‘Colour’ of a personality

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

Every artist dips his brush in his own soul and paints his nature through images. So goes Henry Ward Beecher’s saying which could almost be a catch phrase for young director Isuru Weerasinghe Mudali’s debut movie ‘Colour’.

The movie is a portrait of a painter’s life, capturing his emotions in a variety of shades. The film is like a fresh breath in the recent array of films what are hitting theatres and sees life in a novel light. Though it has been queuing up to hit theatres for some time, it only received the greenlight for screening recently. Produced by Palitha and Hiranthi Samarasinghe, ‘Colour’ is screening in the CEL circuit islandwide.

Q: Why did you think of shifting to cinema from advertising?

A: Cinema has always been a fascinating subject for me. Since I did not have any family or relations connected with the art, I had to find another means of entering the field. I used advertising as a medium to achieve my goal. I learnt a lot of facts connected with directing and shooting from making advertisements. They demand a lot of hard work and creativity.

Q: Where did you get the inspiration for ‘Colour’?

A: All the characters and incidents which I have scripted about are based on my experiences and ideologies. Therefore I am my own inspiration for this creation. However that does not mean that ‘Colour’ is based on my life story. I was able to put myself in the shoes of the characters and relate to them in such situations.

Another significant point of this production is that the characters do not have names. They embody characteristics and face situations that are universal. Anyone of us can face such an incident in our life.

Q: Art movies do not generally bring in the bucks. Why didn’t you make a commercial movie instead?

A: It is difficult to label a movie as commercial before it runs in theatres. Even an art movie can become a commercially successful movie. A film has to embody some kind of art form. Inserting catchy songs or glamourizing a production does not necessarily make it a commercial movie. Movies need to be a mixture of both these aspects for it to become a hit. You cannot categorize them in this manner.

If art movies do not bring masses to theatres, it means that people have not been trained to appreciate art and creations that embody deep rooted philosophies. That is not a problem relating to cinema. It is an issue related to education and upbringing.

Q: Why did you give your debut cinematic venture, a Sinhala movie, an English title?

A: I have a reason for selecting that name and designing the logo of the movie in that manner. Soothsayers normally ask their clients to choose a colour before they tell their fortunes. That is because colours say a lot about a person’s background and personality. They cannot be dismissed as mere shades because each colour stands for certain traits. Similarly each of my characters has a certain colour which is associated with them. They also embody certain elements such as rhythms and sounds that set them apart from each other. I wanted to bring that idea to the fore and title it according to that ideology.

However the Sinhala term for Colour, ‘Patak’, does not sound good for a movie. I used black for the fonts of the logo because I wanted to associate the life of the painter with that shade. Only the letter ‘U’ in the word is painted in red. ‘U’ is the acronym for the word ‘you’, meaning the other person linked with his life. That person adds a diverse shade to his existence.

Q: Why did you decide upon starring Sandani Sulakana, a relatively newcomer, in comparison with Kamal Addararachchi?

A: Some of the characters in the movie are real people who are known to me. I selected the actors to suit their outlook. Kamal is an experienced actor and I cannot take credit for how well he played the role. However this is Sandani’s first movie which will hit the screens and my directing capacity will be judged by how well she has portrayed the role. I was aware of this and I wanted to make sure that she portrayed her role well for this film to work.

Q: What is your favourite moment in ‘Colour’?

A: I love the climax of the movie where Kamal suffers from distress after learning the true facts about the past. He passes away eaten by his grief. I like that scene because I see beauty in sorrow. There is a certain anguish in joy as well. I am someone who has the habit of looking at the poignant side in joyful situations.

Q: Why did it take you so long to screen ‘Colour’?

A: There were many others who were in a hurry to bring their productions to the screen. I simply stepped aside and waited for my turn.

Q: Your lead actor, Kamal, was recently in the news over a raided massage parlour. Do you think this would affect your film?

A: There were several posters scattered across the city which read that Kamal has begun a love affair again. Later another set of posters stated that Kamal’s new love will be revealed soon. Then that incident happened which linked Kamal with that particular massage parlour. After that the posters announced that the society can expect another deed by Kamal on August 24. We made those posters to advertise the movie.

If that incident was true and facts have fallen into place Kamal should be in prison now. He is someone who could be victimized in a situation without any problem unlike some people in the society who engage in worse deeds. Whoever made that tale about Kamal actually did us a favour because they roused interest for our poster campaign.

