gift to be given to her daughter and she dies during the birth. Bandara Mahatthaya leaves with the child. The village then weeps for Ranmenike's goodness. Cast Punya Heendeniya as Ranmenike D. R. Nanayakkara as Kaithan Baas Lilian Edirisinghe Dayananda Gunawardena Millie Kahandawela S. A. Jamis Dommie Jayawardena Dharmadasa Kuruppu Songs "Aruna Udaya" – J. A. Milton Perera "Oya Balma Oya Kalma" – Latha and Dharmadasa Walpola "Wi Kirili Yay Igili" – Latha Walpola (G. S. B. Rani in the movie) "Kurulu Kobey" – Latha Walpola and chorus "Wathey Watunu Pol Athu (folk poem)" – Dharmadasa Walpola Production Development Arthur Amaratunga who hailed from a small village was inspired to make a truly Sinhala film, after watching Rekava, that avoided the crudities common in popular film of the time. He subsequently came across a collection of stories by P. K. D. Seneviratne broadcast over the radio as Kurulu Bedda which were fitting to his goal. He contacted Seneviratne and got him to write a film script based on the work. Amaratunga operated under limited resources. He could only afford call sheets from the rundown Sundara Sound Studios and a South Indian crew that had no experience with location shooting. Poor photography, poor editing and poor processing resulted. Reception The film received rave reviews upon release and was a box office hit. A lot of praise was directed at the authenticity of the film in dealing with village characters. A critic for a Sinhala daily wrote: "The makers of Kurulu Bedde have not learned the Background of the Ceylon villager from books or hearsay. They have actually lived it." References 1961 films Films set in Sri Lanka (1948–present)