outdoors in the ...
'' and as producer of ''
Getawarayo ''Getawarayo'' is a 1964 Sri Lankan drama film co-directed by Mike Wilson and Tissa Liyanasuriya and produced by Shesha Palihakkara. The film starring Gamini Fonseka in lead role along with Sobani Amarasinghe, Joe Abeywickrema, Jeevarani Kurukul ...
'', ''Saravita'' and ''
Ranmuthu Duwa ''Ranmuthu Duwa'' () was the first colour full-length Sinhalese language film to be produced in Sri Lanka in 1962 in film, 1962. It was co-produced by Shesha Palihakkara, Arthur C. Clarke and directed by Mike Wilson, who also made his debut as a fe ...
''.


Personal life

Palihakkara was born in the village of Ruppagoda, in
Kadawatha Kadawatha (or Kadawata) ( ) is a large suburb of Gampaha, in the Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is situated on the A1 highway, approximately away from the centre of Colombo. Industrial machines, factories, diesel motor houses, strategic inve ...
of the
Gampaha Gampaha (Sinhala: ගම්පහ ; Tamil: கம்பஹா ) is an urban city in Gampaha District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is situated to the north-east of the capital Colombo. It is the sixth largest urban area in Western Provinc ...
district. He attended the
St. Benedict's College, Colombo St. Benedict's College ( Sinhala: සාන්ත බෙනඩික් විදුහල, Tamil: புனித ஆசீர்வாதப்பர் கல்லூரி) is a Catholic school located in the Kotahena area of Colombo, Sri L ...
in Kotahena and St. Joseph's College in
Colombo Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
. At the age of 14, Palihakkara witnessed the Sinhala dancer
Chitrasena Deshamanya Amaratunga Arachige Maurice Dias, (26 January 1921 – 18 July 2005), popularly known by his mononym Chitrasena, was a Sri Lankan dancer, internationally known for his work in establishing a modern Sri Lankan tradition of dance and ...
perform in the Vidura ballet and was inspired to be a dancer. Palihakkara left school without getting his Senior School Certificate in his late teens, and went to
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
to train at Shanthi Nikethan. He stayed at the school for two years focusing on dance along with painting and sculpting. Palihakkara then enrolled at the Institute of Kala Kshethra in
South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...
majoring in dance. After finishing his studies, he returned to Sri Lanka in 1948 and took part in a national pageant organized in celebration of the country's recent independence. Later with the help of Dr. P.R. Anthonis and K.D.A. Perera, Palihakkara briefly started a dance school in Borella. He left for England in 1949 to join the Indian dancer Ramgopal's travelling ballet troupe, which performed in various venues in Europe. Shesha died on July 12, 2009.


Cinema career

On his return to Sri Lanka, Palihakkara was asked to choreograph movies like ''Ahankara Isthri'' and ''Puduma Leli''. He got his first starring role in ''Matalang'' and travelled to
Madras, India Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian censu ...
to film the movie in 1953. Palihakkara played a cruel king and his rogue bandit son; the film was a huge success and made Palihakkara a heart throb in Sri Lanka. He next appeared in ''Rekava'' as an astrologer and stilt walker. The film wasn't a box office hit, but was critically praised and is considered a landmark in Sri Lankan cinema. In 1954, Palihakkara worked in the makeup department of the United States film ''
Bridge on the River Kwai ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'' is a 1957 epic film, epic war film directed by David Lean and based on the novel The Bridge over the River Kwai, ''The Bridge over the River Kwai'', written by Pierre Boulle. Boulle's novel and the film's screen ...
'' which was filmed in Sri Lanka. After the film was made, Palihakkara traveled to
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
to rejoin his friend Ramgopal and his dancing troupe. Ten months later he became a member of the Asian Music Society. In 1959 he was stricken with
asthma Asthma is a common long-term inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, reversible airflow obstruction, and easily triggered bronchospasms. Symptoms include episodes of wh ...
and returned to Sri Lanka. With the help of director Mike Wilson and Sir
Arthur C. Clarke Sir Arthur Charles Clarke (16 December 191719 March 2008) was an English science fiction writer, science writer, futurist, inventor, undersea explorer, and television series host. Clarke co-wrote the screenplay for the 1968 film '' 2001: A ...
, Palihakkara developed the first Sinhala colour film ''Ranmuthu Duwa'' in 1960 for his production group Serendib Productions. It was also the first Sinhala film to feature under water scenes of the ocean surrounding Sri Lanka. His second production ''Getawarayo'' was directed by Mike Wilson and Thissa Liyanasooriya and won several awards at the 1966 Sarasaviya Awards. His last production ''Sarawita'' was made the following year. Palihakkara abandoned his film career after ''Saravita'' and pursued business in the plantation industry. He returned to film in the 2000s (decade) with a role in Chandran Ratnam's production ''Romeo and Juliet'' written and directed by Rob Nevis . In 2007, Palihakkara was honored with a Ranathisara award at the Sarasaviya Festival for his contributions to cinema.


Filmography


References


External links


Sinhala Cinema Database - Shesha Palihakkara
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palihakkara, Shesha 2009 deaths Sri Lankan male dancers Sri Lankan dancers Sri Lankan male film actors 1928 births