Criticisms are based on personal grudges - Jackson

By Panchamee HEWAVISSENTI

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Aba based on the historical tale of Prince Pandukabhaya has been subject to many criticisms. Here are the excerpts from the interview the Sunday Observer had with the director of the film- Jackson Anthony.

What response does Aba receive from the crowd?

I am very proud to say it has been screened throughout 75 days and we hope to screen it for 100 days. We have been able to earn a good amount. The crowd at Cinema halls are unexpectedly increasing.

We have by now started school shows and there's a big response for that. The specialty is that from the day that Aba started screening the crowd keeps on increasing.

The production cost for Aba was a huge amount. Have you already been able to gain the money spent on it?

Not yet. But I think we will be able to cover up the production cost by the audience itself.

Do you expect a huge profit from this film?

We do not totally depend on the profit. Even the producers are not very much concerned on the profit. What we initially planned was that we would step to the next stage if we would be able to cover up production cost.

As we have already estimated we are sure that we would be able to cover up the cost if we screen the film for 100 days. So the screening would not end there. We hope to do it overseas as well. So, I think we will be able to earn a profit from the film.

Have you taken any steps to show your film overseas?

Yes. We mainly target the Sri Lankan audience who live abroad. We have already started screening Aba in Australia. We have planned to screen it for three months covering the populated cities such as Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. The film will be screening during weekends. From Australia we will be switching to New Zealand. Then we start from Cyprus to Middle East region. And another team which is planning to start screening from Italy is responsible for distributing it throughout the Europe.

You have already presented Aba for the international cinema companies for distributing it internationally. Have you got a satiable response from international bodies?

Yes! Those companies show a satisfactory response.The communication process is being done without any hindrance or unwillingness. They have asked from us the video clips and the script. Among them China and Italy show a keen interest over Aba. I hope the international market will open new horizons for Aba.

The dialogues in the film are in Sinhala. When you need to expose the film to international market, the film should be dubbed into English and various other languages. Are you ready for the task?

I was suggested by an Australian company to dub the film into English so that they would take the total responsibility of distributing it. But it requires quite a lot of money and having spent a lot of money for the production of Aba,I'm not in a position to dub the film into other languages. I kindly explained them my situation. Not only Australia, many countries are willing to hold the total responsibility of the distribution of the film, if it is dubbed into other languages.

Some Indian companies agreed to dub the film themselves into Kannada and Malayalam. The initial step of the negotiation became successful and I'm looking forward for the next step to be taken.

What made those Indian companies to take the total responsibility of dubbing the film into their languages and distributing it despite the financial challenges they would encounter?

A crew of agents from those companies came to Sri Lanka to watch the film and they were impressed by the plot of the film. They have no knowledge of the Sri lankan history though they understood that this is an epic related to Sri Lanka. They were highly impressed by the cinematographical flow of the film.

Aba is a film which received critiques in abundance; most of them being negative.The critics' main point was that Aba should not be shown under the title of " The story of Prince Pandukabhaya" or as an epic. And also some are of the view that Aba is a distortion of the Sri Lankan history. What have you got to say about those negative critiques?

I would not agree with the opinion that Aba is a distortion of the history. It's a myth based on jealousy and fundamentalism. Those who criticise the film have nothing to do with the film but have personal grudges against me and they use Aba as a tool to attack me.

I strongly declare that Aba is based on historical chronicles and let there be no doubt about it.

Do you have strong facts to prove that the originality of the Sri Lankan history has not been harmed by Aba? Have you consulted litterateurs in Sri Lankan history before you embarked on the task?

Yes I do have strong facts to counter those negative criticisms. I have consulted experts in the relevant field like Mendis Rohanadheera, Ellawala Medhananda Thera and so on. They are the ones whom I turn to when I need a doubtful idea to be clarified. They're experts in the field and it's not questionable.

Before I created Aba I have thoroughly studied the Ceylon history. Aba is not the only film which is based on Ceylon history. Though they were deviations from the original, none faced criticisms as Aba did.

The main idea of the film is to highlight patriotism. When I try to highlight it through the film, a group of people have misinterpreted that I'm trying to rouse ethnic strife in the country. So they make a clamour against the film.

Some think that patriotism is an age-old concept which would not suited for the new millennium. They also have the false attitude that patriotism or the love for the country would not tally with the internationalism. These type of false ideas are projected by the minority. Those who are against patriotism see Aba as a film which doesn't commensurate with their anti-patriotic attitudes and they protest against it. The reason to attack Aba is a personal aspect. Some people who claim that they are strong Buddhists are jealous of my knowledge of Buddhism and history, because I'm a Christian by birth.

I have given them a reasoned reply for that, but they still keep on criticising the film. It seems that they have a strong protest against Aba based on personal animosity. Those who criticise Aba do so according to their personal agenda regardless of what the public opinion on the film.

