Riding a wave of enthusiasm

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

He talks about setting a common telecommunication tower for different operators in the same breath that he speaks about what drew him to cinema. The director and CEO of Sierra Global Network Pvt Ltd, a leading telecommunications infrastructure development company in Sri Lanka, by profession but with a heart for art, that is one way to describe Dr. Arosha Fernando for you.

Dr. Fernando with Nalaka and Ranjan during the Diyathalawa shoot

Ravindra and Angela

“Making a movie was one of my childhood dreams. I believe the passion came from my family background. If all goes well I want to produce one movie per year. My vision is to own a few cinema halls in the future,” notes Dr. Fernando on balancing his twin passions in the corporate and art fields.

Starting his career as a Marketing Assistant at Ericsson Australia Pvt Limited in Melbourne, Australia, Dr. Fernando has a distinctive professional background covering two decades in the telecom industry, globally.

His entry into the art scene is marked by producing young director Nalaka Withanage’s second cinematic venture Rupantharana (Unspoken Love). The movie stars Ravindra Randeniya, Jeewan Kumaratunga, Ranjan Ramanayake, Angela Seneviratne, Damitha Abeyratne, Nayana Kumari, Tissa Wijesurendra and some new faces.

Amila Karunanayake, Shaila Nathaniel, Kelum Kularathna and Milinda Madugalle make their debut into movies through the film. Shaila is from Pakistan. This will be the first time that a Pakistani actress performs a leading role in a Sri Lankan film. Sheila has a track record in the media sector in Pakistan and India. She has been working as an announcer at Swarnavahini. The movie was shot in Colombo, Diyathalawa, Jaffna and Australia and is set for release in 2013.

Q: How did your move from the corporate sector to arts happen?

A: It was a childhood passion. My grandfather owned a few cinema halls in Colombo and Ambalangoda. One of my uncles has produced a few movies. I grew up in this environment.

My initial plan was to make a movie once I reached 50 years. The idea was put into action sooner once I met Nalaka through a friend. We soon realized that we shared a lot of common interests. I am an old Anandian while he is a past pupil of Nalanda College. I had my higher education in Australia and he studied in New Zealand. Therefore we were both thinking along similar lines. Nalanka was awaiting the release of his debut movie Anithya (Eternal Love) and looking for a producer for his second film. I was not ready to embark on the project then but once we began discussing the topic, it triggered my interest especially because it deals with some of the national issues faced by the country in a very tactful manner.

I did not want the opportunity to pass me by and spoke to some of my contacts. Sampath Bank stepped forward to fund the project.

Q: Explain the movie title.

A: It indicates transformation. The postwar situation took the country to a different phase but this too could change in a blink of an eye. Therefore we need to be vigilant and support the army in all aspects to lead the country towards a better future.

Q: Currently there are a lot of movies based on the post war situation and the Diaspora theme. How will Rupantharana stand apart from this trend?

A: We do not address the war situation in Rupantharana. It is more about the international pressure and the possibility of the emergence of terrorism.

We do not make references to any particular people or situations in recent history. We highlight our military strength.

Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) Director General Lakshman Hulugalle has been a great strength to us and had provided us with some important clips and information about the situation.

Q: Why did you cast new actors for the lead roles?

A: Nalaka and I believe that there is a gap between the new generation and elder generation of actors. If you compare emerging young artistes with veterans like Gamini Fonseka and Joe Abeywickrama, you feel that there is something missing among the young crowd.

They have the spark but are unable to unearth it. They need training and guidance. They have been given that training throughout this assignment.

Q: Lahiru Perera made his debut into movie music directing with Rupantharana.

A: There are three songs in this movie. Lahiru made a difference with his hit Rambari. He is trying to bring different kinds of music patters to movies through Rupantharana.

Q: How has it been working with Nalaka?

A: I have been involved throughout the project with funding as well as getting approval in certain areas for filming. My political and business contacts came in handy for this. We have been working as a team.

I have not interfered with the creative process much because I know that that is Nalaka’s strength. However he has always been open to suggestions.

He did not wish to dominate the project. It has been very pleasant working with him and I was able to give my fullest support for the movie. Nalaka is also planning on another workshop, this time for the production crew. That is one of the main reasons why I wanted to become involved in his work because I realized that he is embarking on the process with the worthy intent of developing the film industry.

Q: What is your favourite moment in Rupantharana?

A: There are a lot of ‘favourite’ clips that I have seen throughout the movie but I really like the moment when the lead actress is enlightened about her boyfriend and his purpose. That is a very emotional moment and I believe that the scene came out very nicely.

Q: Are you involved in any other artistic projects at the moment?

