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Vasantha spins Web of Love

"Salelu Warama" (The Web of Love), the latest creation by veteran film maker Vasantha Obeysekera will be screened islandwide on the EAP circuit cinema halls from next week.

The film revolves around a love affair between two university students - Suren (Kamal Addararachchi) and Priyanka (Sangeetha Weeraratne).

"The film is about love, betrayal, anger and hatred - basically human feelings," says Vasantha. Priyanka who is already engaged to Sunil (Pradeep Senanayake), a divorcee who had left for employment abroad, falls in love with Suren at the university. Sunil's unexpected arrival leads to a crisis in all their lives."At university level, people have to be more mindful and thoughtful about their lives and the responsibilities," Vasantha added.

The web of love and jealousy in which the trio are entangled leads to the unexpected dramatic finale. "The film talks about the total breakdown of discipline in general in society."

Nobody is independent in the contemporary society, says Vasantha adding that every individual act has its counter effect. "But I don't teach lessons in my films," he explained.After graduating from the University of Ceylon in 1962, Vasantha started as a journalist in the editorial staff of the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd and later turned into film making.

He came into Sinhala cinema as the assistant director and co-script writer of Sathsamudura (Seven Seas). His maiden film (direction) was Wesgaththo (Masquerade) in 1975. Both the story and the script of Wesgaththo were his own. Walmathvuvo (Dispossessed) directed by him in 1975 won the OCIC award and also represented Sri Lanka at the Tashkent International Film Festival in 1976. He directed an educational film named Lamayek (A Child) after his third direction Diyamanthi (Diamonds) in 1976.

Among his creations are Dadayama (The Hunt) in 1983, Kedapathaka Chaya (Reflections in a Mirror) in 1987, Maruthaya (The Wind) in 1995, Dorakada Marawa (Death at the Doorstep) in 1998 and Theertha Yathra (Journey) in 1999.

Salelu Warama is produced by Soma Edirisinghe for EAP films which has produced 21 films to date. The movie also stars Tony Ranasinghe, Saumya Liyanage, Hemasiri Liyanage, Janak Premalal, Nayana Kumari, Nayani Maheshika and Ramani Fonseka.

The music director is Rohana Weerasinghe, Assistant Director is Jagath Seneviratne and Director of Photography is Jayanath Gunawardena.

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Nihalsingha conferred PhD in Adelaide

D. B. Nihalsingha, Sri Lanka's acclaimed film and television personality, was presented with the Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in Adelaide by the University of South Australia a few weeks ago. He was among the 9 PhD conferees, four of whom were from abroad.

The presentation was made by Chancellor of the University David Klingburg, at a Convocation held at the Adelaide's new Festival Hall. Professor Denise Bradley, Vice-Chancellor along with University's academic staff was present. Over 2,000 graduands and their families attended the ceremony.

Nihalsingha's PhD theses involved an in-depth study of the adoption of business management practices by three state enterprises in Sri Lanka, the Bank of Ceylon, the Sri Lanka Insurance Corporation Limited and the Building Materials Corporation Limited.

Extensive quantitative analyses of accounting data were used in combination with qualitative inquiry. Nihalsingha concluded that the key need was not divesture of state institutions but reform thereof and that unbridled divesture, specially in the context of a lack of transparency in that regard, would lose the public purpose as well as accumulated expertise embedded in state enterprises. Private sector profit did not take into account a public purpose. The need was to subject state enterprise to competition on an even playing field.

Nihalsingha's research surfaced the finding that both Building Materials Corporation and the Insurance Corporation grew more in business volume, profit under the post 1977 period, when they were subject to intense competition by better endowed private sector competitors, (both domestic and foreign)than at any time in their history. Bank of Ceylon, despite being subject to severe government interference, mainly in the area of rural credit, managed to perform admirably in its core area of commercial banking. All served public purpose which the private sector could not or did not provide, while being profitable.

The fact that the three institutions held a major market share in the region of 40% was an indication of public patronage of the public purpose of the three institutions. The aim thus should be to reform and improve performance, to set clear management targets and to remove political interference in the management of the state enterprise. Privatisation should not be forced. Competitive markets should resolve the privatisation issue democratically by consumer vote.

Emeritus Professor Rodger Wettenhall who is considered a world authority on state enterprise and one of the examiners, had commented on Nihalsingha study as making "a significant original contribution to the knowledge within the field of study".

Nihalsingha has been for the past 7 years the General Manager of Feature Film and Television Production of Astro, the direct to home satellite television and radio broadcaster which operates the world's largest fully digital television broadcast and production facility out of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Before his departure for Malaysia, he was Sri Lanka's most versatile television and filmmaker with a record of activity as cameraman, editor, producer and administrator in both film and television.

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La Boheme at Oberoi

It is debatable whether Puccini's opera 'La Boheme' is the most beloved opera of all time-there's always 'Butterfly' to contend with...

The Opera and Concert Productions worldwide in its advance publicity through the Lanka Oberoi, uses the word arguably to preface the above description of the opera.

The Lanka Oberoi will present a production by Opera and Concert Productions of the opera on October 23 in The Golden Ballroom. Describing the opera as Giacomo Puccini's 'glorious and poignant love story,' the publicity goes on to detail the opera's storyline. In four Acts, it tells of the relationships between Rodolfo, a writer and poet, Marcello, a painter, Mimi, a sickly flower-seller and Musetta, an 'old friend' of the painter who has a penchant for rich lovers.

That is basically the scenario around which Puccini wrote his musical score which includes some of opera's most famous arias such as 'Che Gelida Manina'-'Your Tiny Hand is Frozen,'(it is Christmas Eve) when Rodolfo and Mimi are crawling around on the floor of the cold garret looking for the key which Mimi has dropped. She had come to the garret to ask for a light for her candle.

Mimi lives below the garret. Mimi dies in the spring, and there ends the opera.

The singers who will perform the opera at the Lanka Oberoi are Barbara Segal Stefan, soprano and Head of Overseas Operations of Opera and Concerts Worldwide who has performed here several times before, Rebecca Bode, soprano, Robert Millner, tenor, Ewan Taylor, baritone, Jon Bode, baritone and Stefan Paul Sanchez,baritone and Managing Director of the company.

Opera and Concert Productions Worldwide are now celebrating their 16th year of performing throughout Asia, the Far East and the Middle East. It has toured more than 27 countries and is the premier touring company in their field. OCPW amalgamated with the European Chamber Opera, England's foremost midscale opera company as it is described in the advance publicity, and performs regularly throughout the UK in theatres and in stately homes where such performances are exclusive and fashionable.

On October 24, a production called 'Hurray for Hollywood, presumably in the light music genre, will be presented by OPCW also at the Lanka Oberoi's Golden Ballroom. -K.R.R

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