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Tarzan joins Parliament!

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

THE weirdest of news comes our way. We visit the scene to catch sight of a cock, two goats, a pony, a hog, a turkey, a cow and an elephant getting ready to get into action as soon as the cameras start rolling.

Soon a very familiar figure catch our eye. Clad in a leopard skin, he starts at the sight of us before jumping at the nearest tree and making off from branch to branch, much like an ape, howling along the way. Get this, we hear that he is on his way to Parliament!

Ok, before you start wondering (and getting some nasty ideas) here is the scoop. We are on the sets of Wedaberi Tarzan Methisabayata, the second part of the highly successful comedy film, Wedaberi Tarzan.

Wedaberi Tarzan Methisabayata continues along the lines where the first part left off. Devaka and his friends leave for Colombo while the beautiful Maheshi, who had fallen madly in love with Tarzan, stays behind in the jungle. The movie opens with Devaka deciding on a means to bring Maheshi back to the village.

Being a town bred girl, Maheshi soon tires of the jungle and tries to persuade Tarzan to come to Colombo.

This proves to be an impossible task as Tarzan does not take to the idea of deserting his animal friends.

The result? A devious plan, of course.
 

Picture this. Tarzan, here in Colombo. Colombo, the city buzzing with activity. The place with all its hustle and bustle, the happening place and with all its modern trends. That is enough to strike even this jungle-man dumb.

Naturally, our man cannot remain as he is in the middle of the city. With the ever-supportive Maheshi’s help he undergoes a transformation - and what a transformation it turns out to be. Well, I am not letting in much but let me tell you this. He is heading where some of us just might want to be (no, not the ‘Superstar’ stage - the Parliament).

It was the success of Wedaberi Tarzan which prompted renowned film producer, Sunil T. Fernando to produce a second movie to follow the first.

Wedaberi Tarzanwhich was screened earlier this year turned out to be a massive crowd puller and completed 100 days of screening.
 

Shooting for the second of the sequel began in a number of locations around the island from the beginning of this month.

The movie will be directed by Sunil Soma Peries and Sudesh Wasantha Peries. Sunil has around 50 successful films to his name such as Obata Divura Kiyannam, Obatai Priye Aaderai, Raja Wedakarayo, Mamai Raja etc.
 

The producer, Sunil T. Fernando holds the title of being the producer who had produced the most number of films.

He approached the field with Maddhuma Bandara and soon gifted the industry with a collection of films such as Chandi Petav, Puthuni Mata Wasana, Sakvithi Raja, Chani Rajina etc. He is also the owner of several film theatres.

Pictures by Sudath Malaweera

Credits

Directors: Sunil Soma Peries and Sudesh Wasantha Peries

Producer: Sunil T. Fernando

Cast: Tennyson Cooray, Pumi Purasinghe, Dhanushka Iroshani, Susila Kottage, Chathura Perera, Jeewan Handunetthi, Sanju Samarasinghe, D.B. Gangodathanna, Janesh De Silva

Assistant Director: Kumarasiri De Silva

Cameramen: Lalith M. Thomas and Dammika Rajapaksa

Music: Keshan Sudantha Perera

Editor: Praveen Jayaratne

Make up: Sarath Ranaweera

Choreography: Thushani Weerakkody

Fight Director: Wasatha Kumarawila

Art Director: Sarath Samarawikkarama

Script: Sunil Soma Peries

Lyrics: Chandradas Fernando, K.D. Nicholas, Sunil Daharmasiri and Professor Ajantha Ranasinghe

Production Executive: Nimal Kaldera

Vocals: Sunil Perera, Sudesh Wasantha Peries, Shanika Wanigasekara, Keshan Sudantah Perera, Uresha Ravihari, Sahan De Silva and Jeewan Handunetthi

Distributed by: Sunil T. Films

Chinese help for better Lankan movies

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

A Sri Lankan Film Festival was held in China recently. Asoka Serasinghe, chairman of the National Film Corporation, Jayantha Chandrasiri, renowned tele drama and film director, Jackson Anthony, veteran actor and director, Professor Sunil Ariyaratne and Somaratna Dissanayake, veteran film directors, Sangeetha Weeraratne, lead actress, Ravindra Guruge, renowned editor of films, Dammika Siriwardana, famous film producer and Sarath Dharmasiri famous script writer took part in this event.
 

The group was given the opportunity to tour the country and learn many aspects of the latest techniques in the cinema field. The tour opened doors to a number of opportunities for the enhancement of Sri Lankan cinema. The Sri Lankan group visited several studios and laboratories in China and held discussions with the authorities.
 

One of the topics on focus concluded with an agreement between the two countries to get together and produce mega movies.

“Our viewers are our deciding factor on how much we aim to spend on a film,” explained Jackson Anthony who had spent the largest amount of money ever spent on a film for his latest cinematic venture, Aba.

“We introduced two ideas for the plot of films: the journey of Fahien Thera to Sri Lanka and the tale of Chen Her, the heroic Chinese warrior who visited the country during the 15th century. Chen Her is known as the Chinese Columbus in China.”

The two sides had also come to a decision to arrange opportunities to screen Sri Lankan films in China and Chinese films in Sri Lanka.