Rupavahini after âBlack Julyâ
THEATRE: We found ourselves in a very difficult position. We could
not take our vehicles out because of the general âhostilityâ towards
Rupavahini for NOT winning the war for the public. The public chose to
forget that there was censorship even on the news.
At that time we had only two channels - Rupavahini and I.T.N. As far
as censorship was concerned both channels were in the same boat. I
believe after a little while viewers simply âignoredâ the news. But they
eagerly awaited the teledramas and the films we aired late in the
evening.
Yashorawaya: Iranganie Serasinghe and G.W. Surendra in a scene. |
We could not make new material because we could not go out. So while
studio productions were being made, we repeated some of our earlier
productions. Most viewers tolerated them with grace but a few called us
by phone and scolded us properly. I remember one incident.
We had nothing to show that evening. Somebody - I canât remember who
- brought a VHS cassette of the film âCassandra Crossingâ. My
Presentation Officer, Chandrani Liyanaaratchy asked me what she should
do with it.
I was desperate and I asked her to air it. If any objections were
raised about Royalty etc. we could face it later. In any case ours was
such a small network, I did not expect any trouble maker to notice that
we had aired the film. Fortunately nothing happened.
At this juncture we formed what was called a Procurement Committee
and invited Agents who had rights for certain films etc. to offer us
deals. Several of them called from Singapore, India and even locally. We
were also able to establish direct links with some of the Production
companies and Distributors. So things were looking up once again.
Communal disturbances
The communal disturbances inspired some of us at Rupavahini too, to
contribute peace messages through our Drama and Documentaries. I
remember one such tele play that I scripted myself and was most
painstakingly and diligently directed by Dhamma Jagoda himself.
The play was called âSandaka Kathawakâ where we showed that all
Sinhala people were not brutes and that some of them went out of their
way, risking their lives, to save some of their Tamil neighbours and
friends from the mobs. They gave them protection in their own homes and
visited them in Relief Camps. The play was repeated several times by
popular request.
I remember coming in for a lot of flak for another tele serial I
scripted with Peace and Harmony as the subject. It was called âAtta
Bindeiâ and was directed by Bandula Vithanage.
It had a very good cast including Veena Jayakody, Nihal Fernando,
Kamalini Selvarajah, Sellayoor Selvarajah, Santin Gunawardhana, Kelum
Wijesuriya and host of my actors and actresses from the stage. It was
also the very first tele appearance of young Yasodha Wimaladharma.
Unfortunately for me by that time the war had âhotted upâ and people
were in the mood for aggression. Several people, including very learned
men, called me to scolded me right royally for launching such âsoftâ
material! But the irony of it is that the serial was repeated several
times - even recently, whenever the Govt. was in a âPEACE MOODâ.
Things were getting back to âalmost normalâ and we could take our
vehicles out once again. Our producers such as Dhamma Jagoda, Lucien
Bulatsinhala, Parakrama Niriella, Bandula Vithanage, Thilak Gunawardena,
Wimalaratne Adikari and Dayaratne Ratagedera were almost vying with each
other to go out and shoot good teledramas.
Even Srimathi Liyanage from the Childrenâs Unit, stepped out of the
usual studio productions and brought out a very interesting serial Hath
Pana - based on the story by Munidasa Kumranatunga.
Lahiru Dahasak
About this time Parakrama Niriella took a crew out and brought in a
fine teledrama serial by the name of âLahiru Dahasakâ which became
immensely popular. It featured Daya Alwis as the famous Baas Unnehe and
Ratna Sumanapala in the female lead. Parakrama did wonders with just a
small idea I had given him too. I needed a good one hour tele play for
Vesak, 1984 or 85. I gave him a bare idea.
A man goes to prison for something he had NOT done and comes out
after ten years, but by then he cannot get back to his family. Find out
why, I told him. With just that hint he built a fine script titled
âSasara Sayurenâ and brought out a superb tele play of about one hour.
The viewers had something very memorable on the Rupavahini screen
that Vesak.
It was repeated several times - even very recently. It won several
awards too at the Tele Competition and Festival conducted by Vijaya
newspapers at that time. I remember Cyril Wickramage walking away with
the Best Actorâs award for his excellent performance in âSasara
Sayurenâ.
It was an era of some very fine tele dramas. âYashoravayaâ scripted
by Somaweera Senanayake and directed by Parakrama Niriella became a huge
success.
I think it was Yashoravaya which made the names of some of the finest
actors and actresses we have today - men like Lucky Dias, G.W. Surendra,
Gnananga Gunawardena, Gamini Hettiaratchy etc and women like Iranganie
Serasinghe, Geetakanthi Jayakody, and Ratna Lalani etc. Even the late
Richard Zoysa played a role in Yashorawaya.