You are on the infallible view of patriotism and you have tried to highlight it through Aba. What is the possibility of making a film which is similar to Aba in your next endeavour?

There's every possibility. Aba is just the beginning of that. I leave public in suspense that they would be able to see many exciting things in future. I have made a film which cultivates patriotism in people and I check what the response for that type of a film is like. It's obvious that though a small group of people agitate against Aba ,the majority is for it. This is a good opportunity for me to assess people's patriotic attitude.

I feel that the person who strives for patriotism is isolated.There's no organisation to stand by me. I'm isolated and represent that organisation which campaign against anti-patriotism. There's a question arising from that is the patriotism not allowed?

I know that if I made a film which rouse lust and critics will keep their mouths shut. There're instances in abundance of such nature. And no one is gathered to criticise or stop those films which ruin our proud culture.

I'm repeatedly telling that we need more creations which arouse patriotism in the public in order to preserve the proud culture.

What I expect from my creations is to form a camp of all ethnic groups to uphold the locality and the originality of the country's culture.

Did you face criticism while you're doing "Mahasinhale Wansakathawa" some time ago?

I started "Mahasinhale Wansakathawa"in 2000 and there was a great audience gathered around it. It gave a facelift to the buried history. And also it helped to kindle enthusiasm and vivify peoples' attitude towards their culture and history. But there was a group of people who tried to disparage my attempt saying that I have little knowledge of Buddhism and history because I'm a christian by birth. Many threw cold water at me. Though I was able to finish the programme successfully.

I'm proud to proclaim that, the Education Ministry decided to include history and literature which was removed from the syllabus. I have always tried to execute my due responsibility to the country. Though I'm an individual I have always worked as a government.

What role does media organisations play in giving due recognition to Aba?

A small group of assailants who hold vain fundamentalistic views, make a wilful clamour against Aba and some media organisations- not all, support the critics' obscure comments and wagging an unmitigated war against Aba. Some media organisations think that when they publicize articles against Aba, they would get a good recognition. Some media adamantly refuse critiques which praise Aba and determined to publish destructive critiques. Those media organisations which are funded by NGOs claim that they are patriotic but what the truth is that they are the real anti- patriots.

Though the clamour is made by the minority, I understand the public point of view of Aba is quite different from that. Public knows that I'm not a fundamentalist.

Has anyone pejoratively referred to you as a fundamentalist?

Not directly! But, I request not to look up to me as a fundamentalist or missionary. I ask them to assess Jackson Anthony not by birth but from where he started emerging. My path is very transparent. Any one is allowed to explore it. I emphasise that though my creed is Christianity, my culture is Buddhism. There can be only one culture in the country and it's the Buddhist culture. Despite a person's belief anyone can adopt to the Buddhist culture. There's a unique freedom in Buddhism. I'm a person who enjoys, appreciates and studies that unique freedom of Buddhism.

You seem to have a thorough knowledge on Buddhism.......

I started studying Buddhism when I was a small boy from Duwe temple in Bandarawela. I admire buddhism because I was not bequeathed it. So I know the value of it .I have an unquenchable quest of exploring deep into Buddhism.

Some hold a strong view that in order to be on par with the international community, Sri Lankans should think beyond age-old boundaries. Otherwise Sri Lanka will be marginalised and lost. What's your notion on that?

That's hilarious to think that Sri Lankans have to drop their proud culture to be on par with the international community. No one can be international without national attitude. If we lose our "nationality" we are more likely to lose our identity in the international arena.

In the concept of global village, we have to present our " nationality" to the international arena to exchange things. That should be done and what people are doing right now is the inverse thing. They cast their identity- that's the nationality and try to adopt westernised things, which I feel is totally void of any meaning.

What can Sri Lankans do to contribute to the "global village" concept?

A village is a place where talents are exchanged. The global village requires the talents and cultures to be present by every nation so that the cultural attributes are interchanged.If we produce our own things, not which we have adopted from anyone, Sri Lankan things will be praised, admired and accepted!

I always encourage people to target the international arena. We should present to the international sphere our proud culture which has been existing more than 2500 years. We have a treasure; that's our proud culture.People of this country should understand that and that's what I'm trying to convey through Aba.

The trend today is for copycat programmes.....

I do not think that the public is hundred percent attracted to the cheap and inferior things. I can feel the pulse of the people and I know what to give to them to uplift their zest.

Some like to claim that the taste of the public is for inferior things. But it's not so. What really happens is that some media is trying to put down the taste of the public so that it's easier for them to market cheap things.

That's not what we are required to do. We should give the public the things of high calibre. I believe that we have to nurture their interest for good things instead of devastating and uprooting their taste.