Buddhism dramatized
Ishara JAYAWARDANE
Buddhi Karunaratne is man of a special calling. Buddhi Karunaratne
has graced this earth determined to fulfill a promise. And that is what
Buddhi's life is - a promise finally made real. A promise made into
flesh.
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Shelton Kekuluwalage in a forest scene. Pictures by Ruwan de
Silva |
Like many men who have made their mark upon Sri Lankan Cinema Buddhi
Karunaratne is both the man and the director. We may not know the man
but by the endeavors of the director we can guess as to his character.
To me Buddhi is bold. Being a relative commoner and an unknown name in
Sri Lankan Cinema it is this boldness that made him believe that he
could penetrate the world of Sri Lanka cinema taking on such a weighty
topic as Buddhism.
Buddhism is a deep topic and picking such an area surely must mean
that Karunaratne possess a delicious mix of boldness and a temperament
fit to create great works.
Buddhi Karunaratne's production dealing with Buddhism will hit
screens every Poya day. The Muhurath was held at the Punchi theatre
amidst a large gathering. "I am performing the role of a hermit/bhikku.
This role transformed me. There is a limited dialog. By playing this
role, I receive a lot of pleasure. And in a way not to damage the role
and with the request of Buddhi under his directorship the role was
planned out successfully" said actor Shelton Kekuluwalage.
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Buddi Karunaratne |
This drama has been one and a half years in the making. During this
time the series was analyzed and discussed with until they were
satisfied.
"I feel that after watching this Tele series the audience the
audience will understand what the role is trying to communicate. During
this time" said Kekuluwalage.
The program consists of two segments. One is the drama segment and
the other is the documentary segment. The program has a Buddhist theme.
The drama segment portrays Buddhist stories and Buddhist folk tales, new
stories under a Buddhist theme. The documentary segment deals with
ancient temples in the Gampaha district.
A program is made out of the combination of drama and documentary.
"We seek to convey to the audience tenets in Buddhist philosophy. In
2008 the script was written and the drama was produced. But because of
the economic recession our sponsors the Gampaha Development Company had
some doubts" said Director Buddhi Karunaratne.
Bodhu Rasa Katha was originally intended to be a short film. Later on
Karunaratne after consultation decided to make it a tele drama series.
The Gampaha Development Company had no commercial expectation. They
helped us financially.
The series will be shown on Derana every poya day. The first program
will be aired on Poson Poya from 6.00 p.m to 6.30. From Asala Poya to
every poya day the programs will be aired from 5.00p.m to 5.30p.m. |