Q: Tell us about your second movie, ‘Mal’.

A: It is an experimental film which was made on a low budget and has a new cast. The story is about a romance blossoming between two youth who have met due to a miss call displayed on the girl’s mobile screen. It is still being edited and will be ready for release towards the end of the year.

I also want to make a movie based on recent history which I aim to release in 2014.

Madol Doowa and Viragaya DVDfied

R Jayawardana

In DVD format

Films
Gamperaliya
Rekhava
Parasathu Mal
Dadayama
Gehenu Lamai
Sama
Dahasak Sithuvili

Stage plays
Kelani Palama
Hunuwataye Kathava
Kuveni

Teledrama
Dandubasnamanaya
Giraya

Sinhala films in DVD format are not new to the market, but they have never been properly introduced. Kumar Kothalawala has pioneered the art of converting Sinhala films into DVD and for a long time it kept him busy, silently. All his DVDs have obtained legal permission.

The idea of launching a DVD belongs to Nuvan Nayanajith and Sanath Gunathilaka. This must be discussed seriously, they opined. DVD versions of Martin Wickramasinghe’s ‘Madol Doowa’ and ‘Viragaya’ were launched for the first time on that cue.

Speaking at the event Professor J B Dissanyaka recalled how ‘Madol Doowa’ was subject to many criticisms. One book too was published to point out grammar errors of ‘Madol Doowa’.

“That book is nowhere to be seen. But Madol Doowa still exists. That’s the nature of great artworks.”

Dr Sandagomi Coperahewa recalled how he enjoyed ‘Madol Doowa’ as a child. Sanath Gunathilaka emphasised how Viragaya’s Aravinda influenced his life. “Tissa Abeysekara’s company taught me a lot on this art. I’m also grateful to my fellow cast with whom I could work well without any issue. As Gunadasa Amarasekara rightly said Aravindas cannot exist and survive in this wretched society. I agree with his opinion, though Aravinda taught me a lot.”

Observing a minute of silence	Raveendra Randeniya, Dr Ranga Wickramasinghe and Dr Sandagomi Coperahewa

Nuvan Nayanajith said both works ushered in new traditions. ‘Madol Doowa’ pioneered a juvenile literature while ‘Viragaya’ introduced the first person narrative. “Many started writing novels in first person narrative. Some took it wrong. But the positive point is that we had a local influence rather than western influence. And I do not agree with either Gunadasa Amarasekara or Sanath Gunatilake when they say Aravindas cannot exist in this society. If this society is wretched such people are born to reform. No one can prevent it.”

Nayanaijth added that the society needs personalities like Upali in ‘Madol Doowa’ who harvests from an island when everyone shied away, and Aravinda in ‘Viragaya’ a spiritual personality.

Kumar Kothalawala also addressed the gathering explaining how he will preserve age old Sinhala classics in DVD format. Vajira Jayawardene compered the event.

‘Rupantharana’ launch

The Muhurath ceremony of the new Sinhala Movie ‘Rupantharana’ was held recently at Galadari Hotel, Colombo. Many distinguished guests, veteran artists and professionals from the film industry took part in the event which is the latest cinematic venture of Nalaka Withanage.

The movie brings many new faces to the fore. Popular figures like Ravindra Randeniya, Jeevan Kumarathunga, Ranjan Ramanayake, Mahendra Perera, Angela Senevirathne, Veena Jayakody, Tissa Wijesurendra, Damitha Abeyrathna, Anjula Rajapakshe, Paboda Sandeepani, Sachini Ayendra and

Nirosha Perera are also among the cast. It is the first movie production of Dr Arosha Fernando. Shooting is scheduled to take place in September in Melbourne, Australia, and selected locations in Colombo, Diyatalawa, Nuwara Eliya, the Pasikudah beach in the Eastern Province, Jaffna, Elephant Pass and the Chundikkulam beach in the Northern Province

“The movie will reflect the developments in the North and East. The script emphasizes unity and strength. It will project the effort made by our war heroes in freeing the nation,” Nalaka who has also penned the script of the movie said.

Pictures by Ranjith Asanka

MCNS Director General Lakshman Hulugalle and Ravindra Randeniya	The Rupantharana team