 
by Ruwini Jayawardana
Renowned playwright and teledrama director Siritunga Perera who had
recently been in the news for bringing W.A. Silva’s novel, ‘Handapana’
to the mini screen will make his debut to cinema with ‘Kanyavi’, a film
which celebrates womanhood.
The film had completed shooting and is waiting to be released at
Ridma circuit cinemas across the island in November.
“The script was penned 35 years ago but the production never took
wings till recently after I met up with Indika Wijeratne. He agreed to
produce the film on behalf of Cine Vision Lanka. The title also emerged
recently. Some thought that it is an Adults Only movie by merely
referring to the title.
That is not so. ‘Kanyavi’ revolves around the family and its effect
on life,” Perera noted.
‘Kanyavi’ explores the conflict between husband and wife. When Janaka
saves a damsel in distress he gets into a situation which detaches him
from his wife and daughter. Meanwhile his friend, a young actor, is
attracted to Janaka’s wife. An up and coming actress falls in love with
the young actor but he is blind to her advances. The tale flows in thus.
“The movie is a dedication to women who tolerates and bears conflicts
which come across her path in life. She has a will of steel when she is
faced with the matters of her loved ones. The theme is timeless and
celebrates the pure and strong will of women while meeting the
challenges in life,” he said.
Sanath Gunatilleke and Meena Kumari take over the lead roles in the
movie which introduces Dilani Madhurasinghe to cinema. Other roles are
portrayed by Pubudu Chathuranga, Himali Sayurangi, Susila Kottage,
Sathischandra Edirisinghe, Somaweera Gamage, Haicinth Wijeratne, Seetha
Kumari, Upali Keerthisena and others. Maestro Premasiri Khemadasa had
directed the music.
 Though he had started out by directing plays and teledramas, Perera
said that cinema had been his ultimate goal.
He said, “I wish to make a significant impact with my first movie. I
studied the techniques behind quality international films and gleaned a
lot of details.
I was a part of the Kala Pela society during the era when the local
cinema industry was at its hilt. A lot of good film reviews poured in
from the critics and we learnt a lot by reading the articles. It is
unfortunate that the cinema took a new turn and focused more on profit
making later.
Low budget creations based on cheap themes with clips projecting
pornography emerged. The audience who had been used to high quality
movies abandoned the cinema halls. If you give a product which is worth
the money the audience will flock to watch films again.”
He says that the best mode of taking the local identity to
international spheres is through cinema.
“However we need to project our own cultural aspects through the
product.
Some filmmakers make films to cater to the needs of foreign forces.
This is treason against the country. A film’s success is measured by the
number of people (audience) who had watched the movie,” he elaborated.
‘Kanyavi’ was shot in locations in Colombo and Nuwara Eliya. Perera’s
second movie will begin work on the day that ‘Kanyavi’ begins screening
islandwide. |
