Vasanthi Chathurani

Vasantha Doreen Peterson (born 18 October 1959: Sinhala: වසන්ති චතුරානි), popularly as Vasanthi Chathurani, is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema and television. An extremely natural actress, Vasanthi Chathurani is one of the most successful personalities on Sri Lanka's silver and small screen.[1] At the age 16, she made her debut as a teenager in Sumitra Peiris's Gehenu Lamai.

Vasanthi Chathurani
වසන්ති චතුරානි
Born
Vasantha Doreen Peterson

(1959-10-18) 18 October 1959
Gampaha, Sri Lanka
NationalitySri Lankan
EducationHoly Cross Convent
Alma materHoly Cross College Gampaha
Occupation(s)Actress, Producer
Years active1978–Present
SpouseKumarasiri Gunawardhana
ChildrenKavinda Gunawardhana
Parents
  • Stanley Peterson (father)
  • Lilavathi Peterson (mother)
AwardsBest Actress

Personal life

She was born on 18 October 1959 in Bandarawatta, Gampaha, Sri Lanka. Her father Stanley Peterson, served in the Army, and her mother Lilavathi Peterson, died when she was a child. She had one older sister, Vinita Helen. Both of them grew up in the house of her grandmother, Maggie Nona and grandfather, K.K. Albert. She completed education from Holy Cross Convent, Gampaha.[2]

At the age of 20, she married the businessman Kumarasiri Gunawardhana on October 18, 1981 by an arbitrary decision. They have one son named Kavinda Asanga Gunawardena, a graphic designer. Her husband died suddenly on February 10, 1992, when Vasanthi was 33 years old.[3]

Career

Chathurani was a school girl when director Sumitra Peiris chose her for a lead role in Gehenu Lamai in 1978.[4] Her most acclaimed role in the silver screen was that of 'Nirmala', a mentally-ill girl in the blockbuster Ganga Addara opposite late Vijaya Kumaratunga in 1980. She was mere nineteen-year-old at that time. I 1981, she was awarded Best Actress for her performance in this film, at the Sarasaviya Awards Festival and Presidential Awards.[3]

She won the Sumathi Most Popular Actress Award in 1997 and the Sumathi Best Teledrama Actress Award in 1998, 2002 and 2009. Her career came to a temporary halt, when she got married in 1979, but was once again welcomed by her fans with her performance in Adara Hasuna. Some of her other successful films include Gehenu Lamai, Duwata Mawaka Misa and Sudu Sevanali. Vasanthi played dramatic roles in the films Amal Biso, Siribo Aiya, Hansa Vilak and Bththi Hathara. In 2003, she starred in the Lester James Peiris drama film Wekande Walauwa which received critic acclaim.[3]

Chathurani also made her mark as a teledrama actress, in shows such as Māyā Mandira, Iṭipahan, Chala Achala, Durgānthaya, Giraya, Hingana Kollā, Kadulla, Gajaman Nōnā and Kulavamiya.[3] Chathurani recently got into teledrama productions, financing successful teledramas such as Aga Pipi Mal, Sedona and Ranga Soba. All three of them were directed by Premakumara Jayawardene and written by Sumitra Rahubadde. She has acted many genre television serials in Sri Lanka.[5]

Selected TV serials
  • Aga Pipi Mal
  • Dahas Gawdura[6]
  • Denuwara Manike [7]
  • Dhawala Kadulla [8]
  • Diya Matha Ruwa [9]
  • Durganthaya
  • Gajaman Nona.[10]
  • Giraya
  • Idorayaka Mal Pipila[11]
  • Ilandariyo [12]
  • Ira Handa Payana Lokaya
  • Itipahan
  • Kadulla
  • Kulawamiya[13]
  • Mano Mandira
  • Pem Piyawara[14]
  • Ranga Madala Samu Gani[15]
  • Ranga Soba [16]
  • Sedona [17]
  • Senehase Geethaya [18]
  • Senehase Nimnaya [19]
  • Ulamage Rathriya[20]
  • Uththamavi[21]
  • Walakulu [22]
  • Yaddehi Gedara[23]
  • Yaso Mandira [24]

