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All eyes are glued to her when she strolls up the path. She squeaks with delight as she catches sight of us and her elegant walk quickens in pace. There are hugs, kisses and greetings all around. Her delight is evident for she feels quite at home in the natural Sri Lankan backdrop. That’s bubbly Sri Lankan born Indian actress Pooja Umashankar for you. Always ready with a charming smile and a mischievous twinkle in the eye she comes to us as the brand ambassador of SLT to express her views on the company’s highly sought after calendar for the year 2009. “Look I even dressed for the occasion,” she points to her blue and white outfit also adding that she had come with just the hint of make up to be in her ‘natural’ best for the interview. One look at the calendar and we were able to note the amazement and delight dawning on her face as she frantically scaned through the images with a lot of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ at every page. “One good thing about nature is that it matches anything. You don’t need to worry about colour coordination because nature basically sets with anything. For example you can name this calendar Aasai Mang Piyabanna or Suwanda Danuna Jeevithe, either one as it makes sense,” she teased, referring to her past hit with director Udayakantha Warnasuriya and her upcoming project with Dhammika Siriwardena. “Honestly, I was discussing about decorating my house with a friend when suddenly he mentioned nature. He said ‘be it society, be it an organisation, be it a company or institute, they all have a certain system, laws and practices or culture but if you boil all of them down to the basics, they have all drawn their plans from nature.’ That statement beautifully captures reality so much so that it got stuck in my thoughts. He also mentioned that nature never lies to you. Nature’s reactions always have a reason somewhere. It is like a mirror, projecting what is taking place out there,” she explained.
She expresses her pleasure over SLT’s effort to go green and nature friendly with their range of calendars. “It is even happening in India. Quite a number of companies are encouraging youths to go natural. Most of them prefer to become vegetarians and walk out without make up. People are turning towards Ayaruvedic or homoeopathic medicine. It is a very nice and positive change for the future,” she said. “A butterfly lives up to two weeks, meaning that it has got a very short lifespan. However during that period it manages to leave a lasting impression on the onlooker,” she added, dubbing SLT as the most hassle-free company she had ever worked with.
It is almost impossible for her to continue a conversation for long without mentioning her passion and career on the reel. Her face alights with excitement as she chats on about her latest Sinhala movie, Suwanda Danuna Jeevithe which had concluded shooting recently. “Jayantha ayya had done a splendid job in showing Sri Lankan landscapes in its natural glory. The locations are simply breathtaking! The audience is in for a treat because they will not be able to make out if the background is from their own country of Switzerland,” she exclaimed referring to assistant director of the movie, Donald Jayantha. Always a natural in front of the camera, Pooja had taken to acting like waves to the seashore. The screen sizzles with her appearance and one has to take only one peek to see how much the camera loves her. “It is a beautiful script and more like a family production. The character and I are similar in many ways. The director was so into the film that he was imitating the character and showing me how to do the scenes. It was funny as well as cute and made acting easy for Roshan and me. Sometimes I would act the scene in a really bizarre manner and ask uncle if that could be shot and included in the film. He would scold me lightly saying that I should remember that I portray the character of a Sri Lankan girl and not a hooligan,” she laughs. Pooja had set aside the most number of days for a movie in her career for Suwanda Danuna Jeevithe and Naan Kadavul, the newest movie by renowned Indian director Bala which portrays Pooja in the role of a blind beggar.
“The biggest achievement is that we concluded work for Suwanda Danuna Jeevithe within the time limit. We travelled around the country and in spite of nearly 50 percent of the cast and crew falling ill we managed to finish work right on the dot. It was a lovely experience and everyone bonded big time with the movie. I hope uncle continues to make many more movies. I have seen such beautiful faces on covers of magazines. It would be lovely to see them on screen for they ooze with fresh talent because with fresh faces you get fresh expressions. People react differently to each situation,” she said while putting in a word for Aba and Machan. “They had been discussing about Machan while I was on the sets of Sumitra Peries’ Yahaluwo. I heard that it is based on a true life experience and I was quite taken up with the tale. Imagine 23 people going to such measures to fool everyone and actually getting away with it in the end!” Pooja’s upcoming Tamil movie, Naan Kadavul, which took around three years to make, is slotted for release on January 14 and this movie had provided her with an entirely new experience for not only had she gotten to portray a once-in-a-lifetime character but she had also taken on her first dubbing experience (apart from the few scenes she dubbed for Yahaluwo).
