PROJECTOR

Arthur U. Amarasana’s works felicitation today:

Unearthing Lanka’s cinema roots

Sachitra MAHENDRA

The journalist, the scriptwriter, the director. If all these can be bundled in the local celluloid meadow, Arthur U. Amarasena, better known as Arthur Usmiyage among his fans, will be somebody to talk about.

Amarasena is going to entertain you at Jayawardena Centre, Town Hall today at 4pm with his two works: ‘Sinhale Maha Cinema Vansaya’ and ‘60 Vasaraka Cinema Prakashana’, along with the felicitation of 35 cinema writers.

With arrangements under way for today’s event, Amarasena had a brief chat with Daily News Projector.

‘Sinhale Maha

Cinema Vansaya’

As the title suggests, the work covers the Cinema period starting from Kadavunu Poronduwa (The Broken Promise) in 1947 to Rekhava in 1956.

“This is the first volume of a series. The next volume will probably come in print towards the end of next year.”

However Amarasena has an issue with the records that place ‘Kadavunu Poronduwa’ first in the Sinhala film lineage.

“We all know that ‘Kadavunu Poronduwa’ is not the first film, though officially it can be.” Then he related the story of the first unofficial film shot in Sri Lanka.

An Indian cinematographer Noorbai produced the first ever film with the local settings, and titled it ‘Rajakiya Vikramaya’ (The Royal Adventure) in 1923. The trivia has it that Dr. N M Perera, more known as a politician, starred the main role in the film.

Rukmani Devi and B W Jayamanne in Kadavunu Poronduva

“But Noorbai took it away to India, as he didn’t have enough local facilities. Ironically he could not keep it safe, because the reels got burnt. Noorbai didn’t come back to Sri Lanka, and no film was made until ‘Kadavunu Poronduwa’ in 1947.”

India enjoyed the monopoly of cinema technology, and did not dare give it to Sri Lanka. But the events took a dramatic change, when the well-known trio: B W Jayamanna, Sirisena Wimalaweera and Shantha Senewirathna stole the covetous art; they learnt the technology in secret.

The project, however, was not that easy. There were many obstacles. Not a single woman was allowed to step into the celluloid world. The directors faced a dearth of good scripts. Things started moving towards a different plane, when Dr. Lester James Peries stepped into the foray with Rekhava, the 57th film (Noorbai’s production excluded) in 1956.

Amarasena’s challenge in cinema research was confronting factual errors such as multiple dates of release for a single film, confused information about cast and crew etc. But he was determined to surf almost all the cinema archives.

60 Vasaraka Cinema prakashana.

“I had to refer several archives when there were suspicious information.”

“The first ever Cinema publication is a forthnight magazine titled ‘Cinema’ in 1950 edited by one Robert Jayawardena. Then came a magazine called ‘Kala’ (art). That was also a fortnightly issue.”

Arthur recollects his days at Visitura, the first cinema weekly.

“We started it in 1962 and I was the first editor. Lake House also started Sarasaviya a year later. Both Sarasaviya and Visitura had a good demand and were sold by lakhs.”

Apart from the information about publications over the past years, Arthur has also included the profiles of cinema writers up to 2005.

His previous books are Cinema Vansaya, Ethera Visithuru’ and ‘Van Hun’ a directory of cine-writers.

35 Celluloid writers felicitated

“So far only casts and crews have been awarded. But these writers spearheaded a cinema literature. If not for them, nobody will be able to gather information about cine-stars and other things.”

Arthur explains further about his mission.

“Our local cinema stars have no gratitude towards media people. They don’t know they are in a high popular position because of media people. They just say hello or something like that when they meet media people.”

The shoe is on the other foot in India. The Indian performers have agencies to spread news and thereby make them hugely popular.

“For example an actress spreads a false rumour through her agency, and later she comes to media and denies it. That’s how they handle that. Our local cinema stars haven’t got anything like that. They still have to bank on media people to get popularity.”

