ANARKALLI’S love on time...

Ruwini JAYAWARDANA

To the world you might be one person but to one person you might be the world, or so the saying goes. That is one way you can describe youth romance. It is a carefree and light hearted feeling where you see life through rose tinted glasses.

Suddenly your feeling changed when you are faced with the smallest issue. Relationships shatter when they encounter the most trivial boundaries. It’s not just the hormones but many other aspects and only a few really strong bonds last for a longer span.

This is the message that renowned director Roy de Silva has embedded in his latest cinematic venture. The sequel to the early 90s hit, ‘It’s a Matter of Time’, ‘It’s a Matter of Love’ is de Silva’s second English movie. It focuses on the second generation though there are several scenes referring to its predecessor. Anarkalli Aakarsha, Saranga Disasekera, Vijaya Nandasiri, Rosy Senanayake, Lucky Dias, Irangani Serasinghe, Ronnie Leitch, Corrine Almeida and Nehara Pieris star in ‘It’s a Matter of Love’ while Ronnie’s daughter Keishiya Leitch, makes her debut to movies thorough the production. De Silva’s celebrity wife Sumana Amarasinghe is the Production Executive, Costume Designer and Locations Coordinator of the project. The movie premiered at LA’s Vista cinema hall and is now screening at Majestic Cineplex.

Anarkalli and Saranga, the lead couple of the movie, shared some thoughts with us on why ‘love matters’. Here are some excerpts from the interview:

ANARKALLI

Q: What do you think about ‘It’s a Matter of Time’?

A: The movie was done as an experiment and became the first English language movie to be directed by a Sri Lankan artiste. I think it is a brave attempt taken on by de Silva and Amarasinghe and a great victory for local cinema.

It came at a time when there was a belief that local artistes cannot be engaged in an English language production. However ‘It’s a Matter of Time’ proved it wrong. It is very conversant in English. I watched the movie just before I started working on ‘It’s a Matter of Love’ and found that there are still many incidents there which are applicable to today.

Q: How do you see ‘It’s a Matter of Love’?

A: It is a very sweet and light hearted movie. The sequel comes with a lighter vein. There is a lot of youth energy in the project. We blended well into our characters. The casting was done well. The movie is very entertaining.

Q: How would you describe teenage love?

A: It is a carefree feeling because you hardly focus on serious matters at this stage. Once you are attracted to a person the mere thought of him/her brightens you up. You do not realize the commitments you have to make to make the relationship last on the long run. It is only later that you realize the depth of matters as you proceed and encounter each other’s differences.

Q: Do you think there is a market for locally produced English movies?

A: There was a minority of fans for English language movies when ‘It’s a Matter of Time’ was made but the number has increased today. You have to start somewhere when you are ready to embark on something new and that is why I appreciate the film-making duo for taking this route with ‘It’s a Matter of Time.’ De Silva’s forte is Sinhala language comedy films. Yet he decided try his hand at making another English language film. Hopefully this will encourage more film-makers to make artistic English movies in the future.

Though ‘It’s a Matter of Love’ is an English movie the Sinhala speaking audience too can relate to it. It centers on youth, but caters to the whole family.

Q: What are the moments that you liked best while shooting for the film?

A: I enjoyed shooting for the song visuals. There were a lot of beautiful locations in those sequences and it felt a bit weird singing to Jothi as you danced. I also loved the scenes that I acted with Senanayake. She is a close family friend and I never imagined that I would get the opportunity to act with her.

Q: What are your upcoming movies?

A: I am engaged in public and community service work these days. Therefore I have become pickier in my choices when selecting my roles. However I have an everlasting love for the arts. I will always take on a good project when it comes my way.

Q: Are you working on anything new these days?

A: I will start shooting for a movie called ‘Sandalu Thale’ soon. I haven’t taken on any teledramas as it is time consuming. I will finish work on my first music video and I am looking forward to releasing it soon.

I love writing to the ‘Youth Observer’. It provides an opportunity for me to address the readers and give them a moment from my busy schedule. My mother has always been encouraging me to write a book. I might give that some thought as well.

SARANGA

Q: Why did you decide to be a part of ‘It’s a Matter of Love’?

A: I decide to be a part of the movie due to several reasons. There are only a few English movies made by local film-makers in Sri Lanka. Therefore this is a rare opportunity that came my way.

