Sadisi Tharanaya

an ‘experimental creation’:

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

At a time when monotonous creations are taking over the mini screen, Devinda Kongahage’s Sadisi Tharanaya was received like a breath of fresh air for a community pining to sample something different. The talented young director had carved a niche for himself as one of the most creative and sought after directors of the period with successful creations like Thuruliya Daruvo and Sadisi Tharanaya, which is now being telecast on Rupavahini.

He had been working for Sirasa TV, as an executive producer, for a lengthy period and had done several short telefilms. After leaving the station he started work on the much acclaimed Thuruliya Daruwo which made its entrance in 2004.

Interestingly, Devinda names his creations as ‘telefilms’ and rejects the belief that there is ever a category called teledrama in the field.

Daily News ‘Art & Soul’.

What do you mean by a telefilm and how does it differ from a teledrama or film?

“The time frame of a telefilm should be between half an hour to 45 minutes and it should be with an out view of cinematic expression or three dimensional expression. It all comes down to how you use concepts like the artist, the camera, light, editing and technical aspects. The only difference between a film and a telefilm is that a telefilm is being aired on television.”

According to Devinda a majority of present day filmmakers have not understood the concept of telefilm. They borrow the teledrama concept and make one-hour or 45-minute episodes and tag the creation as a teledrama.

“There had never been teledramas in the international forum of film creations or tele creations. This term evolved when the television was newly introduced to Sri Lanka. Some playwrights wanted to bring their dramas to the mini screen and once they shot them, they named them as teledramas,” he stressed.

“In the international forum it becomes either a tele creation, a tele film or a soap opera. In the early 1980s there were some admirable creations because versatile creators were in the scene but the later generation misinterpreted the term teledrama. Now most creations are of low quality and standards as the viewers can get nothing meaningful out of them. It had become just another storytelling method.”

Never one to fear experiments Devinda had decided to take up the challenge of breaking through the limits of the areas comprising television programmes.

“My aim was to give the public a novel experience pointing out that a telefilm is quite similar to a film except that it is divided in to several episodes to be telecast each week. My creation is about 10 hours in length and is divided into 30 episodes,” he explained about his maiden lengthy creation, Sadisi Tharanaya.

“Most directors take an artist to a location, set up the camera and shoot but every single aspect was predetermined for Sadisi Tharanaya.”Devinda dubs Sadisi Tharanaya as an ‘experimental creation’ because it involves exploring areas that have not yet been taken up by local creators. He says that most of the creators today fear of experimenting, are backward when it comes to using technology and at times suffer from lack of creativity.

However, in his latest telefilm, Devinda had expanded on an area which other creators have failed to take note.

His creation sees a significant difference in the voice ranging of dialogs differing according to the emotions and attitudes they penetrate. Sadisi Tharanaya, also joins history as the first local tele creation, telefilm or teledrama which went on air, stereo based.

Editor Randika Nadeeshan Wijemanna joined the team on locations while the creation was being shot and did amazingly natural graphic work so much so that the public were unable to detect them. They also engaged in colour grading or colour correction which gave the creation a cinematic colour scheme.

“Viewers might not know what we did but they will note a difference from the usual programmes they have seen on television. This difference awakens their curiosity and lures them to be on the lookout for and demand better creations.”

“I never believe that the viewers are fools. They are very intellectual,

knowledgeable and critical at times. I took note of those aspects and made my creation,” he said adding that when Maestro Premasiri Khemadasa, the music director of Sadisi Tharanaya had first seen the creation, he had questioned why Devinda had not wished to screen it on the wide screen.

“I wish to try my hand on cinema gradually but nowadays even films are done on DV cameras. They are shot and taken overseas and blown up to 35 millimetres. If I do a film I like to do it in the proper manner with cello line and 35 millimetre but my priority is to serve television before turning to cinema,” he said.

Devinda sees short films as an effective method in bringing out creativity and allowing youths to experiment with new methods of film making.

Yet again, he says, that most creators have not got a proper impression on what a short film has to be. He says that individuals choose short films as an intermediate step before venturing into cinema. Coming back to Sadisi Tharanaya, Devinda says that no individual is either completely black or white. They are ash.

Every individual in society has a limited period to live but our attitudes, emotions, targets needs and ambitions differ our paths. It is not destiny or fortune which form the path of our journey.

It does not focus on politics or journalism but is centered on a journalist who tries to swim against the tide and highlights psychological aspects. Renowned artistes like Sriyantha Mendis, Buddhadasa Vithanachchi, Damitha Abeyratne, Bimal Jayakody, Jayani Senanayake and Suresh Gamage take on the lead roles of the telefilm produced by Sarath Kongahage.

