Ravindra Randeniya

Ravindra Randeniya (Born Boniface Perera) (born 5 June 1945) is a Sri Lankan actor and former politician. He rose to fame in Lester James Peries's film Desa Nisa in 1972, and was a popular actor during the 1970s and 1980s; He won the Sarasaviya Best Actor Award in 1984 (Dadayama), 1985 (Maya), 1989 (Sandakada Pahana), and 1990 (Sri Medura).

Randeniya hosted the quiz program Mind Star on ITN, which gain huge publicity.

Randeniya was born in Dalugama, Kelaniya Sri Lanka in 1945 in a family with 6 siblings. Dalugama was a small village filled with paddy fields and streams. Randeniya appreciated nature growing up often spending evenings looking over the fields; he was also an avid reader from a young age immersing himself in the works of acclaimed Sinhala authors like Martin Wickremasinghe, Prof.Ediriweera Sarachchandra, Kumaratunga Munidasa, and Wimalaratne Kumaragama.

Randeniya attended St. Benedict College in Kotahena. Though he was a good student, he failed to pass his A-level examination and didn't pursue higher education. Randeniya instead joined his family business of manufacturing hardware products.

Randeniya is married to fellow actress Preethi Pramila Seneviratne, where the wedding ceremony was celebrated on 31 October 1974. They have two sons, Sachindra Nirmal, Sameera Manabarana and one daughter Umayangana Indrachapa.

In his free time, Randeniya started taking courses in theater decor and screenwriting at Lionel Wendt Theatre Workshop. The Workshop was considered the premiere acting school in Sri Lanka, and its faculty was composed of the leading Sinhala dramatists of the day like Dr. Ediriweera Sarachandra, Damma Jagoda, Gunasena Gallappathi, Ernest MacIntyre, Percy Colinthus, and Irangani Serasinghe. Randeniya became interested in acting while taking a required general acting class under Jagoda; he gradually became fascinated with the idea of acting over the two years he spent at the school.

He joined the Lionel Wendt Art Gallery in 1969, to learn drama, screenplay, direction and stage decoration. Randeniya got his first starring role in the student production Mudu Puththu directed by Gallapaththi at the age of 25. His performance in the film drew praise from well-known director Lester James Peries. He next appeared in Kalu Diya Dahara, considered "a watershed in the annals of Sinhala films", which dealt with a struggle between workers and administration in a tea plantation. It was made in 1971, and shown nationwide in 1974.

Peries, who was a fan, picked Randeniya for one of the three main roles in Desa Nisa alongside Joe Abeywickrema and Sriyani Amarasena. This would be his breakthrough role, and established him as a popular actor when screened in 1972.

Later Randeniya elected to Sri Lanka Parliament for United National Party. He served as a member between 2000 - 2004.

Sarasaviya Awards

• Best Actor - Dadayama – 1984
• Best Actor – Maya – 1985
• Best Actor - Sandakada Pahana – 1989
• Best Actor - Siri Medura - 1990

• Ganga Addara
• Kahala Nadaya (2000)
• Kula Kumariya (2007) as Edward Deraniyagala