Sesha Palihakkara
| Shesha Palihakkara | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Shesha Palihakkara Sri Lanka |
| Died | July 12, 2009 |
Shesha Palihakkara (died July 12, 2009) was a Sri Lankan dancer, actor, and producer. He achieved critical recognition with a starring role in Lester James Peries' masterpiece Rekava and as producer of Getawarayo, Sarawita and Ranmuthu Duwa.
Palihakkara was born in the village of Ruppagoda, in Kadawatte of the Gampaha district. He attended the St. Benedict's College, Colombo in Kotahena and St. Joseph's College in Colombo. At the age of 14, Palihakkara witnessed the Sinhala dancer Chitrasena perform in the Vidura ballet and was inspired to be a dancer.
Palihakkara left school without getting his Senior School Certificate in his late teens, and went to India to train at Shanthi Nikethan. He stayed at the school for two years focusing on dance along with painting and sculpting. Palihakkara then enrolled at the Institute of Kala Kshethra in South India majoring in dance.
After finishing his studies, he returned to Sri Lanka in 1948 and took part in a national pageant organized in celebration of the country's recent independence. Later with the help of Dr. P.R. Anthonis and K.D.A. Perera, Palihakkara briefly started a dance school in Borella. He left for England in 1949 to join the Indian dancer Ramgopal's travelling ballet troupe, which performed in various venues in Europe.
On his return to Sri Lanka, Palihakkara was asked to choreograph movies like Ahankara Isthri and Puduma Leli. He got his first starring role in Matalang and travelled to Madras, India to film the movie in 1953. Palihakkara played a cruel king and his rogue bandit son; the film was a huge success and made Palihakkara a heart throb in Sri Lanka.
He next appeared in Rekava as an astrologer and stilt walker. The film wasn't a box office hit, but was critically praised and is considered a landmark in Sri Lankan cinema. In 1954, Palihakkara worked in the makeup department of the United States film Bridge on the River Kwai which was filmed in Sri Lanka.
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