“I don’t normally dub my own films so Balaji dubbed the movie with another artiste. However after playing the pilot track and the track that he had dubbed version to a few people they had all agreed that the pilot track sounded more natural. It was very tiresome because when you are acting you are in that mindset and do not realise that you have to go aback and dub for the scene. So you are not trying to make it easy for you when you are dubbing. When you take on dubbing you realise that you have cried so much that when you try to match that your head aches and your throat hurts. You sit in front of a mic and feel odd wondering how to give voice to certain scenes. In the sets you are surrounded with a circumstance of an event taking place but it was different at the dubbing station. I put glycerin in my eyes and started pulling my own hand to a scene which portrayed me dragging myself away. The sound engineer went almost crazy having me at the studio,” she added with a smile. She also stated that she believes that Bala is hoping to present the film for the National Awards. “The acting and dubbing had to be done by the same person otherwise you are disqualified.” Pooja had worked with real-life beggars, lepers and people from mental institute in the film in the movie and she says that they acted better than the professionals themselves because they were not really acting their parts. “They were more natural as were almost unaware of the camera’s presence. Balaji did an amazing job in getting them to take part on the sets. It was an enriching experience, more so for me more than them, because you realise how much God had given to you,” she said. **************** Butterfly magic
They vary in size, colours and patterns, making them a true sight of natural beauty to feast your eyes. SLT’s annual calendar, much like those in the past which included themes, each concerning unique and natural aspects connected with the island like endemic birds (2003), endemic orchids (2005), Kolam masks (2006), endemic fresh water fish (2007) and Gok art (2008), takes on an artistic and educative glimpse to one of the island’s natural heritages, 12 Sri Lankan endemic butterflies. The calendar which includes text and pictures provided by Dr. Van der Poorten serves the purpose of conservation awareness as most of these species are facing danger of becoming extinct. Sanda Diya Siththam comes on ITN
Greed is the root of destruction. True to its sense this is the highlighting factor of Rajeev Ananda’s Sanda Diya Siththam, the newest teledrama to take on the mini screen every Sunday at 9 p.m. on ITN. Popular artistes like Palitha Silva and Roshan Ravindra play key roles supported by Edward Gunawardena, Sulakkana Mihirapenna, Hyacinth Wijeratne, Priyankara Ratnayake, Ananda Wickramage, Chitra Warakagoda, Jayani Senanayake, G.R. Perera, Gihan Fernando, Ajith Lokuge, Kusum Perera, Ranjith de Silva and Warnathunga Senanayake who is also the assistant director of the teledrama which comprises 30 episodes. Ranjith de Silva is the art director, Sarath Sooriyakumara the cameraman and Saman Wickrama is the producer. The music is handled by Tharupathi Munasinghe. RJ
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A. M. Karunaratne’s historical book Videsheeya Akramana Ha Lankave Vimukthi Satan will be launched at the National Library Services and Documentation Board and veteran journalist Gamini Sumanasekara’s Sanda Madala: Hada Andi Gee Reka, Kala Satahan and Therani Katha will be launched at the Sri Lanka Foundation Institute on December 30 at 3.30 p.m.
The launching ceremony of Videsheeya Akramana Ha Lankave Vimukthi Satan will be presided over by Governor of Western Provincial Council Alhaj Alevi Maulana while Prof. Walter Marasinghe will deliver the key note address. Chaminda Welagedara will compere the event.
Ven. Bellanvila Wimalaratne will chair the launch of Sanda Madala: Hada Andi Gee Reka while Prof. Sunil Ariyaratne, Dr. Sarath Amunugama and Dr. Tissa Abeysekara will speak. Veteran vocalists Nanda Malini, Edward Jayakody, Victor Ratnayake, Sunil Edirisinghe, Niranjala Sarojini and Nirosha Virajini will sing. Nilar N. Cassim will compere the event.
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'Galle Art Show', an exhibition of paintings is being held at Fort Printers, Light House Street, Galle Fort and Pedler In Cafe, Pedler Street, Galle Fort, till January 5 from 9.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. Nine artists: Chammika Jayawardana, Sajeewani Hewawitharana, Darshani Devanarayana, Geeth Jayasooriya, Inage Dilshan, Champi Kulapathi, Sameera Kalupahana, Manori Jayasinghe and Sandya Nawaratne will exhibit their paintings at the event.
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Music, they say, holds the power to keep its favourites young at heart. It embodies the capacity to infuse new life in them. Nihal Samarasinghe alias Sam the Man is one such example. The internationally acclaimed saxophonist and vocalist who had made an indelible mark in taking Sri Lankan talent to the world is now performing at the Blue Water, Mt. Lavinia and Inter Continental hotels in the city.
"I try to make every performance an informal affair. I interact with the audience and find out their taste in music. Thereafter I give preference to their requests," he stated regarding the never dying popularity of his 'Sing-a-long with Sam' series.
