PEARL VASUDEVI
Yesteryear film actress Pearl Vasudevi, who passed away in June 1987 was born in Galle on March 30, 1915. Pearl studied at Good Shepherd’s Convent in Kotahena showing great interest in dramas. She dreamt of becoming an actress someday after watching stage plays, but she wondered how she could get the breakthrough. Once as a young schoolgirl she had gone to the Tower Hall seeking a chance to act but had been chased away by one of her close relatives. At the age of 15, she had done well in music and was also able to sing. It was almost compulsory in the good old days, that every actor or actress had the ability to sing as well. Later she also served as a Radio Ceylon singer. Pearl made her acting debut in 1930 playing the role of princess in ‘Aparikshakari Nadu Theenduwa’. Her fluency in English helped her to clinch a significant role in the English stage play ‘Merchant of Venice’. Then she teamed up with Eddie Master, a leading dramatist in that era, playing the role of Seetha in Ramayanaya. Eddie Master himself played Rama while his son, Eddie Junior composed music to the play. Having worked together for years, Eddie Junior and Pearl Vasudevi married in 1940. Pearl Vasudevi made her film debut in Sirisena Wimalaweera’s ‘Amma’ and then went on to prove her aptitude in about 150 films in which she played hilarious as well as tough characters. Among her last few films were Dinesh Priyasad’s ‘Peralikarayo’ . Her passion for acting and cinema was so enormous that she even introduced her daughter Sujeewa Lalee in Sithijaya. Pearl Vasudevi died at the age of 72 following a brief illness. Her name will always be remembered for the genuine contributions she made to the Sinhala cinema.
He played a pivotal role by setting up the ‘Songsof Lanka Club‘
Kalabhooshana Noel Ranasinghe of La Ceylonians fame was instrumental in introducing a large number of newcomers to the music field. He also played a pivotal role in the sixties by setting up the ‘Songs of Lanka Club’ pencilling in all musical groups under one umbrella. None would have ever imagined that a child born in Trincomalee at the height of World War II would go on to create music history in Sri Lanka and become a legendary name. He was a music composer, lyric writer, music director and a musician who has more than 300 compositions to his credit. Noel was a grand pre finalist in the world popular song festival in 1976 in Tokyo, and one of the first to perfrom live in flights on board aircraft from USA to Sri Lanka. The Kotte S. Thomas’ College old boy has released several cassettes, CDS and two books encompassing his musical career.