As tributes pour in for Sri Lanka’s “Queen of the Silver Screen” Malini Fonseka, a fresh debate has emerged over the Rs. 5.5 million allocated to her from the Presidential Fund. The question being asked: Was it fair?
Veteran filmmaker Ashoka Handagama has weighed in on the controversy, offering a perspective grounded in empathy and context. “On one hand, we call her a queen, yet on the other, we treat her as if she’s misused state funds,” he says, urging the public to examine the facts before rushing to judgment.
According to Handagama, the decision to grant Rs. 5.5 million from the Presidential Fund was made under exceptional circumstances. In the final months of her life, Malini was admitted to a hospital in India for urgent surgery, with medical expenses exceeding Rs. 15 million. Ravindra Randeniya had reached out through Saman Athaudahetti to seek help from the President’s Fund. Athaudahetti, in turn, coordinated with President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who approved the disbursement.
By standard regulations, the Presidential Fund allows up to Rs. 1 million per person, with a maximum of Rs. 3 million in special cases. The Rs. 5.5 million given to Malini exceeded even that, prompting criticism in some quarters. But to Handagama, this was an act of national gratitude, not misuse. “In India, legends like Lata Mangeshkar and Satyajit Ray were supported by their governments in their final days. Is it wrong for us to do the same for Malini Fonseka?” he asks.
Handagama notes that despite her fame, Malini never accumulated wealth. Like many from the golden era of Sri Lankan cinema, she enjoyed stardom without material comfort. Until later in life, she lived in a rented home, only moving into her own house after obtaining a loan during her tenure as a National List MP.
Her final public appearance was a bittersweet one: her birthday was celebrated at the Nawaloka auditorium during the re-screening of Akasa Kusum, a film that mirrored her own journey. Surrounded by friends and fans, she laughed, wept, and relived the moments that made her an icon.
As the nation prepares to bid farewell to a beloved artist, the debate over financial aid to Malini should be grounded not in suspicion, but in reflection. “Let us not let this moment be clouded by bitterness,” Handagama pleads. “Let it be a dignified farewell to a woman who spent more than five decades shaping the emotional landscape of this country.”