He had begun his age old stint with music from the 1960s when he brought a saxophone and played for Leonard Franke's popular swing and dance band, the Manhattans, along with Jerry Craige who was considered one of the finest pianists of the period.
"Papa Menezies was my teacher. He taught me how to play the saxophone with just the right tone. Anyone can play the musical instrument but many people complain that the music is too loud. I play so softly that the people seated in the front row can speak to each other.
Many musicians have not realised the fact that you do not need to play loud music to grab attention. If you play soft music, it is more appreciated. Though some of them seemed to be involved in conversation, you can see that they are subconsciously involved with the tune because their feet are tapping to the rhythm," he explained.
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"Around 1963 Duke Ellington visited the country with a 42-member band. Those days we did not have a hall to accompany a four and two piece band. We had to build a stand on the race course. The band began performing and it was an amazing experience. They played a song called 'Caravan' in the middle of the event and all the boys left the bandstand leaving Sam Woodyard on the drums. After about half an hour of drumming the rest of the orchestra returned to conclude the song. They received thunderous applause. Ellington called this drum solo a 'Jam-with-Sam'. Chris Green who was working for an advertising firm tapped me on the shoulder and suggested that I call myself 'Sam the Man'."
After coming into the limelight Sam had performed internationally in several countries around the world: the USA, UK, New Zealand, Pakistan, India, Japan, Zambia, the Middle East and more. He was at the height of fame during the 1980s when he toured Zambia in 1985 and it is no wonder that demand for him was ascending each day for he belongs to the rare category of vocalists who are able to sing in many international languages: English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Spanish, Japanese and Korean. "I am pleased about this achievement because I have been able to show the world what Sri Lankan musicians are capable of. 'Sam the Man' started off with 12 members in his band but today only four accompany him in his concerts. "Those days a large group of people made up a band but now only a handful of people make up a band. This has been the trend internationally as well as locally probably due to financial reasons. Those days there was a vast demand for Sri Lankan bands to perform in various parts of the world but unfortunately the situation changed as time passed. The English pronunciation of our boys is not quite right. You cannot go to European countries and mispronounce their language," he said adding that he has a high esteem for Arjuna Ranatunga for putting Sri Lanka back on the map after winning the World Cup in 2006. "You need to have young members in a band because they play the latest songs at a modulated volume. I bring in the old music. Thus we are able to cater to all types of audience, young or old."
According to Sam the local audience is more Sinhala oriented. Though some of them recognise the tune of old hits like 'I Left My Heart in San Francisco', 'Brazil', 'Hello Dolly' and I'll Take You Home Again Kathlene', they do not know the lyrics to sing along. That is why my music is mostly targeted at the international arena," he related revealing that his ability to sing in 14 languages is a great asset.
"Music does not employ mere singing. You should be able to entertain the audience and for that purpose the command of the English language is crucial."
The internationally acclaimed musician had launched six CDs comprising around 250 songs during his tuneful stint which completed its golden jubilee last year.
"It costs around Rs. 7000 to make a CD comprising English tracks. These are song at around Rs. 600 because Sri Lankan migrants in countries like the US have to spend about 40 dollars for a CD.
"They buy a collection of my CDs and give them as gifts to their loved ones. If one of these people invites me for a concert, then I am able to recover all the expenses I put into the CD," he expressed. Sam clinched the Observer Golden Clef award in 2002 for his contribution to the music scene. Breaking into the international music scene was another achievement he holds dear for only a limited number of our artistes, no more than two or three, had made it to the international spotlight.
"Foreigners who visit the hotels I perform inquire when I am due to perform. Once I performed in the Zambian capital of Lusaka and we were travelling through the jungles during the late hours of the night.
There were about 50 vehicles following each other when we came across a mother with a baby in her arms in the middle of the road. She was crying for help because their vehicle had gone down a precipice. We helped to pull up the vehicle and at the end of the episode the driver turned round and thanked me wholeheartedly saying "Than you for your help, Sam the Man".
"I was astounded because the man recognised me by name. Then he explained that he had seen me performing live on television the previous night," Sam chuckled. "Making people happy is my greatest achievement. Sometimes I come across people who hardly smile or talk to each other due to some quarrel they had beforehand.
"My job is to bring them out of stress and put a smile on their face.
"Once the couple starts speaking to each other and takes a turn on the dance floor, I consider my duty fulfilled," he noted with contentment.
Sanjay Ramasamy (Aamir Khan) is a rich tycoon suffering from short term memory loss due to being hit by a metal pole when trying to intervene on his girlfriend's murder.
Because of the severe injury on his head, his memory can only last for fifteen minutes and he doesn't remember events or incidents that have happened before in his life.
He can now only live a comprehendible life by tattooing notes on himself and taking pictures of things with a Polaroid camera to remind himself of the incidents that have happened.
