P. K. D. Seneviratne

Pathirajawasam Kudahitige Don Seneviratne (17 May 1917 – 19 July 1970 ) was a prominent Sri Lankan poet, journalist and scriptwriter for Sinhala cinema. Seneviratne wrote several popular films, such as Kurulu Bedda, Sikuru Tharuwa, Parasathu Mal and Ran Salu. He was a popular poet of the Colombo period.

Personal life Seneviratne was born on 17 May 1917 in Hakgalla Ellakkala village in Attanagalla, Gampaha, Sri Lanka, to parents P.K.D Mohotti Appuhamy and Sedanona Athurugiri Hamine. He was educated at Ellakkala Boys School and Kumbaloluwa Boys School. He had one younger brother, Dr. P. K. Gunathilake. His son was Lieutenant Commander Dr. Ishantha Gunathilaka, both are doctors by profession.

He died on 19 July 1970 at the age of 53.

Career In 1937, at the age of 18, Seneviratne began writing poetry for Silumina newspaper's poetry page. In 1939 and 1956, he wrote poems on North-Eastern Sinhala Buddhist heritage. He later published poetry collections such as Attanagallu Nadi Kavyaya, Ditta Mangalika, Gambada Sundari, Unmada Chithra and Ganga Kumariya. Then he translated the popular novel 'Withering Heights' into Sinhala under the title 'Urumakkarayo' with Ranjani Abeywardena. He had a close relationship with other poets of his era, including Sri Chandraratne Manawasinghe, S. A. James, Dharmadasa Kuruppu, Chithra Balasuriya, Mahagama Sekera, Meemana Premathilake and Wimalasiri Perera. From 1953 to 1957 he wrote the popular radio drama Kurulu Bedda which was aired on the Sinhala section of Radio Ceylon. The drama later in 1961 became a blockbuster film directed by L. S. Ramachandran. The film was presented with Russian and English subtitles at the 1961 Soviet Film Festival in Moscow. Then he also wrote articles about his poems as well as his love of literature to 'Sarasaviya'. He wrote the story of the film Parasatu Mal in weekly serial for the 'Sarasaviya' newspaper for several weeks. In the article Pabandu Kariya written for the 1964 'Sarasaviya' annual, he described his radio dramas.

In 1966, he wrote the script for the film Parasathu Mal directed by Gamini Fonseka. The film received critics acclaim and PKD later won the Award for Best Screenwriter at the 1967 Sarasaviya Awards. The film was earlier titled as 'Pemwathunge Lokaya', but he did not like the name. In 1967, he wrote the screenplay for the film Ran Salu directed by Lester James Peries. The film won many awards and accolades at both local and international film festivals. On 18 October 1967, Varayet Magazine in the United States of America highlighted that the dialogue and direction of the Ran Salu film was of a very high standard. At the Fifth Film Festival organized by the Sarasaviya and Janatha Newspapers in 1968, 'Ran Salu' won three Sarasaviya Awards and two Sarasaviya Special Awards. At the 1968 Critics' Awards, Ran Salu also won three Critics' Awards. The film has also been highly praised and honored by Dr. Roger Manwell, a well-known international film critic. According to Noel Cruz, an international film critic for Weekly End Sun, Ran Salu was the first real-life Buddhist film to be made into an international cinema.