“Everything tallied well with each aspect of the telefilm. Maestro Khemadasa created 16 masterpieces for Sadisi Tharanaya and one almost wonders whether I have directed the creation for Master’s music or vice versa. It is a moment when a creator is born within another creator,” he commented adding that Sadisi Tharanaya had been Khemadasa’s last contribution for the small screen.

“The experience was amazing and I wish to thank him from the bottom of my heart. I have dedicated each episode of the telefilm to him because even though I am probably the youngest director who had associated him for the shortest period, he had been very cooperative and did an exceptional job.” At present Devinda is working on another telefilm based on psychology. He is also writing a script for a film and a new reality show in collaboration with Rupavahini.

CTV Academy of Media Studies begins new program

CTV Academy of Media Studies, a branch of the Ceylinco Group, had launched a program training media and communication technology to teachers for free.

They inaugurated their maiden workshop at their Academy of Media Studies, Rajagiriya, recently. Around 50 teachers form the North Western province took part in the one-day workshop lead by the principal of the academy, Prof. Tissa Kariyawasam.

The participants were trained on the basics of the subject on video recording, photography, radio broadcasting and electronic media. Director of Education of the North Western province Asoka Jayasinghe and CTV’s Lanka National program coordinator B.K.T. Reginald have worked together to select the participants who had taken part in the event which was initiated according to the concept of chief of Ceylinco Group, Deeshamanya Lalith Kothalawala.

The academy is hoping to launch several more workshops free of charge for teachers and school media circles for free. For further information write to: Secretary, CTV Academy of Media Studies, No. 575, Nawala Road, Rajagiriya or call 0712205555.

RJ

Scintillation

The purpose of a painting or any form of art according to young artist Namal Jayasinghe is to create a sense of happiness and joy in the viewer. This is exactly what she hopes to achieve through her debut collection of paintings, ‘Scintillation’ which will be exhibited at The American Center, Colombo 3, till January 28 .

Namal, a past student of the Holy Family Convent, Colombo had her secondary education in science subjects. She learnt to draw and paint under the guidance of Veteran artist/sculptor Dr. Sarath Chandrajeewa at the Colombo Academy of Arts.

Most of her works comprise of figurative paintings portraying the many and varied roles that women play in society. Her first solo exhibition comprises 15 paintings of figurative and abstract forms.

Her mentor, Dr.Sarath Chandrajeewa, had this to say about her works. “As a painter Namal’s works are vibrant and they force us to have a conversation with action and energy. Her sense of visual expression and skill has developed gradually through colour and line. Her painting elements blend with figurative and abstract forms.”

Namal has taken part in art camps and had won several awards.

A number of her works are in the possession of art collectors both here and abroad.

PR

Kala Pola

Inspiring and stimulating to art lovers

Anuradha Kodagoda

For the 16th consecutive year, Sri Lanka’s popular open-art gallery cum art fair, ‘Kala Pola, comes alive this year on January 25 along Ananda Coomaraswamy Mavatha in Colombo. The event is conceptualised by the George Keyt Foundation and the unbroken patronage of the John Keells group.

“Kala Pola had a very humble beginning more than one and a half decades ago and has now grown into a national event. This year’s Kala Pola will feature over 250 artists and sculptors who will display their creativity to an increasingly appreciative Sri Lankan and expatriate clientele, in an infectious atmosphere filled with music, song, fun and contagious bonhomie,” said the Chairman of George Keyt Foundation Cedric de Silva.

“It attracts hundreds of artists and sculptors from all parts of the island and gives them the unique opportunity of showcasing their work to a very large number of buyers. This is, indeed, a boon to these highly talented, yet very simple men and women, some of whom may not be able to exhibit in Colombo’s regular art galleries,” he added.

While Kala Pola initially took off from the concept of open air summer art fairs in European capitals, the underlying rationale for its existence goes beyond the search for fascinating colour, exuberance and camaraderie.

Kala Pola is, more importantly, valuable forum for artists and sculptors to launch and boost their careers build a steady clientele, and thereby promote art as a lucrative and professional career. Many artists have been successful in this regard and have gone onto launch careers in the international arena after showcasing their work at Kala Pola.

“John Keells Social Responsibility Foundation is strongly committed to supporting the art and culture of our country. Kala Pola is all about creating opportunities for budding artists, island-wide, to display their work and launch their careers.

