Irreplaceable Tennyson bids farewell

The death of ace comedian, dramatist and inimitable actor Tennyson Cooray plunged the nation into shock at a time when the country needed more artistes in his calibre. Tennyson Cooray whose amazing performances drew large crowds to theatres, was 68 at the time of death. Born in Moratuwa on April 30, 1952, Tennyson was a known name in the Moratuwa area before he made it big on stage and cinema. In 1972 he wrote and directed a short film called ‘Hada Bandi Siththam’ but he was unbale to complete it due to various constraints. But that setback did not deter his passion for theatre and acting.

Having played a small role in Hemasiri Sellapperuma’s ‘Jeewanthi’, Tennyson got his biggest film break when his childhood Moratuwa friend Dinesh Priyasad offered him the main role in his maiden film ‘Nommara Ekai’ together with Bandu Samarasinghe. This paved the way for the ‘Tenny-Bandu’ combination to ignite the silver screen.

On stage, Tenny was popular as an actor in his hometown Moratuwa, but he got his maiden break at national level via Sisil Gunasekara’s ‘Guwan Karanam’ in 1981. From then onwards Tennyson was the biggest crowd-puller be it theatre or films.

Most of the popular plays  created by Tennyson Cooray highlighted the perils of drug addiction among the youth, child abuse, corruption and other socially relevant topics

On the surface though one might appreciate the role played by Tennyson as a comedian and his plays filled with humourous content, Tenny was thoughtful in using serious themes in his plays. Most of his popular plays highlighted the perils of drug addiction among the youth, child abuse, corruption and other socially relevant topics.

He also brought back the 115-year old Tower Hall play ‘Sivamma Dhanapala’ as a new production not only rekindling memories of a glorious bygone era, he also donated part of the proceeds from this play for the welfare of aged Tower Hall artistes. 

 “This play is a new concept to draw huge crowds to watch my play which depicts the hazards of drug addiction. A country may reach the peak in terms of development, but will it mean anything if the people are not developed mentally, emotionally and physically. It is so disturbing to note that the young generation including school children are now prone to drug addiction. We will have to act right now to eradicate this menace,” said Tennyson in one of his interviews with Daily Mirror Life Impulse a few years ago.

He always believed that one need not be a politician to serve the people.

Dinesh Priyasad who introduced Tennyson Cooray to the cinema world said they both were family friends from childhood days.

“Tennyson who was working for a piano company as a youngster, used to visit my home regularly and we both shared a common passion – cinema. Tenny was by then a popular name in Moratuwa having won awards for his plays. I was dreaming to become a filmmaker. I promised him that I will make him the main actor when I make a movie some day. I was destined to have Raj Ranasinghe as a producer of my first movie ‘Nommara Ekai’ in which Tennyson Cooray and Bandu Samarasinghe played the lead roles. Tennyson wrote the screenplay and dialogues. In fact he wrote the screenplay and dialogues for my first three films – Nommara Ekai, Peralikarayo and Waradata Danduwam. My association with Tennyson dates back to several decades and I found him to be a person of immense talent and integrity.  He never liked him being described as a comedian. He always maintained that he was a multi-talented actor who was capable of playing any role, be it serious or comedy. I used to take him to film studios and introduce him to several directors, but he never got a break. However, I was destined to fulfil my promise and give him that crucial break as a film actor in ‘Nommara Ekai’. His demise is indeed a great loss to our cinema,” he said.

Tennyson was a committed and professional artiste who was always punctual, said Janitha Marasinghe

Film producer Janitha Marasinghe described Tennyson as a committed and professional artiste who was always punctual. Veteran dramatist Sisil Gunasekara who introduced Tennyson to theatre, said meeting him for the first time in 1981 was an accidental encounter.

“I was making my first play ‘Guwan Karanam’ with Amarasiri Kalansuriya in the lead role. There was a comedy character in it and we were looking for a suitable guy to play it. Tennyson was accompanying Wimal Kumar de Costa for rehearsals in this play. Costa suggested that we try his friend Tennyson since he was a known name in Moratuwa as a talented actor. Our premiere was held at the Wellawatte Ramakrishna Hall and the audience feedback that Kalang and Tenny received was unbelievable. This friendship with him led me to make several plays with him and all were super hits. We performed in every part of the country, including the North during the height of the war. Ironically Guwan Karanam was his first play and the last too. We staged Guwan Karanam in Switzerland in March this year during our last European tour. We have lost a dear friend, an irreplaceable actor and a wonderful human being. During our theatre journey we were attacked with brickbats from almost all corners, but we bravely overcame every hurdle. Today I feel ashamed the way some artistes are praising him after his death. If his true talent was recognised and appreciated by them then, I am sure he would have lived a longer life,” said Sisil.

The only unfilled dream of Tennyson Cooray was to produce an English comedy on which he was making the groundwork over the past few years.  

text: Ramesh Uvais