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Mahendra : Bright prospects for the future

He bade good bye to his first job and participated in a drama workshop to realise his dream of becoming an actor. This decision has today borne fruit and taken him on a path to earn him a reputation as a promising actor of a new wave.

When I met Mahendra Perera last week, he had just returned home after acting in award winning director Asoka Handagama's latest film and was preparing to rush back to perform in a new teledrama.

"I accept only characters which are to my liking. I just don't grab any role that is offered," Mahendra says.

Like most of the actors Mahendra too developed an interest in acting from his early school days. Although he wanted to become an actor, he did not know where to begin. With no school or study courses to cater to would-be actors, Mahendra started attending a course conducted by Dhamma Jagoda and then took part in a workshop by Salaman Fonseka where he learnt the finer points of acting.

Eager to grab any points in acting, Mahendra did not miss any single opportunity that came his way. He participated in workshops conducted by veterans from France and Germany. "From them, I learnt techniques which an actor should practise to make him complete. Even today I practise them." he said.

"Any one aspiring to become an actor should follow acting as a subject and it could not be completed within one or two weeks, Mahendra says lamenting the absence of an academy for acting or drama. In his small way, Mahendra now conducts a weekly course on acting to share his knowledge with would-be actors. "I decided to start a training workshop at least in a small way to cater to this long-felt need."

He claims this workshop attended by nearly 30 students is conducted amidst logistical problems. "The lack of a permanent place to conduct this class is one of the main problems."

Mahendra's first appearance was in Gamini Fonseka's film Sakvithi Suvaya in 1978. This followed with a host of films such as Koti Waligaya, Ridi Nimnaya, Udusulanga, Julitge Bhumikawa, Aswesuma, Milla Soya. His latest effort is in Udayakantha Warnasuriya's Bahuboothayo where he plays a major role. This film will be released soon.

He also acted in a number of stage plays - Jayantha Chandrasiri's Ath and Mora, Helena Leththimake's Puntila and Gimhanaya and Reyaka Sihinayak and Tony Ranasinghe's Julius Caesar." This field should get more attention and state patronage." he said. He has also played a number of roles in popular teledramas. It seems Mahendra has developed a flair for cinema and teledrama than the stage. "One reason is time. To act in a stage drama, you need to undergo a lot of rehearsals and travel extensively. This is in contrast to cinema and teledrama where you can be more creative," Mahendra says.

He was very optimistic about the future of the local film industry. "A host of new directors have entered the scene and different kinds of films are being made, but they should be further encouraged."

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Asian film festival opens in France

DEAUVILLE, France (AFP) A 10-day festival dedicated to Asian cinema opened in the western French coastal town of Deauville Thursday with films from China dominating the official selection.

Around 40 films are to be shown at the event, including nine that are in competition. Among the Chinese entries, "Father" by director Lou Jian, "All the Way" by Shi Runjiu and "The Marriage Certificate" by Huang Jianxin will be representing the mainland at the event that runs from Thursday to Sunday, while "Peony Pavilionun" by Yonfan will front for Hong Kong.

They are competing against "Failan" by South Korean director Song Hae-Sung, "Whispering Sands" by Indonesia's Nan T. Achnas, "A Woman's Work" by Japan's Kentaro Otani, "Deathrow" by the Philippines' Joel Lamangan and "The Rule of the Game" by Taiwan's Ho Ping.The festival's jury is presided over by Shin Sang-ok, a South Korean-born director who now lives in the United States, and includes Hong Kong actress and singer Karen Mok as well as French personalities.

However China withdrew one of its films competing in the festival on Thursday in a row over the flag of Taiwan - which it regards as a renegade Chinese province - being flown in front of the main cinema, organisers said.

The cultural service of the Chinese embassy in France ordered the film "Fathers", by 34-year-old director Lou Jian, to be pulled from the official line-up as the 10-day festival in Deauville just started, the event's president, French professor Alain Patel, told AFP.

He said the movie was the only one of four films from China that did not have a distributor and was thus not protected from the Chinese authorities.

The three other Chinese films - "All the Way" by Shi Runjiu and "The Marriage Certificate" by Huang Jianxin representing the mainland and "Peony Pavilionun" by Yonfan representing Hong Kong - remain in the festival's competition, Patel said.

"For a month we have been under very undiplomatic pressure from this cultural service to not raise the Taiwanese flag" alongside the other flags of the countries in competition, Patel said.The Chinese had insisted through letters, telephone calls and visits "that there is only one China, only one flag," he said.

The festival decided to allow "Fathers" to be withdrawn to avoid any repercussions for Lou Jian or its producer, Cao Lin, in China, Patel added. The Taiwanese flag was being flown in honour of the sole Taiwanese movie in competition: "The Rule of the Game" by director Ho Ping.

The four other films in competition are: "Failan" by South Korean director Song Hae-Sung, "Whispering Sands" by Indonesia's Nan T. Achnas, "A Woman's Work" by Japan's Kentaro Otani, and "Deathrow" by the Philippines' Joel Lamangan.Taiwan has governed itself since the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still considers it a Chinese province and demands its return, by force if necessary.

Relations have been tense and China has frequently exerted pressure on other nations which have given degrees of recognition to Taiwan.

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