Unsung hero of the arts scene

Amalshan GUNERATHNE

He is perhaps not the charismatic everyday Romeo who will charm your heart with magnetic performances on screen. Many would say that his sturdy and tough looks are not made up to be popular on stage or the silver screen.

However it is his unparalleled acting prowess and the ability to portray very complex and deep roles with a sense of audacious flamboyance that set him apart from the rest. Never the one to shy away from a challenge, he has the ability to thrill you with exhilarating performances on screen.

“I started to play major roles only after I turned 40. I don’t possess good looks. Maybe that is why I am always asked to do such tough roles. I am not quite sure how that made me popular, but somehow I have been able to win people’s hearts,” he notes with his usual sturdy smile.

He has captivated hearts of many through riveting performances in acclaimed films such as ‘Seilama’, ‘Visidala’, ‘Bawa Duka’ and ‘Gamani’. One of the most unique and unparalleled talents to burst in to local silver screen, W Jayasiri, joined ‘Projector’ for this week’s rendezvous .

Q: You burst into the scene and became popular during the late 1980s and 1990s. Could you recall memories from your young days on why you took so long to establish yourself as an actor?

A: True, I got the chance to play major roles in cinema only after I turned 40. I always did have an interest towards acting. Even during my university days I use to work with drama people. I became friends with Dharmasena Pathiraja during those stages but those days, I only used to play cameo roles in dramas.

I played roles in Sugathapalada Silva’s popular dramas such as ‘Dunna Dunugamuwa’, ‘Muthu Kumari’ and Dharmasena Pathiraja’s ‘Eya Dan Loku Lamyek’. It is through H D Premarathne’s film ‘Seilama’ that people really got to know me as an actor. Then I played another role in Premarathna’s ‘Visidala’. I was appreciated for my performances in those films and after that I got invitations to play major roles in other creations.

In ‘Dolhak’ stage play

In ‘Visidala’ with Jackson Anthony

In ‘Seilama’ with Ravindra Randeniya

In ‘Gamani’ with Bimal Jayakody

Q: On screen, we always see you enacting very tough, sturdy and sometimes slightly vulgar characters. Is there any particular reason for this?

A: May be my looks have a big part to play in it. The thing with Sri Lankan cinema is that when you start to play a certain genre of roles, they think that you are suited only for that type of roles. In a sense it restricts us as artistes, but we have to play whatever the roles that are handed down to us.

Q: In many of the recent creations you have also given life to the role of Buddhist monks. ‘Gamani’ and ‘Uthuru Sulanga’ are two memorable examples. Aren’t you selective about the roles you play?

A: With the current trends in the industry, it is hard for us to be selective about the roles that we play. We are professional artistes and we need money to survive, therefore as

I said before, we have to act out whatever roles that are given to us.

When they see me performing the role of a monk, they think this man is ideal for such roles and they classify me as an actor who has some sort of specialty in playing such roles. Otherwise it is not that I have a strong preference to act out monk roles as such, those are the roles that are given to me.

Q: Don’t you think that there is a lack of variety in cinema and art? They keep exploiting the same stale, hackneyed themes over and over again.

A: It is very true. They keep making stories on same rotten, stale themes over and over again. Now they have a trend of creating grand films which revolves around historical and religious themes. Films which revolve around legends and tales have always had a place in world cinema.

For instance we used to love films like ‘Benhur’. But these creations are not in the same caliber. Most such films don’t even discuss historical issues. However there are people who come up with good artistic concept as well. For instance, people like Ashoka Handagama and Vimukthi Jayasundara have been very good at coming up with such creations, but sadly even those people are bit silent these days. The other thing is that politicians have a habit of intervening into art. Sometimes even themes and characters are all selected according to their wishes.

At times when people like Handagama or Jayasundara come up with good creations, politicians again get involved and there have even been cases of good movies being banned or even censored.

Q: Can you comment on the current trends in the local teledrama culture?

A: The latest trend to hit television is the tendency to create mega teledrama series. Sirasa started the whole thing by importing Indian teledramas. Those dramas became popular among the audience and it was a real thump to the local teledrama industry those days. So to combat the challenge, our people copied the same thing and started to create our own mega tele series. They call it mega-series, but I don’t see anything grand about it. If they call it ‘mega’, everything has to be done in grand fashion. But this is not the case, only thing ‘mega’ about such teledramas is that they never end.