Filmography
YearFilmRoleRef.
1978Gehenu LamaiKusum Liyanage[25]
1978Ahasin PolowataPushpa's sister
1979Amal Biso
1979Chuda ManikyaVajira
1980Siribo AyyaBiso
1980ParithyagaRohini
1980Ganga AddaraNirmala Atapattu
1980Para DigeMadhu
1980Hewanali Ada MinissuPiyawathi
1980Hansa VilakSamanthi Weerasinghe[26]
1981SamawennaNimalka 'Nimmi'
1982AyachanaSarojini
1982Biththi HatharaMallika
1984Kakille RajjuruwoDaughter
1986DinumaSujatha Senarath
1986Aadara Hasuna
1987Mangala TheggaThilina
1988Satana
1990Saharawe Sihinaya
1990Madhu SihinaMadhu
1990HimagiriMenaka Abeydheera
1990Wana Bambara
1990AwaragiraVasantha
1991Uthura DakunaSarojani
1991Raja Sellan
1992Sinha Raja
1992Kiyala Wadak NaKushari
1992Kula GeyaSuchithra
1992Sargant NallathambiKalawathi
1993Sasara Sarisarana Thek Oba Mage
1994Ambu SamiyoSubhadra
1994Dhawala PushpayaSoba
1995AwaragiraWasantha
1996Raththaran Malli
1996Thunweni Ahe
1997Duwata Mawaka Misa
1997Punaruthpaththiya
1997VisidelaPolice Inspector's Daughter[27]
1998Julietge BhumikawaSaroja
1999Bahu BharyaNavoda[28]
2001Kinihiriya MalRenuka[29]
2001PoronduwaPooja[30]
2002Sansara Prarthana
2002Sudu SewaneliPodi Menika
2003Wekande Walauwa Sita
2003Sakman Maluwa
2004SumedhaSumedha[31]
2007YahaluvoBurgher music teacher. Also as playback singer
2011ChallengesRanuk's mother
2018VaishnaveeLaxmi's mother
2019SangileLady monk
TBDKondadeniye Hamuduruwo[32]
TBDGunananda Himi Migettuwatte

Awards

Sarasaviya Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1980Ganga AddaraBest ActressWon

Sumathi Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1997People's VoteMost Popular ActressWon
1998DurganthayaBest ActressWon
2002KulawamiyaBest ActressWon
2006Aga Pipi MalBest ActressWon

Raigam Tele'es
Year Nominee / work Award Result
2005SedonaBest ActressWon
2006Aga Pipi MalBest ActressWon

References
  1. "Vasanthi - Reaching Even Greater Heights". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  2. "What's in a name?". Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-08-22.
  3. "She gave life to 'Kusum' born in Jayalath's heart - Vasanthi Chathurani". Silumina. Archived from the original on 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2021-06-04.
  4. "සදා මේ සංසාරේ අපේ හමුවීම නොවේ: ගැහැනු ළමයි". Sarasaviya. Archived from the original on 2021-01-24. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  5. "Tale of Vasanthi Chathurani". Sarasaviya. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  6. "'Dahas Gawdura': a formulaic telefilm". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 18 January 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  7. "Denuwara Manike". paradisaya. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 8 July 2020.
  8. "'Dhawala Kadulla' captures dramatic era of history". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 12 June 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  9. "'Diya Matha Ruwa' now on the go". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  10. "The story of Gajaman Nona". Sunday times. Archived from the original on 30 July 2019. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  11. "'Idorayaka Mal Pipila': A tragic story". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  12. "Four youngsters come to Siyatha TV with Ilandariyo". Sarasaviya. Archived from the original on 2021-02-01. Retrieved 2021-01-01.
  13. "'Kulawamiya' relates a story of nobility". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  14. "'Pem-Piya-Wara': Depicts a father". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  15. "'Rangamadala Samugani': Ranwala's last act". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  16. "'Ranga Soba' depicts the life of an actress". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  17. "'Sedona' : Wasanthi in a dual role". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 5 August 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  18. "'Senehase Geethaya': Courage of a woman". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 9 January 2014. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  19. "'Senehase Nimnaya': Tale of an adopted son". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 15 July 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  20. "'Ulamage Rathriya' reveals the country's past". Sunday times. Archived from the original on 25 November 2017. Retrieved 17 November 2017.
  21. "'Uththamavi': Travails of a village damsel". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  22. "'Walakulu' make a move on Rupavahini". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 21 February 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2019.
  23. "'Yaddehi Gedara' shows how a walawwa falls". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  24. "'Yaso Mandira': The tale of a mother's courage..." Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 11 March 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  25. "Lester-Sumithra cinema on mini-screen". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 9 March 2022. Retrieved 23 December 2017.
  26. "All about "Hansa Vilak"". Sarasaviya. Archived from the original on 2021-01-22. Retrieved 2021-01-12.
  27. "බිඳුණා දැහැන් බිඳුණා වීසි දැල". Sarasaviya. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  28. ""Bahu Bhariya" cleared for adults". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 25 July 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2019.
  29. "Kinihiriya Mal - කිනිහිරියා මල්". Sinhala Cinema Database. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 29 October 2019.
  30. "'Poronduwa':Ratnam on correct track again". Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 6 March 2019. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
  31. "'Sumedha' to go on screen". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 11 March 2017.
  32. "Siritunga gives life to Kondadeniye Hamuduruwo". Daily News. Archived from the original on 15 October 2017. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
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