‘It’s a Matter of Time’ became a hit in the 1990s. It starred a stellar cast which included Gamini Fonseka, Kamal Addararachchi, Sangeetha Weeraratne and Rosy Senanayake.

Many well known actors have been included in ‘It’s a Matter of Love’ as well. My role interested me. I thought that it was a good choice to make.

Q: Have you taken part in locally produced English productions before?

A: No. This was the first production that I have done in English. It was a new experience but I knew that I was in capable hands because de Silva has done it before.

The song sequences and some of the other scenes vary slightly from those that are usually included in a Sinhala language films.

You are catering to a different fan base.

Q: ‘It’s a Matter of Love’ is basically a romantic comedy. Have you done rom-coms before?

A: I acted in ‘Super Six’ in which I had to do a role which included some comic scenes. However most of the comedy in ‘It’s a Matter of Love’ is generated by Nandasiri, Leitch and Almeida. I did act opposite Nandasiri in some of these scenes but Marlon’s role is more serious than comic.

Many people have requested me to try my hand at comedy because they believe that I would excel in it. That is something I hope to pursue in the future.

Q: What was challenging about ‘It’s a Matter of Love’?

A: Being cast as the second generation in a sequel you always feel that the successor too needs to be up to the mark of its predecessor. Living up to the standards set by ‘It’s a Matter of Love’ was challenging as well as pressurizing. However this is not a remake so we had a free hand at things as well. Most of the characters including Marlon’s were new to the movie.

Q: If you were Marlon would you have reacted in the same way if you had to face a similar situation?

A: I have passed that age and have faced similar circumstances in my life. Therefore I know what kind of emotions Marlon must have undergone when Natasha begins to question his feelings for her. I think I too would have reacted in a similar manner to the incidents that followed in the tale.

Q: This is the first time that you have worked with Roy and Sumana.

A: I have been a fan of de Silva’s movies and have enjoyed the jovial nature surrounding his productions. However after being roped into his production I have seen that he handles his cast and crew in a very simple yet professional manner. There is energy on the sets and everyone contributes to the production as best as they can. I enjoyed working with the duo and I am looking forward to working with them in the future as well.

Q: Whose role did you like best in ‘It’s a Matter of Love’?

A: I loved Nandasiri’s role. He stands out in the movie and there many moments in which he lightens up serious situations. I enjoyed the scenes acting opposite to him and learnt a lot from him.

Anoma brings ‘Punarukthi’ in English

Ishara Jayawardane

The launching of the English translation of a remarkable and dynamic book ‘Punarukthi’ by Anoma Janadari took place recently in the midst of a gathering of well wishers and media personnel. It is about the struggle and victory of one woman.

It is the story of one woman who overcame overwhelming odds. It is the story of the most unorthodox, influential feminist actresses – Anoma Janadari. It was a launched in Sinhala in 2011. Since it is Janadari’s wish that it needs to go for a worldwide release, the book has been translated into English by Krishan Jayaratnam who represents the English theatre scene.

“Anoma says that this book is written to tell her own story. However according to my point of view it is a story of a female rebel challenging the male chauvinist world. It could take place anywhere in the world. Rebel acts are driven by a sense of injustice. In the cause of the rebellion only one could understand the exact condition that created the sense of injustice. You need a social and philosophical analysis to understand the exact nature of the injustice,” said Wikramabahu Karunaratne.

Punarukthi means retelling. This book is written to retell a story that cannot be denied or suppressed. “It is my own story. It is the story of my life - a life that was shattered and tormented by the heinous degrading acts of others. It is the story of survival, of fighting back to protect ones own self esteem and moral sanity from cruel dominating adversity; from sexual discrimination and exploitation. It is a story that must be told and retold until its voice is finally heard,” said Janadari.

Janadari is an award winning film star, teledrama actress, stage actress and writer of a series of published short stories. She received the prestigious Presidential award for best actress in Vishwa Keerthi.

Chief Guest Sumitra Peries said, “I was surprised to be invited because the kind of the females portrayed in my films was frankly the opposite that Janadari portrays in her movies, specially ‘Thani Thatuwen’. Today society is changing and films are changing. She and I share that kind of basic village upbringing with nature. We have faced many hardships.”