| Rathna Lalani Jayakody | |
| Native Name: | රත්නා ලාලනී ජයකොඩි |
| Native Name Lang: | si |
| Birth Date: | 1964 1, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Colombo |
| Years Active: | 1986–present |
| Spouse: | Sampath Tennakoon |
| Children: | Manjitha Thennakoon (son) |
| Relations: | Geetha Kanthi Jayakody (sister) Paboda Sandeepani (sister's daughter) Bimal Jayakody (brother's son) Sujani Menaka (Bimal's wife) |
| Occupation: | Actress, teacher |
Jayakodige Dona Rathna Lalani (born 8 January 1964 as [Sinhala]), popularly as Rathna Lalani Jayakody, is an actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theatre and television.[1] [2] She is a teacher by profession.
Rathna Lalani Jayakody was born on 8 January 1964 as the youngest of the family. Her father is an Ayurvedic doctor.[3] She went to Siddhartha Maha Vidyalaya, Sedawatta and then attended to Kolonnawa Balika Vidyalaya.[4] She has two elder brothers, two elder sisters – Geetha Kanthi and Sriyani.[5] Geetha Kanthi is also a renowned award-winning actress in Sri Lankan cinema, theatre and television. Popular actor Bimal Jayakody is the son of Rathna's elder brother. Bimal is married to fellow actress Sujani Menaka. Popular actress Paboda Sandeepani is the daughter of her sister Geetha Kanthi.[6]
Rathna Lalani was married to fellow actor Sampath Tennakoon. They first met during a stage drama Puthra Samagama and then in Suba Sandewak. They have acted more than 50 stage dramas together.[7]
She is currently working as a teacher in Sri Rajasinghe Madya Maha Vidyalaya.[8]
Before starting acting career, Jayakody joined with Sri Lanka Broadcasting Coorporation for Lama Pitiya program with her sister Geetha Kanthi.[9] In 1985, she acted in the stage play Julius Caesar produced by Tony Ranasinghe where she became the one and only Gamini Fonseka's only girlfriend on stage.[10] She was selected for many dramas due to her voice best suited for Noorthi and stage drama songs. She acted under the prominent directors such as Ananda Sirisena, Agnes Sirisena, Mahinda Algama, Ashoka Tillakaratne and Piyadasa Ranasinghe to polish her abilities. Her maiden television acting came through Parakrama Niriella's Laa Hiru Dahasak. Her role as Ranjani in the teledrama Yashorawaya was critically acclaimed.[11] She also acted in Verona,[12] and Hathara Wate[13]
In 1991, a drama festival named Ratna Lalani Drama Festival was held. In 2013, Rathna and Sampath organised a drama festival titled Abhinayana Sampath-Rathna Rangabhumika to celebrate their 30 years in stage drama career. They staged seven popular dramas from 17 to 23 December 2013 at New Town Hall, Colombo 7, which they together acted.
Her maiden cinematic experience came through a minor role in 1986 film Pooja, directed by Dharmasiri Gamage.[22] Some of her popular films are Awaragira, Randiya Dahara and Pooja.[23]
| Year | Film | Role | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Pooja | |||
| 1989 | Siri Medura | Kamala | ||
| 1992 | Malsara Doni | |||
| 1995 | Awaragira | Seetha | [24] | |
| 2002 | Punchi Suranganavi | Abandoned Nurse | [25] | |
| 2003 | Sudu Kaluwara | Margaret Fernando | [26] | |
| 2004 | Randiya Dahara | Lionel's wife | [27] | |
| 2008 | Siri Raja Siri | Class teacher | [28] | |
| 2011 | Gamani | Murder victim | [29] | |
| 2016 | Sarigama | Sister Rita | [30] | |
| 2019 | President Super Star | Samanthika | [31] | |
| 2024 | Sinhabahu | [32] | ||
| TBD | Thanapathilage Gedara | [33] | ||
| TBD | Diriya Doni | [34] |