G.W. Surendra also passed away a few years ago. Palingu Menike once
again scripted by Somaweera Senanayake and Directed by Dhamma Jagoda was
also a great success. To my mind it is the finest teledrama that has
been done by Rupavahini up to date.
Palingu Menike brought out new faces such as Sriyantha Mendis and
Jackson Anthony and made them stars overnight! It also gave fine
opportunities for serious acting for Menike Attanayake and Rohana
Beddage. Menike, especially, was a delight to watch in that play.
Great success
The other great success of the era was Tara Devi by Lucien
Bulathsinhla which starred Anoja Weerasinghe in the lead female role.
Tara Devi won 9 out of 11 awards at the Tele Competition and Festival of
that year. The Eighties were the golden era of Teledrama in our country.
About the end of 1983, my Chairman, M.J. Perera personally arranged
with NHK of Japan, for a study tour for me. There were members from
several Broadcasting organisations to participate in the initial three
weeks Training Course. In all there were 13 of us - of various
nationalities.
It was a course mainly on TV administration, Evaluation and
assessment. We had to sit for a sort of examination at the end of it and
certificates were awarded. I still have that certificate from NHK -
neatly and beautifully bound - as the Japanese always do.
Proud feature
After the three weeks training course some of us who had longer
periods of training were sent out to sub stations of the NHK for
familiarization. I remember being sent to a place called Hokkaido [if I
remember right] which was a very rugged country. A man from NHK
accompanied me.
After dinner while we were just chatting before going to sleep I
asked my companion about special features in Hokkaido. Very languidly he
said that the area was prone to constant earth quakes. âWhen does it
happen?â I asked him. âOne never knows. It can happen even tonight,â
said the man quite complacently. I shuddered. That night I repeated the
âIthipisoâ gatha several times before going to bed!
I came back to Tokyo and was taken around to various Training
Institutes etc which NHK ran. It was all very interesting and exciting.
I spent some time at the NHK Head Office too familiarising myself with
the intricate workings of NHK. The men and women at NHK were very proud
of their institution.
That was the only non-profit making TV institution in Japan.
Incidentally this sense of being proud and belonging to the institute,
company or factory one works for is a very proud feature of the average
white collar or blue collar worker in Japan.
Some of the evenings my friends [whom I had befriended] in NHK would
take me to a nearby pub and treat me for drinks. Almost everything in
Japan is ritualistic. We sit at low tables and low chairs. [Thank God it
was not the floor!] The ordering of a round of drinks is very ritual
like. They always started with beer.
They went for sterner stuff only as the evening progressed. They
always ordered little Japanese delicacies [sometimes even raw fish] to
go with the drinks. It was delightful company.
My hotel [I forget the name now] was quite close by to NHK. But I was
never sent back alone. Always one of the men accompanied me to the
hotel.
There, in the foyer he bid me good night and took my leave by bending
from the waist several times very gracefully.
One morning a very funny thing happened in the office. I was being
taken round and was being shown various departments of the organization.
In one room there was a lone girl doing some work with her computer. I
was introduced to her as some data collection officer.
I shook hands with her while she was still seated in her chair and
suddenly I noticed she had no legs below the knees. I thought she was a
girl who had lost her legs and that is why she had been put into a room
all by herself. When we came out I asked my companion about it and he
started laughing.
He took me back to the room and told the girl something in Japanese.
She laughed very coyly and quietly straightened herself from the chair.
She had been sitting on her legs under the skirt to avoid the cold! I
was told that most Japanese girls do so during the winter. I was a very
red faced man that morning!
Thought of the week
Rupavahini aired Dr. Lester James Peiriesâ Gamperaliya last Sunday
morning [5] I donât watch much television. It was a young friend of mine
who called me and informed me that Gamperaliya was being shown on
Rupavahini. Naturally I watched it although I had already missed the
opening sequences and even the famous âlessonâ scene. It was a delight
to watch the film after so many years - except for the irritation of
commercials in between.
We were all looking so young and bright eyed - Punya Heendeniya,
Trilicia Gunawardhana, Gamini Fonseka, [even Shanthi Lekha] Anula
Karunatilleke, Tony Ranasinghe, Wickrama Bogoda - not to mention yours
truly. Even Manel was there in a couple of scenes - especially in the
Sinhala New Year âPancheâ scene.
She looked coy and now on reflection, a little bit jealous!
It took my memory so many years back. I could hardly control my tears
when I realized that some of them such as Trilicia and Manel and Gamini
are no longer with us, not to mention giants of the times such as David
Dharmakeerthi. Few will know that it was I who dubbed for David in
Kaisaruwatteâs death bed scene. Even fewer will know that Mrs. Martin
Wickramasinghe herself acted in one of our âverandahâ scenes!
Thank God for men like Lester, Anton Wickramasinghe, Regi Siriwardane
and Willie Blake, and Tissa Abeysekera for making a poem of a film such
as Gamperaliya.,
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