Sirisena Wimalaweera

Sirisena Wimalaweera (; born 23 June 1901 – died 24 August 1963) was a Sri Lankan filmmaker and theater master. He made several critically acclaimed films from 1949 to 1960. He is the first independent Sinhalese and Sri Lankan to direct a Sinhala film and first Sinhala Independent Producer.

Personal life Wimalaweera was born on 23 June 1901 in Tangalle. He was a man of good knowledge about different languages such as Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu, etc. At the age of eleven, he traveled to India with his uncle to study Ayurvedic medicine, but he got the idea of doing drama. He has two daughters, Somawathi and Premawathi; and three sons, Daya, Upasena and Ranjith. His elder son Daya Wimalaweera was a popular film director, cameraman, script writer and also a producer. Upesena Wimalaweera is also a sound engineer and editor.

Wimalaweera was rushed to the Khalil Private Hospital in Maradana and was 62 years old when he died on 24 August 1963.

Career Wimalaweera came back to Sri Lanka and did many dramas and Wimalaweera went to the Neptune studio in South India on 19 November 1948 and spent eight months producing his first film Amma in 1949. His second feature Seedevi was produced the following year. He directed many stage plays such as Gan Wathura, Seedevi, Amma, Rodi Kella and Heladiva Purangana. His style and techniques were similar to Jayamanne's work however and Wimalaweera didn't receive critical approval.

As lyricist Year Film Ref. 1953 Sujatha 1954 Warada Kageda 1994 Sujatha 2004 Seethala Gini Kandu