A: Once we completed Rupantharana I realized that I wanted to do more for this field. I am producing two more teledramas with Nalaka. One is a comedy called Nayo which we hope to telecast during weekends. Saranga Dissasekara, Pabodha Sandeepani, Janith Wickramage and Himali Siriwardena are involved in the project.

A Monday to Friday series called Manorama is also on the cards. It will star Uditha Abeyratne, Eranga Jeewantha, Helani Bandara, Thisuri Yuwanika, Wasanthi Ranawala, Bandula Withanage, Rebecca Nirmali and Mike Fernando. We are planning to telecast them next year.

We are also discussing about doing another movie. The planning process is underway.

I recently began an in depth study of the movie industry. I visited the Lumiere Brothers’ Studio in Lyon, France, in my recent European tour. The first movie was invented and produced there in 1895. It is an unforgettable experience for me.

Rejuvenating Lankan cinema

Channa Bandara Wijekoon

Sinhala cinema was stagnated without evolving for nearly three decades due to many complicated reasons. Now the sphere shows positive rejuvenating signs.

Setting up of ‘Film Directors’ Guild of Sri Lanka’ recently was a practical approach towards this cause. Secretary of the guild, seasoned film director Bennett Ratnayake sharing his views with the Daily News said the guild will have focus on three key-areas.

“We will act as a lobby group to pressurize the authorities to design an ‘investor-friendly’ distribution system, bring legislation to adapt ‘digital cinema concept’ and to make a ‘national policy’ for local cinema”, he said.

In the present context, film directors in this country are faced with many challenges. This is the first ever entity in the country dedicated to address the issues of film directors and work towards evolution of local cinema.

Any film director who has done a theatrical-release of a film can become a member of the guild.

“Yet, cinematographers, script writers, assistant directors, make-up artistes and others involved in the sphere can also secure associate memberships to add muscle to the team. The mechanism of finding producers for films has gone haywire at present. It has virtually become the director’s baby to find a producer,” Ratnayake noted.

“Now we have a volatile film distribution system. In the good old days, screening of a particular film was confirmed once the film was approved by the censor-board. Today we cannot look forward to a specific date of screening. NFC must intervene as a regulator to rectify this unhealthy situation,” he said. The process of distribution is now virtually in the hands of few private entities. They decide the time to screen a particular film, the screening period, the percentage of money to be paid to the producer and what amount of publicity a particular film deserves.

“If a producer is powerful and highly influential, early screening of his or her film is guaranteed. Others are at the receiving end. Also the numbers of film halls have shrunk to 135 now to add insult to injury thus the challenge is enormous,” he added.

“The era of making films with 35mm negatives is almost over. In the near future, printing of 35mm copies will cease and we will have to adapt digital cinema. While the printing cost of a 35mm copy is higher than 150,000 rupees, a digital copy will cost only 150 dollars thus it is cost effective too. Since digital copies have enhanced quality and a clear projection, the cinema-goers to whom we cater will get a value added service and their money’s worth. It will encourage them to see local films again. Hence the film halls must be upgraded in prior, to embrace digital cinema. This involves a significant investment thus has to be done by the authorities. Even legislation could be brought for this purpose, and the directors’ guild will constantly remind and pressurize authorities to do so,” he said.

Another vital aspect in the agenda is to work towards formulating a ‘National policy’ for the local cinema.

Even countries like Philippines and Iran have national policies for their cinema. Sri Lankan cinema too should have its own identity. It has to be respected and treated as a creative industry.

According to Ratnayake the guild will also pressurize the authorities and banks to offer loans to make commercial and arty films.

They hope to keep the Minister and the secretary informed in due course of their expectations.

The whole exercise is to take Sinhala cinema to the next level and the ‘Film Directors’ Guild of Sri Lanka’ looks forward to every one’s support to make it a reality.

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Kareena and Rani lock horns!

The new girls to join the Bollywood cat-fight club are Rani Mukherjee and Kareena Kapoor. And the reason behind this fight is their recently released film Talaash. The movie is screening these days at Liberty cinema in Sri Lanka and is a detective thriller of a cop in search of the truth behind a crime.

According to a leading daily, there were cold vibes between Kareena and Rani while promoting Talaash in Delhi. Aamir Khan, who was also there, played the role of a mediator. The source said that Talaash did well at the Box-Office, but Rani and Kareena's friendship soured after the reviews came out.

The source further added, “Though Kareena had the bigger role in the film, Rani's acting garnered more appreciation. That could be one of the reasons for this.”

Also at the recent success party of Talaash, Kareena Kapoor and Rani Mukherjee avoided facing each other as Kareena left the party at 11.30 and Rani walked in when Kareena left.

Well, they both have proved once again that two actress can never be friends!

One India