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Monday, 11 February 2013

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On a fresh note

She talks about awareness, prevention, hope and social discrimination. With a heart set on social service activities and social awareness campaigns Yolanda Weerasinghe uses her artistic flair to give a vital message to the society.


Sachini and Nita

Her stories and scripts have blossomed into much talked about productions in the local arts scene. The latest production to come into the limelight is Swara (Seven Notes) which stars Nita Fernando in the lead. The movie captured on camera by Prabath Roshan, set to music by Ranga Dassnayanake and art directed is Manjula Ayagama bagged the Green Rose Award Special Mention at the Fifth Jaipur International Film Festival held in India recently. Nirosha Virajini, Pradeep Dharmadasa and Ranjan Saliya have rendered their voices for the project which includes lyrics penned by Wasantha Kumara Kobawaka and Nilar Cassim. Channa Wijewardena has choreographed the dance acts while Lou Ching Wong has choreographed the fashion show. Swara is due to release in local theaters towards the middle of the year.

Q: What did winning the Green Rose Award at the Fifth Jaipur International Film Festival mean to you?

A: The award means a lot to me. I believe that it is a tribute to the people who are living with HIV. Swara was included in the Green Rose category which comprise films embodying a global message to the world.

When we were screening the film at the festival the DVD got stuck half way through. The jury got annoyed because they were so engaged in the tale. They changed it to reels and the audience was able to witness the film as it is with cinematic effects.

Many people congratulated us after the show. Some of them even said that Nita acted like a Hollywood star. Jury members commented on Damitha Abeyratne and Danu Innasithamby's acting too and a group requested us to send it to the Oscars after trimming it slightly. I believe that all this feedback came because the movie includes a powerful message.

Q: Why is the film titled Swara?

A: The film was originally named Living With Hope. The story revolved around 14 characters then and it required a huge budget. We limited it to seven characters and Sanjaya decided that each of them will represent the seven notes in a musical composition. We bring forth the diverse personalities and situations of each character as a separate note.

Rohan, Narmada's husband, was supposed to commit suicide in the first version of the story because we discovered that all the husbands of HIV patients follow this route.

However we did not wish to bring this aspect to the film as this does not give a positive message. You can still live life to the fullest even if you are HIV positive. You need is to take care of yourself and follow medical advice properly.

Q: How different was it scripting Swara from Nisala Gira?


Yolanda Weerasinghe. Picture by Saman Sri Wedage

A: I was thinking about the Australian drug abuse problem when I scripted Nisala Gira. I was concerned about projecting those images in a Sri Lankan setting. However I realized that there are only a few differences here. For example they do not inject drugs in Sri Lanka.

HIV is a global concern. We need to stop the stigma and discrimination and prevent it from spreading in society. Since those with HIV are scared of the stigma they go into hiding.

We can stop smoking and alcohol but we cannot stop sex. It is a natural process. We need to advice them on how to protect themselves. These women have gotten HIV from their husbands. Some migrant workers and innocent children have been born with HIV.

Some of our actors refused to play these characters because they said that they will get branded as HIV positive people. The final cast of Swara delivered a stunning performance. They studied about HIV and gave out the message of the movie to the audience so well that those living with HIV declared that they saw themselves in the characters.

Q: Do you believe that social awareness is an essential element in an artistic production?

A: Yes, I believe that artistes can give a clear message to the society. I penned Brave Warrior which involves a theme about cancer. I am also interested in writing about rebirth and abused women.

Q: You deal with sensitive issues in your writing. How do you decide where to draw the line in such creations?

A: I don't think I would draw a margin. I lived in Australia for 39 years. I fostered a child whose mother was a drug user and was HIV positive. The baby is deaf and dumb. At one occasion the mother stopped the car while the child was in the back seat and takes a shot. I did research Sri Lanka and though the situation is not so bad here we did find some women using heroine. There are about 60, 000 to 80, 000 commercial sex workers in Sri Lanka. Around 500 female children are born with male organs. That is nature. We need to write about them and give them a chance to live in this world.

Q: You have worked with Sanjaya Nirmal before in productions like Nonimi Yathra (The Endless Voyage).


Prabath, Nita, Yolanda and Sanjaya with the award

A: I did 10 single episode stories for Nonimi Yathra. One was about a woman living in the slums.

I think doing a film is more exciting than making a teledrama. You can educate more people via films because you can give a cinematic presentation of what is taking place. Teledramas need many episodes. They drag the conversation. There are so many dialogues than acting. You can act without talking using facial expressions and drive home the message in a film.

Sri Lankan actors and actresses excel in dubbing. I was amazed to see them doing emotional scenes extremely well at the dubbing studio than while filming.

Q: Social service work is not new to you. You have been involved in projects even while you were in Australia.

A: I was the Executive Producer of the Evening Paris Fashion Show held in aid of The Melbourne-based Sri Lanka Study Centre for the Advancement of Technology and Social Welfare (SCATS) for their International Appeal for the Lady Ridgeway Children's Hospital in Sri Lanka. We even screened Nita's Sooriyakantha to raise funds.

I was in partnership with Taj Entertainment, Australia. We screened Indian feature films in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. I was part of a cultural society which brings Sri Lankan films to Australia.

Our foundation, Living With Hope, help street children, single mothers, HIV positive people and abused women. We recently helped a child with cancer to fly to India for an operation. Living With Hope approaches Australians, Canadians and Sri Lankans to help needy people in this country.

Q: What's next on your schedule?

A: I want to write a story about rebirth. The work has been delayed because of my recent accident.

I wish to thank all our sponsors especially the Standard Chartered Bank, Netherlands Embassy, Sri Lanka Family Planning Association, SLT, Manohan Nanayakkara of Asia Digital Entertainment and Rohan Welivita of Fine Vision Pictures.

I am grateful to all the doctors who helped me do research for my work. We hope to screen Swara in Sri Lanka towards the middle of this year.

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