The Plight of Mr. K. Venkat who directed a Movie that carried a Buddhist Theme

Mr. K. Venkat, who did a great service to the  Sinhala cinema, was burnt alive during the 1983 racial riots. As a person who enthusiastically worked in the film industry, he directed a number of Sinhala films and made an immense contribution to Sinhala cinema. His famous movie  "Siri Pathula" (1978) carried a Buddhist theme.  But in July 1983, when he was traveling in a vehicle near the Dehiwala junction on Galle road, he was caught by the angry mob. The thugs got him out of the vehicle, physically assaulted him then pushed him into the car, poured petrol, and burnt him alive. One of my neighbors who saw the burnt car and the dead body that was consumed by fire became sick and vomited on the spot and she was troubled by the ruminations for several weeks. It was an unbearable seen for a lot of them. Today we don't have the original copy of  Mr. K. Venkat's famous movie  "Siri Pathula". When the racially motivated mob set fire to Vijaya studio  "Siri Pathula" the original copy got destroyed.