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As the curtain descends on an incomparable actor :
A glimpse of Vijaya Nandasiri’s last show
By Dilshan Boange
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Vijaya at his final performance in Kurunegala |
On Monday, August 8, Sri Lanka suffered an irreplaceable loss with
the sudden demise of veteran actor of stage and screen, Vijaya Nandasiri.
An iconic actor whose roots go back to the black and white era of the
Sinhala cinema, Mr. Nandasiri gained mass popularity, latterly, as a
comedy actor on TV, as well as the cinema and Sinhala theatre. I came to
learn on the day he passed away, from Sinhala stage drama promoter and
producer, Jude Srimal, that the day before his tragic departure, Mr.
Nandasiri had in fact delivered his final performance.
The popular Sinhala stage play, Aluth Horek Oney (A New Crook is
Needed) had been staged at the Kurunegala Town Hall on August 7, and it
so happened that Srimal had arranged for pictures to be taken of that
performance. Provided here through the courtesy of Jude Srimal are two
pictures of the very last performance delivered by the late actor,
Vijaya Nandasiri. May he, who kindled so much fulsome laughter and
delighted many a Sri Lankan for many years, now rest in peace. |
