He is a globally acknowledged legend and she is the ‘Poetess of Sinhala Cinema’. They have been married for a bit over half a century and are now spending their twilight years at their residence. No sparks flew at their first meeting and according to Sumitra Peries what was lacking in hers and Dr Lester James Peries’ romance was the word ‘romance’. However 52 years of togetherness proved that they were meant for each other.
Then and now
We met in Paris and Lester was more of an adviser. It was only after I started working with him that I saw a side of him which I felt was relevant for my emotional needs during that period. The way he handled matters on the sets led to our relationship. He did not mollycoddle me but let me grow as a person. I was a bit uncertain when I met him even though I knew that I wanted to do films. He was authoritative without being aggressive. Over the years I got used to him and vice versa. Now, at 98, Lester is much more dependent on me. That is because he feels lonely if I go out. That saddens me but at the same time you cannot make him do as you please. There are certain things that he is very stubborn about like food or care. He has a trouble with sleep now. So when he cannot get a good shut eye he becomes restless.
His impact on her life
I believe that everything that I am today, I owe to him. I hail from Avissawella and went to Visakha College. My parents went for the routines rather than guide me towards what I wanted to do in life. Luckily I had a brother, Kuru, who was way ahead of his time. He encouraged me to read good books.
Lester nurtured me right throughout my life. He knew I had potential. I had the capacity though I haven’t given it my full energy. He never imposed himself on me. The first task I did for him is to edit Gamperaliya. I was given the opportunity to take certain things into my own hands. I was able to earn my rights. He encouraged me to experiment and explore and decide on what is best for a particular scene. He helped me discover myself with loving care. If I had not met him I might have been a different sort of person.
The proposal
I don’t think there was a formal proposal as such. Lester has had a bad experience because he has been married before. With us I think that it was relationship which just grew over the months. I had suitors but I was not that conscious about myself. I was basically the only woman around when we were shooting Sandeshaya in Balangoda and I felt that I should merge with those at work. I had a short hair crop then and wore my brother’s outside shirts. I think I actually wear more make up now than then!
I was a bit unsure of myself and in chartering my emotions. I was not flirtatious by nature. Though my school friends had boyfriends I believed that my life was far ahead and I did not want to waste my life on trivial matters. However when I was abroad there was a young Britisher who swept me off my feet. He was reckless and took to driving fast cars etc. We parted ways when he went to Australia and I left for Switzerland.
When I started working with Lester he somehow came through as very responsible. He might have been the kind of person whom I was unconsciously looking for. We had a firm relationship at the end of Sandeshaya which was in the 1960s but there was no courting period as such. Any objections we had were carried away in the mist.
We knew that we were going to get married. He was keen that we married in church which I did not mind but I wanted a civil registration first. We got married in 1964. I wore a light blue lace sari for the wedding. Our immediate families were present for the event.
The most important lesson she learnt from him
He taught me not to go over and over a certain matter once it is done. He would say “What’s the use in worrying? It is gone now and we should come to terms with that.” Sometimes I go over a matter and say that we should not have done so and so but Lester never does that. If he has taken a decision, he goes along with it. No regrets. He had 30 odd archers inherited from his mother and when I could not get funds for Gehenu Lamai he asked me to use that money for the project. He has never been misery. I take over the practical details of living. We have a joint account and he has never asked me what I do with myself.
Obsessions
Lester is quite obsessed about paying his taxes. He is very morale because he comes from a fairly deep rooted Catholic family. He has never imposed his religion on me.
He hates to eat alone and never has his breakfast without me. Once he has eaten he has no patience to stay in place. He is particular about cleanliness and what he eats. He never liked eating out and has never eaten anything we have brought home from outside.
He does not eat leftovers at all – even if it is a piece of papaw from the previous day. We cannot keep anything in the fridge for more than two hours. He needs freshly cooked meals. No stale food for him. I guess those things have been so much the part of his life that nobody questions about them.
Disagreements
We basically never have had arguments. I might have reprimanded him for something but that too is nothing personal. I might have said something sharp but at the end of the day he would tell me something like “You know you did not need to do that. You could have told it to me in private.”
I might have gotten into a rage but that is very rare and is not natural to my normal behavior. Servants usually get the better off me but what Lester has to say, he says. He has a strong vocabulary – especially in English. He can take a peg or two off people without batting an eyelid. With age Lester has become a bit demanding but our house has never been tense. We have never regretted each other.
Foodwise
We ate beef at the beginning of our life. Chicken was not that common but we eat fish. After Lester fell ill in the early 1980s we stopped having beef. Lester’s curries are cooked in the same manner most of the time. He does not have the taste for ham and bacon. Lester cannot stomach chili. So even if we went to our sibling’s homes we used to cook and carry the food there. On location his food was cooked separately. Most of the time he liked to use his fork and spoon. Even in the Ambalantota wilderness where we shot Baddegama Lester can be seen using his fork and spoon! Lester maybe fussy about his food but he is fussy about simple things. He used to drink arrack during his early days but if it is two drinks, it is only two drinks for him.
Dress sense
Lester is a bit fussy about his clothes. He goes for long sleeved shirts and needs his cap. He was fully dressed even on the sets.
Favourite pastime
Lester always spends his free time reading. He reads anything and everything which comes his way. He recently requested me to get him Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s biography. I read anything which I feel can be converted into a film. I recently saw a news item in Sarasaviya about Clint Eastwood’s biography and thought that I would not mind reading it. Lester likes to listen to all sorts of music too. As soon as he gets up he ons his radio and it is shut down only when he goes to bed at 11 pm. He also wants the TV on when he gets up.
Travels
We usually like to stay at home but if we have a choice I think we both would like to go to France. It is like a second home for us and we have emotional ties there.
One change she would have liked to make in their life
I wish we had made more films together and maybe be a bit mindful about the future and saved up to own our own house. We earned, spent and lived at that time. We were adventurers and risk taking individuals.
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