 Bhadraji turns director with ‘Vehi Davasa’
by Ruwini Jayawardana
 Renowned vocalist, novelist,
screenwriter and actor, Bhadraji Mahinda Jayathilaka leafed a new
chapter through life when he turned to movie directing. Titled ‘Vehi
Davasa’ (Rainy Day), the Muhurath ceremony of the movie was held at the
Punchi Theatre recently.
The story unfolds in the cool and hazy environment of Nuwara Eliya.
Elisa, the protagonist of the tale is a hard working woman who faces up
to the challenges in life. With an idle natured husband to support and
three kids to clothe and feed, Elisa is engaged in a battle with life.
On this particular day her main concern is to take her sick child to the
hospital.
Her friend, Theja, too joins Elisa on her venture to the hospital.
Theja is heavily pregnant and is looking forward to having her first
baby.
Meanwhile another episode is taking place elsewhere. A popular actor
named Dilip and his team are on their way to Nuwara Eliya to stage a
play. Anoja, the wife of the head physician at the general hospital in
the area is looking forward to an opportunity to form a close liaison
with Dilip.
However things take a different turn as nature intervenes in an
unexpected manner. The lives of these individuals are buried beneath a
shocking incident which rocks the nation.
“The film is based on Bhadraji’s novel ‘Vehi Davasa’ but the script
of the movie is slightly altered to suite the contemporary society. It
is based on a true life incident. Most of the cast comprises those who
had made significant contributions to the stage.
 We wanted the production to have more weight and we will be using the
latest high definition technology for the project,” the production
manager M. Safeer noted.
Hemantha Prasad, Udeni Alwis, Praba Sandasili, Sangeetha Thadani,
Sanat Dikkumbura, Bhadraji Mahinda Jayathilaka, Vishaka Jayaweera,
Prasad Deshapriya, Nadeeka Tharangani, Inoka Sanjaweeni and others make
up the cast. Udeni Alwis is the assistant director while the script and
dialogues are by Hemantha Prasad. Donald Karunaratne is the cameraman.
The art director is Nalaka Jinendra. Premajayantha Kapuge will handle
the make up department.
The costumes are by M. Safeer and Nalaka Jinendra. The team began
shooting in Nuwara Eliya from October 1. ‘Vehi Dawasa’ is produced by
Inter Act Art and Bhadraji Creative Arts Centre.
Harry Potter mania at Liberty!
As movie-goers in Sri Lanka
throng to the Liberty Cinema to witness the magic of ‘Harry Potter and
the half-blood Prince’, many girls are going ga-ga over the 20-year old
star Daniel Radcliffe. Sri Lankans would be happy to know that the
popular English actor actually raised money for tsunami charity by
autographing t-shirts. In February 2005, Radcliffe put a “Hogwarts Crew”
T-shirt which he autographed up for auction to help raise money for the
tsunami victims in 2005. His T-shirt was part of the tsunami Clothes
Auction which raised money for the Rebuilding Sri Lanka Organization. He
wore the t-shirt during the making of the film, Harry Potter and the
Goblet of Fire. These T-shirts were only issued to members of the cast
and crew. His shirt raised sterling pounds 520.
 Daniel Jacob Radcliffe was born in West London, England, the only
child of Alan George Radcliffe, a literary agent, and Marcia Jeannine
Gresham, a casting agent who was involved in several films for the BBC.
Radcliffe’s mother is Jewish and a native of Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex.
His father is Protestant and originally from Northern Ireland.
Radcliffe first expressed a desire to act at the age of five.
Radcliffe was asked to audition for the role of Harry Potter in 2000 by
producer David Heyman, while in attendance at a London production of
‘Stones in His Pockets’.
In August of that year, after several auditions, he was selected to
play the role in the big-budget adaptation of the award-winning book
series by J.K. Rowling.
Radcliffe made his film debut in 2001 with a supporting role
alongside Pierce Brosnan in ‘The Tailor of Panama’, and the first Harry
Potter film, ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone’ was released
later that year.
Radcliffe appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List in 2006 and 2007.
“I think the thing we certainly tried to do in Half Bood Prince was
strike a balance between the darkness,’’ Radcliffe insists. Check out
‘Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’ at the Liberty Cinema this
month!
The Glory of the Inglorious!
In Nazi-occupied France during World War II, a group of
Jewish-American soldiers known as “The Basterds” are chosen specifically
to spread fear throughout the Third Reich by scalping and brutally
killing Nazis. The Basterds soon cross paths with a French-Jewish
teenage girl who runs a movie theatre in Paris which is targeted by the
soldiers. Watch ‘Inglourious Basterds’ at Majestic Cinema soon! |