Does Arthur follow a criterion in felicitating the writers?

“I have categorised the awardees into three. The first group used to contribute and the second is still contributing.

“The third generation is most important; they are budding writers who have started contributing in a positive note.”

“These people should be encouraged. They have pioneered a cinema literature today.

But one thing should be clear. These awardees are not the only writers who have done a service. There are some other writers too. They will also be felicitated when my next volume is published.”

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Magodi Godai:

It’s all about corruption

The country is full of corruption and malpractices. The Government watchdog materialises the formation of Central Intelligence Unit (CIU) headed by Eardley Wedamuni assisted by Gamini Susiriwardena and Vijaya Nandasiri.

Their first mission achieves first-class when the business tycoon Ronnie Leech is rescued from being robbed. The mounting fame leaves CIU’s hands full with assignments.

The CIU reaches the pinnacle when a powerful minister loses his child. But CIU cannot concentrate on the case – Eardley, Gamini and Vijaya have a hard time with many other criminal investigations.

Anarkali Akarsha robbing boys, Amila and Malith often getting caught trying to win sweethearts – and many other cases don’t let the CIU trio focus on the main project.

However, as director said, something you can’t expect will happen towards the end of the movie. Lal Priyadeva’s latest cinematic work talks about the corruptions and malpractices the country suffers. The movie is being shot these days in Halawatha and is to release in few days time.

“80% of the work is over. The movie duration should be about two hours. We have no hope of extending it more than that. Then it would bore the spectator.”

Magodi Godai producer Janith Marasinghe has found easy to work with the crew and the cast.

“It’s easy to work with veterans like Sanath Gunathilaka and Vijaya Nandasiri. They are so supportive in the producing task. The crew is also very supportive.”

Marasinghe has experience of producing some of Udayakantha Warnasooriya’s movies.

“I thought of producing a comedy. I could get some changes done in the script, and I am so happy to produce this kind of a movie.”

A number of media people also star their living roles in the movie.

- SM

Pictures by Malan Karunarathne

Malayalam Cine-Stars glitter on Thamil Screen

K.S. Sivakumaran

Nayana Tara

Meera Jasmine

Artistes (directors, music directors, actors (includes women), cinematographers, technicians, novelists et al) from different states and languages in India have contributed to the Thamil Cinema since the 1940s.

Similarly from Thamilnadu players like Vyjayanthimala, Padmini, Rekha, Hema Malini and music directors like Ilayarajah and A.R.Rahman have contributed to the Mumbai Cinema.

During the past decade a lot of female artistes from Bollywood had had a sway in Thamil films.

But since of late the talented actresses from the Kerala state in the South of India have literarily invaded into Chennai and shine well because of their innate talents, education, literacy and capability to handle contemporary themes and adaptability to Thamil language (because Malayalam is akin to Thamil).

I usually avoid writing about Thamil films produced in Chennai and Colombo because there are numerous people in Lanka writing about them in Thamilandu one or two in English.

Secondly I don’t have the patience and time to digest and analyse these films because almost day after day I see them as a member of the Public performances board. But I do write about International films I had seen at the International Film Festivals held annually in various parts in India.

Some of the beautiful women from Kerala look almost alike and I sometimes find it difficult to identify their names. I chanced upon an article in Thamil (might have been reproduced from the Internet) in the Sunday edition of the Virakesari (Feb 24, 2008) which has pictures of these actors with their names. Who are these players (they are not mere Stars, but also talented actors)? Some of them are: Meera Jasmine, Asin, Navya Naayar, Priyamani, Gopika, Santhiya, Bhavana, Nayana Tara, Renuka Menon, and Priyanga. Earlier there were Lalitha, Padmini, Raahini, Revathi and some others from Kerala. In Kerala there is a vibrant Film Society Movement. The State sponsored International Film Festivals open new vistas for the cine people and cineastes. The actors both men and women are trained players.