|
Tissa Abeysekara:
Artiste with the Midas touch
Ruwini JAYAWARDANA
Striving for excellence motivates you. You explore diverse regions
and excel in many spheres to make a difference which transcends time and
barriers.
These words speak true of award winning scriptwriter, filmmaker,
actor, critic, academic and administrator Tissa Abeysekara. Known as the
inimitable genius of cinema, the thespian rendered yeoman service to the
industry, leaving a mark that only a few can proclaim to conquer.
|
Tissa Abeysekara |
The talented artiste began his venture with art while schooling at
Dharmapala Vidyalaya, penning short stories for newspapers. Little did
anyone guess that these were the beginning of the makings of a genius.
His life took a dramatic turn when he encountered Dr. Lester James
Peries. From assisting the doyen of Sri Lankan cinema in writing the
dialogs of the internationally acclaimed masterpiece Gamperaliya he
carved a niche as one of the finest dialogue writers in the island.
“That is his most outstanding feature. He excelled in scriptwriting
and penned many screenplays which contributed to the growth of the
industry,” Rasaduna Editor Sunil Mihindukula said. Mihindukula edited
Cinema Sanskruthika Pragnaya, a book comprising a series of articles
panned by some of the key figures linked with the industry.
Around 45 articles written by personalities like Professors Ven.
Bellanvila Vimalaratne Thera, Carlo Fonseka, K. N. O. Dharmadasa, Sunil
Ariyaratne, Sunanda Mahendra; Drs. Lester James Peries, Patrick
Ratnayake D. B. Nihalsinghe; Dharmasena Pathiraja, Samantha Herath,
Sumitra Peries, Bandula Padmakumara, Premaranjith Tilakaratne,
Buddhadasa Galappatty, Jayantha Chandrasiri, Sudath Rohana, A. D.
Ranjith Kumara, Malini Fonseka, Nuwan Nayanajith Kumara, Tony Ranasinghe
and others make up the book.
“Cinema Sanskruthika Pragnaya is ANCL Chairman Bandula Padmakumara’s
concept. I was handed the task because I have been coordinating with
Abeysekara for over three decades.
We will be holding a lecture annually to show our respect towards
him. He contributed much to nurture the industry,” Mihindukula noted
adding that editing the book was a part of the duty handed over to him
by the company.
|
Sunil Mihindukula |
His link with Abeysekara roots from the time that Abeysekara was the
National Film Corporation Chairman. Mihindukula had by then written a
variety of articles on cinema which had come under his preview. He then
requested Mihindukula to take post as Editor for the cinema magazine
Sadisi. Later he sent him to India to conduct research on the origins of
Sinhala cinema.
The book is a Lake House publication and is priced Rs. 400. It
includes a number of rare images from Abeysekara’s life and also some
stills taken from his creations. Most of the articles were written to
mark his death while there are a few in-depth articles focusing on him
as a colleague and human being.
“He was complex yet simple. He led a very humble lifestyle though
certain boundaries fell across his path. He had the talent to draw
people’s attention whenever he made a speech because he was well versed
in his subjects.
 He
knew cinema like the back of his hand. He had studied features from
South Indian films to the colossal productions of Ingmar Bergman.
He was at home with both the Sinhala language as well as English. He
lent a helping hand to the younger generation and was a good mentor for
them,” Mihindukula explained some of the qualities of the exceptional
qualities of the artiste which could be set as an example to many of
those who are entering the field.
Another of his remarkable qualities is that he stood up for creations
representing the new film movement. In an era where many raised eyebrows
on Vimukthi Jayasundara, Asoka Handagama and Inoka Sathyangani’s
productions which went beyond the traditional themes of movies made
during the period, Abeysekara was one of the few who talked about the
filming techniques behind the projects.
Speaking about Abeysekara’s masterpiece Viragaya Mihindukula says
that it was a challenging task to breathe life to the characters in
Martin Wickramasinghe’s novel.
Mihindukula said: “This is especially true in Viragaya because the
tale involves a complex theme: stream of consciousness. He succeeded in
doing justice to the work and it is one of the best creations in Sri
Lankan cinema history, going parallel with films like Gamperaliya and
Nidhanaya.”
Proving his prowess in diverse streams one cannot express the
contribution rendered by the artiste to the arts industry in simple
terms. He was indeed one of a kind and his death creates a vacuum which
will be hard to fill in many years to come. |