Their talent dedication to their artistry and determination to succeed are certainly an inspiration. We believe that nurturing the arts essential to preserving the soul of society and it is our responsibility to keep art alive,” added the Director, John Keells Holdings Sumithra Gunesekara.

Commencing at 10.00am, Kala Pola 2009 will continue throughout the day, bringing a kaleidoscope of colour, sights and sounds to the heart of Colombo, until dusk settles over the city.

Siyatha revives the golden oldies

Ruwini Jayawardana

It is not long since they broke into the industry but all it took was a couple of years to set their mark in the scene. The trademark which set them apart from competitors was their selection of high-quality music, most of it deriving from the 1970s and 80s.

Siyatha FM was initiated with the sole aim of establishing a radio station which will provide the Sri Lankan listeners with the best of Sri Lankan music. At a period when almost the same kinds of cheap music was being played over and over again, Siyatha brought back the period of the golden oldies with their selection of songs.

This step not only earned them many listeners but also made them a trend setter. What’s more Siyatha dropped the talk format that most DJs employed in their programmes and focused on catering to their listeners needs rather then for personal gain.

Siyatha FM is a part of Voice of Asia (Pvt) Ltd. The company also owns two sister radio channels, Real radio for the English speaking community and Vettri FM for their Tamil listeners. The group had also set up a Sunday newspaper, Siyatha, and are also hoping to launch their television channe, Siyatha TV which will begin its official transmission towards March. “Voice of Asia’s main objective was to start a television station. Our aim was to change the mindset of the people.

Many private television and radio stations were in business when we entered the scene and their primary target was making money. During the 1970s and 80s the television and radio stations were monitored by the Government and they had to follow certain guidelines. They broadcast or telecast quality creations.

In the 1990s things changes with the private sector emerging into the industry. They set their sights on easy methods of making money by giving the public a raw deal by delivering low quality creations. As more people joined the scene competition heightened but the standers of the output bombed,” Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Siyatha, Dinal Peramune stressed.

The group soon realised that it was more beneficial to begin at a small scale with a radio station rather than aim for big heights. Though they had already purchased equipment to launch a television channel they kept their plans on hold and moved onto radio.

“We realised that people are enthusiastic to listen to music of bygone days. Clarence Wijewardena, H.R. Jothipala, Victor Ratnayake, ABBA and Boney M are evergreen. There is more demand for their music then in the past. They are titans in music while today’s music is productions.

We did a research on what people expected from a radio and music topped the list and news followed in second place. Our DJs only relate the time to the listeners and refrained from boring them with long speeches. This had created a huge impact and earned us a lot of positive response,” he added.

“We are not targeting on people’s age but on their thinking process. If a new artiste who has a meaningful and creative song which is accepted by people approaches us we do not hesitate to air his or her creation.”

Interestingly the channel earned immense popularity sans advertising. They began transmissions from Colombo and then moved onto cover island-wide from 98.6.

The channel had also been involved in a number of promotions including giving away a car for Sri Lankan cricket lovers during the World Cup and flying 160 devotees for a pilgrimage at Buddhagaya. Furthermore Siyatha hosted a musical concert titled ‘Siyatha Sangeetha Upahara’ with the participation of 22 artistes at the BMICH last year.

The past gazette demanded that the electronic media should pay copyrights to artistes but it was only legalised in the budget last year. We have already taken the basic steps to put that into practice by then,” he stated. Last year the group launched a number of promotional campaigns for Real Radio including their highly successful coverage of the Hikkaduwa Beach Festival. Vettri was promoted as well in selected areas such as the East and Wellawattha.

“Our objectives for this year includes expanding our operations in terms of coverage for Real and Vettri. We also hope to launch the television station and there are also several surprising promotions we have set in our schedule along with the second pilgrimage to Buddhagaya. We are aiming at more customer social responsibility projects so that we can get closer to the listeners,” he expressed.

The reality programme trend had event begun evolving into radio with several radio stations attempting to bring in this concept to their channels. Does Siyatha believe in this concept?

“That is a very serious questions and needs some thought. Television includes visuals and voice and does not leave room for imagination.

Reality is a visualised concept so it cannot be copied and inserted into radio. It needs a lot of work but the question is that instead of copying something why don’t you be creative and introduce something unique? There are some channels who have copied the exact same things that US television stations have broadcasted including the music and camera angles.”

“Radio is medium on which you entertain and give information. It does not make you think a lot. Why do you want to complicate the listeners and why do want to compete in the same thing then there are ample amount of opportunities waiting to be explored out there?” he asked.

