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| Sunday, 16 November 2003 |
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"Theatre made me the person I am"- Kaushalya Fernando "Theatre has given me value" says this career woman, mother and wife, veteran actress Kaushalya Fernando. Her attraction to theatre was natural, like that of a fish to the water, she says. Being the daughter of a veteran actress, playwright and director, it would be correct to say that she was practically born into theatre.
"I think I had it in my genes. Theatre was all over the house. Morning till evening we talked theatre," says Kaushalya. Theatre, was what she knew best in her life. She knew that she had talent for theatre from childhood, and was writing and directing plays at a tender age of eight or nine years at Sujatha Vidyalaya, with the encouragement of her teacher, Sunethra Sarachchandra. However, all did not go well for this talented young woman. A teenager at St. Paul's Milagiriya, it was a different world that she had to face. "It was a rat race. Competition and running towards education. No personal touch, no relationships. No time to enjoy life, not even the time to realise it. A world poles apart from that of Sujatha Vidyalaya," she says. In an atmosphere where theatre was unthinkable, she drifted into sports. Competing at the 100, 200 and high jump events at the district levels, "I was determined to become a sportswoman," Kaushalya says. However, soon the tables turned. Sent for professional training, Kaushalya strained a ligament in her foot and had to rest at home for a time. "It was during the time I waited for the results of the O/L exam. So, I was at home. My mother had just started her theatre group and I was cooking, making tea, sweeping, washing and ironing for them." Her re-entry into theatre was accidental she says. "One day, the leader of the chorus did not come and I got and opportunity to sing. It was appreciated. I enjoyed it and decided to stay on." From then on, she chipped in with many a supportive role at her mother's creations. Her major break though came by way of Marasad, by veteran director Sugathapala de Silva, her lead role won special acclaim at the State Drama Festival. "That was what proved me, that I am for professional theatre" says Kaushalya. And from then on it was a case of winning many awards. Her talent was sought by directors such as Dharmasiri Bandaranaike, K.B. Herath and Ranjini Obeysekera to name but a few. Her talent and fame was not limited to the theatre. Her role in Dunhinda Addara, a serial tele drama directed by Ashoka Handagama won the OCIC Best Actress Award. With six other tele dramas and two films to her credit, she took time off the stage and from acting itself for a few years. "I thought I was struck in a frame. In a particular role. I needed time to think and it was used for the purpose," she says. And the award winning character in the adaptation of Jean Paul Sartre's Respectable Prostitute, was again a bit of an accident. "When the directress of the drama requested me to portray the role, there was a bit of a problem, because the actress who played the main role had fallen ill. I liked the character. It was quite challenging to change the frame that I was stuck into. And I was mature enough to come back with a change." Sinhala theatre in Sri Lanka is on the path of deterioration says Kaushalya. It has lost contact with the spectators due to various kinds of instant and glamorous entertainment. At such a juncture a multi faceted approach is needed to restore Sri Lankan theatre, she points out. "There are talented young artistes, but they lack appropriate training and the finances necessary to gain the experience," says Kaushalya. If the Sub Committee for Theatre under the Art Council could make arrangements to stage the three best dramas at 10 outstation areas, that would be an encouragement to build Sri Lankan theatre, she says. The three best cues Kaushalya would give an amateur actress would be to have patience, dedication and to study the subject thoroughly.And what would be the three best attributes theatre has bestowed on this veteran artiste? "It has helped me to be the person I am. To be with, to understand, love and share experiences with people. And it has given me gratification." What else would one ask from life? |
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