Wanniarachchige Malini Senehelatha Fonseka, popularly known as Malini Fonseka (Sinhala:මාලිනී ෆොන්සේකා) (born 30 April 1947, in Kelaniya, Sri Lanka) is a Sri Lankan actress, theatre artist and director. Often considered the "Queen of Sri Lankan Cinema",[1][2] Fonseka first became widely known when she won the 'Best Actress Award' at the 1969 National State Drama Festival, followed by Sarasaviya Best Actress Awards for Hingana Kolla in 1980, Aradhana in 1982 andYasa Isuru in 1983.[3]
A veteran actress acting for a span of seven decades, she began her career in Sri Lankan cinema with Tissa Liyansooriya's Punchi Baba in 1968. She has also made a record by winning the Slim Nielsen Peoples' Award for the Most Popular Actress twelve times in a row.[4] In 2010, she was named by CNN as one of Asia's 25 greatest film actors of all time.[5]
She was born as the third of eleven siblings to Gilbert Fonseka, a Government Press worker and Seelwathie Fonseka at Peliyagoda, Kelaniya. After her birth, her family moved to Jambugasmulle, Nugegoda. In 1952 she started her education at St. John's College, Nugegoda until grade 5 and continued at Gurukula Maha Vidyalaya until the end of her secondary education.[6]
Family background
Three of her sisters - Sriyani, Rasadari, Damayanthi - and two of her brothers - Dayananda and Ananda - are a part in the cinema industry.
Like her siblings, Malini's several relatives are in the Sinhala film industry. Actor Karunarathna Hangawaththa and Director Prasanna Vithanage are her brother-in-laws, Actresses Samanalee Fonseka and Senali Fonseka are her nieces, Actor Ashan is her nephew[7] and Actress Kushenya Sayumi of Rookada Panchi fame is her grandniece.[8] Apart from her popular nieces, Samanalee and Senali, five of her other nieces - Shivanya, Ruwani, Tharindi, Manori and Sanduni - are also in the drama industry.[9][10]
Her older brother Dayananda died in 2012[11] and her other brothers Ananda and Upali, father of Senali, died in 2020.[12]
Fonseka started her acting career with stage dramas with "Noratha Ratha" in 1963. In 1968, Fonseka won a national award for Best Stage Drama Actress for her performance in Akal Wessa. She has since played the lead role in 14 stage dramas. She entered the cinema industry through one of her brothers, Ananda Fonseka, who was both a film director and producer, and was introduced as a cinema actress by Tissa Liyansuriya and Joe Abeywickrama.[13]
She made her film debut with Tissa Liyansuriya's Punchi Baba (The little Baby) in 1968, followed by Abudasse kale, Dahasak Sithuwili and Adarawanthayo in the same year. The success of these movies led her to be cast as the lead role by several movie directors of the time. Fonseka has acted in over 140 movies since then, some of which were international movies. She paired up with popular Indian Tamil actor, Sivaji Ganeshan in Pilot Premnath in 1978. Her career was enhanced by her work alongside Gamini Fonseka who had a long journey in the history of the silver screen in Sri Lanka. At his funeral in 2004, Fonseka stated "His performance had appeal across the board and I had the good fortune of being associated with Gamini. The cinema of that era is slowly fading away and the passing away of Gamini is another step towards that direction".[14]
Some of her successful films are Nidhanaya by Lester James Peiris, Siripala Saha Ranmenika by Amaranath Jayathilake, Eya Den Loku Lamayek and Bambaru Ewith by Dharmasena Pathiraja. She achieved a significant milestone with Sasara Chetana in 1984 as both the director and the producer. Her directorial venture saw two other films: Ahimsa in 1987 and Sthree in 1991. Later on, she also worked in the television industry. Fonseka has been praise for her performance in Manalada Puthe Kiri Dunne, Pitagamkarayo, Kemmura, and Ambu Daruwo teledramas. She won the Sumathi Best Teledrama Actress Awards for her roles in Pitagamkarayo and Kemmura.
She became the first female teledrama director in the history of Sri Lankan teledramas when she both directed and acted in her first teledrama Nirupamala.[15] She further solidified her mark as a teledrama director with successful creations such as Sanasili Suwanda. She also acted in the Buddhist dramatic film Uppalawanna directed by Sunil Ariyaratne.
In 2024, Malini Fonseka took on an incredible role in the music video for Eya Wasanthaya Nowe (එය වසන්තය නොවේ) by the promising young vocalist Chapa Jayaruk. Her performance in the video was widely praised, showcasing her superb acting skills and adding another remarkable achievement to her illustrious career. The music video, which highlights Fonseka’s emotional depth and versatility, became popular for both its storyline and her captivating presence.[16]
Fonseka was the first Sri Lankan actress to reach international heights and earn international recognition, winning a special Jury award at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1975; a first of her many international awards. She also won an award at the New Delhi Film Festival in 1977.[17]
Apart from the many Sarasaviya Awards, Presidential Awards, OCIC Awards and others for her cinematic miles, she has also received awards including the "Best Actress Award" for the teledrama "Kemmura" at the Sumathi Tele Awards Ceremony, 2000 and Wishva Prasadhini Award as appreciation of her service to the cinema industry from the President of Sri Lanka in 1996.
In January 2008, Sri Lankans living in the United States gathered in large numbers at Los Angeles to honour her, alongside a special dinner hosted by the Consular General of Sri Lanka to the Consulate in Los Angeles, Jaliya Wickramasuriya and his wife, followed by an honouring ceremony where she was awarded with an Appreciative Plaque by the Consulate General.[19] In 2019, she was honored with Janabhimani Honorary Award at the BMICH.[20]
