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Ravanesan, a Tamil play by Prof. S. Mounaguru will go on the boards at the Lionel Wendt Theatre next month, marking its first appearance in Colombo as a complete drama.

"Several parts of the drama have been staged in Colombo for certain festivals but not as the whole drama. This will be the first time the whole drama is staged in Colombo," added well-known dramatist Dharmasiri Bandaranayake who has taken the task of organising this event.

The story of Ravanesan revolves round Ravanan's struggle in keeping up with his stature of heroism in the face of crisis.

The drama is presented by the Trikon Arts Centre, artistes for peace. Ravanesan portrays the sufferings and struggles of good-hearted people who are trapped into the war machine.

The abduction of Seethai, followed by the message from Raman and the manner in which it was conveyed to Ravanan by the messenger Anggathan, posed a challenge to the heroic qualities of Ravanan. This crisis leads to the tragedy of Ravanan. It is the tragedy of the people around him. Ravanesan is a re-creation by Prof. S. Mounaguru with the participation of the staff and students of the Department of Fine Arts, Eastern University of Sri Lanka, Batticaloa.

In the 1960s, the late Prof. S. Vithiananthan inspired by the creative work of the late Prof. E.R. Sarachchandra in the Sinhala theatre took Vadamody and Thenmody kooththu styles of Batticaloa for his Kooththu revival and modified it to fit into the picture frame stage for modern audience, Dharmasiri noted.

Kooththu is the traditional theatre of the Tamil community of Sri Lanka. There are many styles in Kooththu and it is a narrative theatre. Kooththu is performed all through the night in the vadda kalari, (round stage) in the villages. The performers dance and sing around the Annaviyar and the Sabaiyor who are in the centre of the Vadda Kalari Playing maththalam and sallari and supporting the performers with pinpattu (background singing), The audience sits around the Vadda Kallari.

According to Dharmasiri, the late Prof. S. Viththiananthan modified the traditional Kooththu, and in the process of modification he re-shaped kooththu into a picture frame stage with Annaviyar and Sabaiyor positioned in front of the picture frame stage of the auditorium. He used modern lighting and introduced traditional instruments such as savanikkai, udukku and sanggu with maththalam and sallari and made changes in costumes, make-up and music. Students of Peradeniya University took part in this modification process of the late Prof. S. Viththiananthan in the 1960s and Prof. S. Mounaguru who was at that time an undergraduate of the same University, not only played the major role in it but also composed the script with the guidance of the late Prof. S. Viththiananthan and Prof. K. Sivathamby.

Prof. S. Mounaguru's Ravanesan is totally an innovation in every aspect of the theatre, Dharmasiri added.

Here is a brief note by well-known dramatist Dharmasiri Bandaranayake about this drama. On 28.7.2003 morning, in the Batticaloa International Drama Conference, we were given an opportunity to view a section from the Kooththu play, Ravanesan, produced by Prof. S. Maunaguru. This was a memorable occasion for us, providing valuable knowledge and indicating areas for research in developing Sinhala drama.

Not knowing Tamil, I was unable to understand the text of the play. But it did not prevent me from realising that this Tamil play written by Prof. S. Maunaguru is an excellent artistic creation.

Its acting, stage props, costumes and music are excellent. The original use of screens used without a break throughout the play should be regarded as a very creative development in modern stage craft.

The originality of the portrayal of the moment before Ravana's death too was movingly done. This was really an epic piece of acting.

For us It is clear that some aspects of acting, like personalities of Ravana (S. Jayasankar), Indrajith (K. Thavarajah), Luxmana (Ravichandran), Ravana's wife Mandodari (Parameshvari), Kumbakarna (Sivarethinam), Raman (Dayabaran), Narrators (Balasugumar and Sugandhi) and the grandeur that was developed within the folk tradition has been preserved during the twenty year period of war.