His story in unravelled by a police officer (Riyaz Khan) who is hunting him due to several murders he has committed while trying to find his girlfriend's murderer through his diary. His story has also piqued the interest of a medical college student, Chitra (Jiah Khan) who is searching for a patient with an "interesting" record for her college project. Chitra comes to know about Sanjay's love with Kalpana (Asin Thottumkal) a model cum activist.
When her activist work for children comes in the way of child racketeers, she is killed by Lakshman when she intervened with his plan of kidnapping 25 young girls to Calcutta.
So, with the help of Chitra, Sanjay sets out on a revenge spree, searching for the murderer of the one love of his life...
Ghajini is now unspooling at Premier Concord, Dehiwala and Cine City, Maradana.
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Throughout many decades no language has overcome barriers and had touched Sri Lankan hearts as the Hindi language. From the beauty of Hindi songs and films to its familiar-sounding terms, Hindi had become so much a part of our lives that whenever you turn on a television or radio, it is mostly Hindi songs or a Hindi film which is being broadcast or telecast.
SLBC's Commercial Service has taken this reality to note when they introduced their reality programme, 'Bollywood Star', the country's first armature Hindi song programme organised by a radio station. The station had worked towards catering its listener's needs and had been broadcasting Hindi numbers from the 1950s.
Taking in the fact that Hindi songs were on top of the list of preferences, they soon took in the fact that even some of the popular Sinhala numbers followed the rhythm of Hindi songs.
Vocalists like Sujatha Attanayake, Tony Hasan, Nuwan Gunawardena and Nirosha Virajini took up this art and were able to perform some of the most popular Hindi numbers with effect but it was soon evident that vocalists with the ability to sing Hindi songs were fast fading away from the country.
This is when SLBC stepped into the scene to launch 'Bollywood Star', a programme targeted at introducing amateur Sri Lankan vocalists who possess the ability to sing Hindi songs.
Around 1500 applications flowed into the SLBC premises after announcing the competition.
Forty-four applicants were chosen after interviews and they took part in workshops on vocal training and upgrading their knowledge on the Hindi language.
The first round included singing Hindi songs for Gee Rasanga, a Hindi song programme broadcast on the radio station.
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The programme was a tremendous success and an unbelievable amount of SMS votes poured in for the contestant. Furthermore the programme was given publicity on a number of Hindi radio stations in the continent and had been well received by masses.
The second round began with 21 contestants being picked to sing the song requested by the jury. Music was conducted and directed by Ranjith Balasuriya while Nihal Perera, W.J. Upali, Nimalasiri Thembuwana, Chandrapala Jayasundara, Bandula Silva, Lalith Shanthapriya, Prasad Silva, Upali Amaranayake, Hasantha Jayalal, R. Rathnam and Ananda Permasiri made up the orchestra.
Ten finalists lead by Himath Shashadara Weerasinghe, Senani Panchamadhuri, A.A. Kenneth Kumara, Manjula Kumari Bandara, Sanjaya Senarath Bandara, K. Poornima Dhananjani, Thivanka Ishara Vijitharatne, Ishanka Nisshanka, Kalinga Rasika Rajapakse and Niluka Samanthi will compete for the title of 'Bollywood Star' at the final round which will take place at the Bishop's College auditorium on January 3 at 6 p.m.
A specialty concerning this event is that the 10 finalists will all sing 10 new songs penned specially for this event by Indian lyricists.
The winner, elected by the jury, will be given the Commercial Service trophy while second place will clinch the Ravilal Wimaladharma Memorial Award.
Third place gets Dhalveer Singh Parma award and the rest will be awarded with merit awards. The most popular vocalist will also be chosen from SMS votes. In addition all 10 finalists will get the opportunity to take part in the Sarala Gee programmes broadcast on the radio station. "There is also demand for a CD with songs sung by the final 10. We are still considering the matter.
We have no plans for a second season yet since our focus is on the grand finale," an SLBC spokesman stated during the press briefing.
'Bollywood Star' is directed by Mayuri Abeysinghe. Palitha Jayatileke is in charge of the recording while Lalith Wickramaratne is the producer. Vipul Dharmapriya Jayasekara and Inusha Vibadde presents the programme along with Hindi comperes Jothi Paramal and Subashini de Silva.
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Sri Lanka is blessed with a rich bio-diversity including 224 species
of butterflies. According to renowned butterfly expert Dr. Michael Van
der Poorten, 23 varieties of butterflies are endemic to the country.
Their habitats range from the hottest areas in the arid zones to the
coolest areas in the forested hills. Some are found all year round while
others make their appearance at a certain time during the year. 
Senesh flies to New York 
