He gave priority to studies over art and at school, he acted as 'Kashyapa' in the school play
Sigiriya Kashyapa. He excelled in writing short stories and won the first prize in the short story competition organized by the College Literary Society in 1962. Both Kumaratunga and Randeniya were introduced to art and literature by Wilfred Perera, a well-known school teacher and a staunch leftist who was the brother of dramatist
Anthony C. Perera. Randeniya got his first starring role in the student production
Mudu Puththu directed by Gallapaththi at the age of 25. Veteran photographer Ralex Ranasinghe baptized Boniface as 'Ravindra Randeniya'. His performance in the film drew praise from well-known director
Lester James Peries. He next appeared in
Kalu Diya Dahara, considered "a watershed in the annals of Sinhala films", which dealt with a struggle between workers and administration in a tea plantation. It was made in 1971 and shown nationwide in 1974. Peries, who was a fan, picked Randeniya for one of the three main roles in
Desa Nisa alongside
Joe Abeywickrema and
Sriyani Amarasena. This would be his breakthrough role, and established him as a popular actor when screened in 1975. The 1989 film
Siri Medura was the most difficult role for Randeniya. He played Sampath Hamu, a man with complete paralysis. He later won the Sarasaviya Award for Best Actor for this role in 1990, naming him as the first unanimous decision of the jury without recommendation. ==Political==