I should also put in record, some of the thoughts that came to my mind when I was viewing the play. The play 'Ravanesan' made me go back to the researches that Prof. Ediriweera Sarachchandra did in producing Sinhala dramas 'Maname' and 'Sinhabahu' Prof. S. Maunaguru's 'Ravanesan' has succeeded in drawing our attention to the importance of Prof. Sarachchandra's work with the Tamil folk drama.

After seeing this play in Batticaloa, Jaffna and Vavuniya, I have decided to produce a Sinhala translation of it. My idea is to produce it according to Tamil dramatic traditions. Such a production of 'Ravanesan' will also enrich the cultural interactions capable of defeating shallow racist tendencies.

We are always eager to unite with all communities in building a living Sri Lankan dramatic tradition.

" Ananda Rathriya, " a super concert presented by popular singer and musician Gratien Ananda to celebrate his 25th year in the local music scene will be held at the BMICH at 7.00 pm on October 28.

Gratien Ananda achieved instant popularity with his maiden song " Etha Duraka Desa Pawela" in 1978. This song which became an instant hit enabled Ananda to become one of the most sought-after playback singers in the local silver screen.

So far, he has sung for over 500 films and most of his renditions have succeeded in captivating fans across different generations. Having explored new avenues, he also composed music for many popular songs by leading artistes, making him a versatile artiste . His songs have captivated today's young generation .

The show will include attractive musical dance settings and film music sequences. A large gathering of artistes and other distinguished artistes are expected at the show.

The annual Japanese Film Festival, in Colombo is now on at the Elphinstone Theatre, Colombo. The festival which commenced on October 23 will continue till October 26.

This year's festival features seven Japanese films, all of which will be screened with English sub-titles. The program on October 25 and 26 is as follows;

The film festival will also be held at the D.S. Senanayake Public Library Auditorium, Kandy on 19th and 30th October 2003, in collaboration with the D.S. Senanayake Public Library and will feature four films.

"Adrenaline Drive" is an action packed movie about a meek and indecisive car rental clerk and a young nurse who are brought together as a result of a traffic accident and an explosion with a trunk full of blood money belonging to a vicious underworld gang which pursue them to recover their lost booty and the timid couples's valiant efforts to dodge the revengeful criminals.

"A Class to Remember" highlights specific social and educational problems currently faced by Japan. It is less social realism than bittersweet wish for a reality that has long since disappeared.

"Nodo-Jiman" tells a story surrounding the famous amateur singing contest broadcast over NHK Japan for over 55 years and is the world's longest running programme. The film depicts how these local amateurs fought an emotional battle to enter the contest amidst a comedy of events.

"Beijing Watermelon" is based on a true story surrounding a family which runs a popular greengrocery. Their lives undergo a dramatic change with the arrival of poor Chinese students attending a college close by. Their commitment to help the poor students at the cost of their own business leads them into further misfortune, but not for long.

"Ah, Spring" revolves round a middle class executive whose complacent life with his family is disturbed by the sudden arrival of a shabbily dressed man who claims to be his father. The drama unfolds from exasperation to affection and ends when they are left with only rich memories that will live with them forever.

Admission to these films will be on first-come-first-served basis and will be free of charge.

2 Fast 2 Furious, the highly anticipated follow up to the sensational film Fast and Furious will be screened at the Majestic from October 24.

Intoxicating and habit-forming, it leaves burnt-out drivers in its wake, haunted men and women trapped in a life lived in slow motion.... hurting for more and clamouring for the next ride. It is easy to get. And it's as close as the nearest set of high-performance wheels.... Brian O'Connor (Paul Walker) now a disgraced cop, falls victim to it... and is now paying the price.

As far as his bosses and FBI brass are concerned, the hothead undercover officer throws one of their largest investigation ever.

His loyalties are tested while infiltrating the fly-by-night, high-speed world of Los Angles import street racing. O'Connor blows his cover and lets the ring leader of a big rig hijacking operation walk-more precisely. His decision allows him to keep his honour, but lost him his badge and any chance of redemption in the process. Now it's a different city, a different time and one last chance for O'Connor.