Q: You recently played a major role in Athula Pathirana’s drama ‘Dolahak’ which became very popular among theater lovers. Express your thoughts on that role.

A: I think the local art will continue to benefit as long as creations like ‘Dolahak’ comes to stage. I feel very happy that I got a chance to play a role in a drama like that. There are 12 major characters in the drama and each and every one of them contributed immensely to its success. The director did a great job at recreating the play.

Lanka celebrates Iran’s Oscar triumph

Ruwini Jayawardana

Iranian writer-director Asghar Farhadi’s award winning movie ‘A Separation’ will be screened at the National Film Corporation on March 28 at 6 pm. The movie screening is organized by NFC in collaboration with the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

‘A Separation’ won the award for the best foreign language film at the 84th Academy Awards in February. It is the second time that an Iranian film had been nominated for the Oscars and the first time that it had won the award. The jubilant feeling was heightened because Iran’s ‘A Separation’ beat their strongest competitor Israel’s ‘Footnote’ to bag the award.

Speaking at the press conference held to announce the film screening NFC chairman Asoka Serasinghe said that Sri Lanka delights in Iran’s victory especially since the two countries have been building close ties in the past few years.

“Iran is carving a niche for itself in the global cinema arena and it is said that if they make English speaking movies, they could go beyond Hollywood. We had held a film festival which showcased some of the best Iranian films recently and have been discussing with them about sending delegates for training to their country. As a neighbouring country, we celebrate this victory with them,” he said.

The first Iranian film to be nominated for an Oscar was Majid Majidi’s ‘Children of Heaven’. It lost the award to Italian film-maker Roberto Benigni’s ‘Life is Beautiful’ in 1998. Though many Israel films have been nominated for accolades, this is the second time that Iran came into the spotlight at a European film festival.

‘A Separation’ is a powerful, complex Iranian drama centres on a conflict that cuts across boundaries of gender and class. It portrays the tale of how an unhappily married couple breaks up.

Simin wants to leave Iran with her husband Nader and daughter Termeh. Simin sues for divorce when Nader refuses to leave behind his Alzheimer-suffering father. Her request having failed, Simin returns to her parents' home, but Termeh decides to stay with Nader. When Nader hires a young woman to assist with his father in his wife's absence, he hopes that his life will return to a normal state. However, when he discovers that the new maid has been lying to him, he realizes that there is more on the line than just his marriage.

Though this kind of theme had raised eyebrows and it is unlikely that Simin could have behaved in such a manner in the real Iranian context, it has nevertheless won admiration among the western audience and critics.

“The award celebrates the cinematic techniques employed by the film-maker rather that the plot. It does not project the core of the Iranian culture. This is mainly why the west decided to select the movie for the award. They like to see a creation which projects the Asian and Middle East countries as barbaric and uncultured.

They praise creations which look down upon our lifestyles or breaks away from our traditions. This has been the case for most Sri Lankan movies which have won international awards,” Serasinghe explained.

Meantime director Farhadi had stated that his next cinematic venture, a French language film, will be shot in France next fall. It is said to be a love story which blossoms between an Iranian girl and a North African boy.

‘A Separation’ will be screened for free on first come first served basis. Those interested can collect their invitations for NFC.

Gamya follows Jackie

After Jacqueline Fernandez, it is Miss Sri Lanka 2009 Gamya Wijayadasa will make an entry into Bollywood with an item number called ‘Chadhti Jawaani’.

Directed by Manish Manikpuri, the film is titled ‘Alaap’ and is based on Naxalism in Chattisgarh. Ironically, the new babe doesn’t know a word of Hindi and, when she was approached for the song, she agreed to perform to the number instantly. Despite the fact that she didn’t understand the lyrics or the concept of the song, it seems the actor managed to pull off the rustic dance moves pretty well.

The item song is composed by Agnee, a rock band known for soulful compositions.

The song has been shot in Raipur and the film stars Pitobash, Rituparna Sengupta, Amit Purohit and Raghuvir Yadav.

Although we wait to see if she can match steps with beauties like Katrina Kaif and Malaika Arora Khan, who have already created waves with their seductive dance moves, the bad news is that Gamya also has Vidya Balan and Kareena Kapoor as competition, both stars being fairly new entrants in the shake-your-booty battleground.

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