Siyatha employs around 150 people lead by General Manager Mohan Raj Madawala, programmes manager for Siyatha Prasanna Jayanethi, Head of Real Radio Jimmy Dean, Head of Vettri A.R.V Loshan, Head of news Udithamal Hemachandra and Head of marketing Jayantha Ukwattha.

Singing trio

Ruwini Jayawardana

Singing trio Chandriha, Radhiha and Dheepaha, popularly known as the Allegakoen Sisters, who hail from the outskirts of the city have been enthralling many with their musical specials broadcast on SLBC and appearing on Rupavahini and ITN.

They recently took part in a Tamil Christian songs programme, Paalan Piranthar, telecast over the Nethra channel during Christmas and took part in Naththal Gee Mihira, a variety musical programme.

The three vocalists are past pupils of Methodist College, Colombo, and have derived their musical talents from their mother, Thavamani Devi, a skilled flautist. She had initiated a Carnatic classical music group made up of her family members and had performed both on stage and over then Radio Ceylon.

According to the Allegakoen Sisters their voice and singing talent is God given. “Instruments can be played but singing is God given,” said Chandriha adding that they do not wish to use their skills for commercial purposes.

Breaking into the scene in 1986, the Allegakoen Sisters have taken part in a number of programmes on radio and television such as Arangetram, Udaya Geetham, Sangamam, Olith thendral, Ayubovan, Savasngeetha, Kalai Arangam and many more.

Though most of their songs are in Tamil, their line-up includes a few English tracks. Interestingly, their style mixes Western Classical music in Tamil songs.

They have composed around 23 songs dedicated to God.

Udesh The Dream Star

Ruwini Jayawardana

Derana’s popular reality television programme, ‘Derana Dream Star’, aimed at grooming youngsters’ singing and performing skills, climaxed on January 9 with Udesh Indual from Moronthuduwa emerging winner.

The talented youth beat finalists Nilupuli Dilhara and Milinda Sandaruwan to clinch the title along with Rs. two million and a car worth Rs. 2.8 million. He also gets the chance to launch his own collection of songs sponsored by the television station.

Viewers were able to witness a live and colourful musical extravaganza in which 96 contestants of the ‘Dreana Dream Star’ programme took part. Well-known percussionists Ravibandu Vidyapathi, Chandana Wickramasinghe and Krishanthi Radhika choreographed the dance items while Athula Adikari and his band provided music. Nirosha Virajini, Rohana Bogoda and Keerthi Pasquel comprised the jury. Young actor Amila Abeysekara compered the event.

With ‘Derana Dream Star’ season one coming to a final the Derana team are looking forward to opening the second chapter of the much sought after programme. They are already asking viewers to send in their applications.

Pictures by Ruwan de Silva

Alakalanchiya at Elphinstone

The art loving community first knew Rohana Baddege as a singer. He entered the artistic world as a vocalist by reciting songs such as Mage Raththaran Helena. He was a lyricist, melody composer and musician.

Later he turned to music direction in stage plays while playing the role of an actor both on stage and the small screen. A few people are aware that he became a drama producer staging stage plays in 1960. In 1967 he brought a short drama Alakalanchiya to the stage with the assistance of his school pupils.

This drama has an eternal theme and story which has been produced as a new production.

Alakalanchiya the new production, will be staged again on January 24 (Saturday) at Elphinstone Theatre at 3.30 and 6.45 p.m., Bandula Wijeweera, Nissanka Diddeniya, Nilmini Kottegoda, Madani Malwaththa and Somapala Pathirage make up the cast.

Composition, dancing music and production are under the direction of Rohana Baddege and the make up artist is Jagath Padmasiri. Edward Chandrasiri is the Production Manager while Judge Srimal functions as the chief organiser.

Caruso to direct Jack The Giant Killer

Everyone loves a good fairy tale, especially one involving beanstalk-climbing tykes, steepling giants, gold-laying geese, and improbable cash/magic bean exchanges. D.J. Caruso, it seems, is no exception having picked up his quill to sign on the dotted line for Jack The Giant Killer.

With a script by Live Free Or Die Hard writer Mark Bomback, Jack The Giant Killer will tell the tale of a young farmer’s quest to rescue a kidnapped princess in a kingdom of giants. By all accounts, it will draw partly on the Jack And The Beanstalk story we know and love, and partly on a less-well known fable in which Cornish lad Jack slays his way around the giants’ kingdom. Putting the brain-bending mess that was Eagle Eye behind him, Caruso has a big year or two ahead of him with post-apocalyptic comic-book adaptation Y: The Last Man also in development.

Variety