Reviving Thushara
Ruwini JAYAWARDANA
History is about to repeat itself. Malani Fonseka and Vijaya
Kumaratunga dazzled the wide screen with Yasapalitha Nanayakkara’s
yesteryear movie Thushara in 1973.
Producer and director, Sahan Wijesinghe |
Now a new couple, Saliya Sathyajith and Shalika Edirisinghe, is set
to recapture the magic of the old hit with Sahan Wijesinghe’s new
version of the movie. The Daily News met Wijesinghe to inquire about his
attempt to revive the memories of the past to the present audience.
* Why did you decide to start your
directorial debut with a remake?
Though we are advanced in technology I have always felt that the
present movies lack the beauty of past hits. Movies made in the 1960s
and 70s made use of the cream of the industry, from the stars in the
lead roles to the music and plot.
I have watched Nanayakkara’s Thushara 26 times and I had the hope of
doing a remake. However I did not plan on directing the movie. My aim
had been to produce and act in the remake.
It is after more than three decades that the film is coming back to
the audience. I believe that I have made the best choices in doing
justice to the original version. Some people including NFC chairman,
Jayantha Darmadasa, said that I have made a good job of it. It is up to
the audience to decide whether my attempt if fruitful.
* Besides directing and producing the
film, you portray a role as well.
Saliya and Shalika |
Yes, I have taken on the role of the villain originally acted by
Baptist Fernando. If the remake was done 10 or 15 years ago I would have
taken on the lead role.
* Why did you decide on Saliya and
Shalika for the lead?
I searched for actors to suit the characters for over a year and
finally came upon Saliya. Saliya possessed the charisma I was searching
for and I believe Shanika is quite suited to the role.
It is sad to say that most of the actors of today do not possess the
power to attract the masses. I wish to invite the audience to see the
film and decide for themselves whether they find the couple and the film
captivating.
Around 50 per cent of the success of a film lies in its cast. The new
faces in the movie cannot be compared with the old ones. However I have
learnt to recognise a successful creation through experience. One of the
reasons for the failure of films is they feature actors who are seen
often in television.
Countries like India have a separate group of actors for television
and a separate group for cinema. Filmmakers need to understand that
people do not wish to see the faces that they see often on television on
the wide screen.
Rex, Pumi and Buddhika |
* Thushara the original version
portrays society in the 1970s. Did you make changes in the script to
suit the contemporary society?
I altered the ending of the film. In the old hit the police take the
villain away but in my version the villain turns up at the wedding. I
did not plan on making this change but it just struck me on the morning
that the last scene was set for shooting that such a change is
appropriate. I have also set the film in the modern backdrop.
Though the film goes along with the old version there is a
difference. It would not work to use the same types of frames as the
original for the new version. That is one of the reasons why Hathara
Dennama Soorayo went wrong.
I love this industry a lot and have watched around 900 films from out
of about 1300 films that have joined our 61-year-old Sinhala cinema
history. If someone is planning to do a remake it is fine as long as
justice is done to the original film.
The remakes of Sujatha and Kada Una Poronduwa are quality
productions. I am satisfied because I believe that I have done my utmost
to do justice to the original
Pumi and Saliya |
version of Thushara.
* Some complain that there is lack of
good scripts today. What if filmmakers see remakes as the answer to this
problem?
There is a global interest towards making remakes. Some were failures
but some were successful, India remade ‘Don’ and it was an instant hit.
Similarly the remake of the Tamil movie Billa was also a success.
The remakes of Sujatha and Hathara Dennama Soorayo drew in crowds
because those who had enjoyed the old film wished to see the new
version.
* Are you using the original songs
for the movie?
The eight songs in the film are the originals sung by Jothipala but I
have dubbed music into the old tracks.
This is because the quality of the original music was not good. Some
advised me to use a ‘superstar’ vocalist to sing the songs but after
considering all the facts I concluded in the end that Jothipala is still
the superstar of the Sri Lankan music scene. No one had been able to
reach his standard.
* When do you hope to screen the
film?
Shalika and Robin |
We started shooting in December 2007. There are a few scenes yet to
be shot for a song. I hope to release the film at the end of October or
early September.
* Are you planning on doing another film after Thushara?
I wish to do a few more remakes before beginning on a film with a new
screenplay. There is much that I have to take from the old films and I
hope to go for a new creation by learning from these old films.
Pumi Purasinghe, Sahan Wijesinghe, Buddhika Rambukwella, Robin
Fernando, Rex Koddipilli, Chathura Perera, Chitra Wakishta, Anju Bandara,
Chathura Perera, Nimali Kapuge, Lasantha de Alwis, Remenzi Fernando,
Chanchala Warnasuriya, Kumara Ranepura, Sarath de Silva, Rizwan Fa and
others are included in the cast. Sonia Dissanayake who played a
significant role in the original movie had taken on the role of Saliya’s
mother.
The music is by Sarath de Alwis, make up by J. Suranimala and
choreography by Lalith Pushpakumara. K. D. Dayananda is the cameraman
while Lasantha de Alwis is the assistant director and art director.
Gayana Sudarshani is the executive producer and Lalith Gunatileke is the
production manager. |