Punya Heendeniya

Heendeniya Vidanaralalage Punya Heendeniya, born on July 31, 1938 (Sinhala: පුණ්‍යා හීන්දෙනිය), widely known as Punya Heendeniya, is a former Sri Lankan cinema actress who currently resides in England [1][2][3].

Personal Life:
Punya Heendeniya was born on July 31, 1938, in Mirigama, Sri Lanka, as the fifth child in a family of seven siblings [4]. Her father, M. A. Hindeniya, was a landowner and planter in Mirigama, while her mother, D. L. Kahawitage, hailed from Panadura. She initially received her education at Mirigama Primary School (now known as Dudley Senanayake College). Later, she attended Mirigama Maha Vidyalaya to study in English medium, where she also participated in the school netball team [5]. It's worth noting that poet P. K. D. Seneviratne is a paternal relative of Punya [5].

She married Milroy Nanayakkara and had two children with him [citation needed]. After her marriage, she left the cinema industry and settled in England. Her son, Anupama Nanayakkara, is a specialist doctor. As a child, Anupama appeared in the 1982 film "Kaliyugaya," directed by Lester James Peiris, where he portrayed the son of Nanda and Piyal. Punya's daughter, Purnami, is a doctor [5].

Career:
Punya Heendeniya received training in dancing under S. Panibharatha. She had the opportunity to play the lead role in the ballet "Ditti Mangalika," staged by Panibharatha at her school. Additionally, she learned music under her school master, S. D. David Appuhamy, and received support from the college principal, K. A. Pannaratne, for her acting and musical talents. Punya's entry into the film industry came when she was selected to perform in a dance sequence in Sirisena Wimalaweera's film "Asoka" [5].

Subsequently, Punya visited the office of Heladiva Art Company in Colombo to meet the film production lawyer Somaratne, who was searching for fresh talent for the film "Deyyange Rate." After seeing Punya, Somaratne introduced her to Tamil director Ramachandran, who cast her in the lead role of 'Katherina' in the film. Following her debut, Punya acted in films like "Sri 296" and "Suneetha," both of which were shot in India. In 1961, she achieved great success playing the lead role in the blockbuster film "Kurulu Bedda." She also starred in the film "Sikuru Tharuwa" in a prominent role, selected by John Amaratunga, the producer of the film, and directed by Lester James Peries [5].

Punya Heendeniya's talent and performance were recognized when she won the Best Actress award at the 5th Sarasaviya Awards in 1968 for her role in the film "Ransalu" [6]. Although she retired from acting in 1968, at the peak of her career, she made a comeback in the film "Kaliyugaya" in 1983, for which she received a merit award at the Presidential Film Awards. In 2013, she was honored with the U.W. Sumathipala Memorial award at the Sumathi Awards ceremony [3].