372:. He made the Portuguese fort, which was 20 feet in circumference and 80 feet in circumference in Belihul Oya with a cost about LKR 38,000 in 1959 out of black stone. It is said that Cinemas has spent around Rs. 500,000 for this film. The film became a hallmark in the film industry, where 132 copies have been printed from one negative film. All the songs became popular and the song 'Pruthugeesi Karaya' became popular and thousands of CDs containing the songs were sold. Meanwhile, it has been screened in 136 cinemas island-wide and it is reported that the dialogues were screened in Czech in Czechoslovakia. Gunaratnam also took steps to credit the proceeds of the premiere to the Deaf and Dumb Fund in Ratmalana.
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ethnic riots of 1983 in
Colombo, Gunaratnam suffered with many problems. He traumatically fled from his residence in the middle of the night on 22 July 1983, to escape from marauding mobs. He later sought refuge at the then Holiday Inn Hotel in the city of Colombo. Meanwhile, some of his film studios
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who acted in the film. This is the first book written by a
Sinhala actress. In 1956, Gunaratnam won the award for the second most popular film in the 1956 'Dinamina' newspaper 'Rangamadala' film competition with 11,243 votes. In the following years, he produced many commercially successful films such
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and ruled under a new administration called Ceylon
Theatres, he worked for about three months before retiring in 1941 and buying the soft drink business at No. 117, New Chetty Street, Colombo where his ice cream business was known as Nelwani & Co. Then he joined the film industry as a partner in
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As an industrialist, he manufactured ballpoint pens, corrugated cartons and plastic containers. He also developed state-of-the-art yarn spinning and weaving mills at Ja-Ela with 24,000 Swiss Reiter spindles which was being expanded into weaving with 200 Picanol water jet looms with 100 looms having
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In 1941 he married Padma
Selvadore, however her untimely death led to him marrying her sister, Kamala Selvadore. Apart from cinema, he was also a planter. Horseback riding and tennis were his main hobbies and he was an active member of the Tamil Union Sports Club and the Orient Club. The couple had
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In 196, he established Vijaya Studio, Hendala. The original name of this studio was 'Seeni Studio' which was started by purchasing an 8-acre land in
Hendala at a cost of LKR 800,000. Gunaratnam's full-fledged printing press on Armor Street, Colombo was the 'Seeni Press' where he printed color film
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into a film after
Ilangaratne's proposal. Eventually, he was associated with the companies as Chairman of K.G. Group of Companies, Fuji Graphics Ceylon Ltd. And Photo Kina Ltd. Apart from that, he was the Managing Director of Cine Sounds Sales and Services Ltd., Union Carbide Ceylon Ltd., Asbestos
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In 2019, his son G. R. Pathmaraj filed a lawsuit due to plaintiff claims that the late
Gunaratnam's exclusive economic and moral rights were protected during his lifetime and are also protected for 70 years from his death. The Commercial High Court later extended its Enjoining Order restraining
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a film distribution company called
Wallington Talkies. In 1948, he became its chairman and built the Wellington Cinema in Jaffna. Then in 1950, he established the cinema company called Cinemas Limited and started building cinemas and producing films.
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Gunaratnam came to
Colombo hoping to get a job as a representative of a film distribution company in Sri Lanka. In 1934, he worked for two years as an agent for a film distribution company called Windsor Talkies. When the company was bought by
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by a gunshot. At the time of death, he was going from his office to his residence for lunch. Whilst coming out of his office, in the front seat of his car, at a point of turning, two gunmen on a motorcycle had shot him at very close range.
232:. Started his film producing career during post-independent Ceylon, Gunaratnam is the pioneer to establish two Sinhala film studios: 'Cinemas Limited' and 'Vijaya Studios', where he produced more than 20 blockbuster and commercial movies.
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as an actor. Meanwhile, Gunaratnam sponsored the publication of
Ilangaratne's first novel, "Vilambitha", at the request of his friend Nadesan. After that in the same year, he agreed to produce the novel "Radala Piliruwa" by
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He was born on 20 July 1917 in Athiyadi, Jaffna as the youngest son of the family. His father Manikkam Kanakasabey was a merchant in Jaffna. His mother Manikkam Murugesu was a housewife. He studied at
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been imported in June 1983. They were temporarily stored at the Hendala industrial complex until the foreign engineers were to install them at the weaving mills in Ja-Ela in August 1983.
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to the film and included several Sri Lankan scenes such as Anuradhapura, Polonnaruwa, Sigiriya and Katharagama in the film which was produced entirely at the Modern Studio in India.
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directed by T. Somasekeran, which made a new era in Sinhala cinema industry. Even though the story of the film was chosen by imitating the then popular Hindi film
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Determined to promote his films as well as other Sinhala films, Gunaratnam released the magazine 'Kala' on 20 August 1955. In 1956, he produced the film
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429:(1973). In 1965, he won the award for the Best Producer at 2nd United Lanka Fans Society Award Ceremony.
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together with the collection of Sinhala films were totally destroyed during the riots.
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Cement Industries Ltd., Alhambra Hotels Ltd. And United Spinning and Weaving Mills.
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posters and 'Kala' magazine. The first film to be shot at the Vijaya studio, was
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directed by Mike Wilson. Then he involved with many blockbuster films such as
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He was assassinated on 27 August 1989 at the age of 72 during the
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where all the street scenes and clubs built at the Vijaya studio.
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telecasting, exhibiting, displaying or showing the Sinhala film
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1423:"The memory book reads: Allapu Gedara built eight times"
967:"The Mughal Emperor of Sri Lankan Cinema: K. Gunaratnam"
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The first production of Cinemas Limited was 1953 film
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364:In 1960 he joined with
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242:Jaffna Central College
220:), popularly known as
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50:K. Gunaratnam in 1950s
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1315:. 1988. p. 6.
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1290:. The Nation
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