Aesthetic cinema with a Lankan identity

By Anuradha Kodagoda

Chaminda Perera is a veteran artiste who has made his imprint in Sinhala cinema and music industry. Situ Kumariyo was his debut venture in the Sinhala cinema and through it he introduced many artistes including Sanath Gunathilake and Lal Harindranath who is today a veteran art director.

Excerpts of an interview with Montage:

Question: You are a computer engineer and what made you to step into music and the film industry?

Answer: My foray into film and music started from my school days. I was a film and music buff and fortunate to have the influence of Shan Wickremesinghe when I was at Royal College. He is technically brilliant and later on after leaving school, when I did H.R. Jothipala's first cassette Siriyame Sara his advice was immeasurable. Calerence Wijewardena, Annesley Malawana and Milton Mallawarchchi were my friends and I had a natural inclination to move with them.

While a schoolboy at Royal, I used to go to all the French Avant Guard and Polish films by Françoise Truffaut (Jules and Jim), Michelengelo Antonioni (L'ventura), Jean Luc Godard, Roman Polanski (Knife in the Water"). I never missed a Satyajit Ray or Akira Kurosawa, or Lester James Peries' films. I was also a Sinhala theatre fanatic. Due to my passion for music I never missed a Hindi (and later on Tamil) film. I was fascinated by them. Film and music were like breathing air for me.

Sri Lankan cinema

Q: Tell us about your involvement with the Sri Lankan cinema.

A: When the opportunity came to produce a movie, I put everything into it since my dream was to become a full-time movie producer. The outcome was Situ Kumariyo, where I introduced a new actor to the Sinhala cinema, Sanath Gunathilake. I also introduced Lal Harindranath (Art Direction), Kumarasiri Abeykoon and Nihal Jayasinghe (script writers), Rasadhari Fonseka(actress). Suminda Weerasinghe was the assistant camera director, with whom I went on to make a documentary on the Kandy Perahera, which was his first as director of photography. In Situ Kumariyo I did the adaptation from a picture story to a powerful cinematic drama of three characters.

Sanath Gunathilake's interest and awareness of cinema surpasses mine. I think he has seen all the directors and their films I mentioned. This interest is the underlying thread that binds the friendship I have with him. He will discuss cinema from morning till night. I remember in Canada, he used to watch three films a day. He is a true "artiste".

I was happy when he and Sunil T. selected my story for their new film Sinahawa Atharin. This again is a powerful love story of three characters, with the underlying Buddhist concept of Anicha(changing nature) and Dukha (un-satisfactoriness) permeating through the story. Wimal (Sanath Gunathilake) is a seeker of the truth and Kumari (Semini Iddamalgoda) is looking for answers for her dilemma. The cause of all this is Richard (Mr. Henri, the French actor).

Q: What is the purpose of the Tharupathi Art Circle and how did the idea really generate?

A: I did the Sri Lanka Film Festival in Ottawa a few years ago. The festival was done in collaboration with the Canadian Film Institute and the Sri Lanka High Commission in Ottawa. The Executive Director of the institute is a good friend and he was prepared to promote Sri Lankan Cinema.

I started the Tharupathi Art Circle and we did four film festivals in Ottawa. The objective is to promote Sri Lankan Art and Culture and bring Canadians close to Sri Lanka through Art and Culture. We are involved in the South Asian Festival, one of the biggest outdoor events and showcased Sri Lankan traditional and popular dance forms.

Canada is a multi-cultural society and fund different cultures. We want to tap into these funds. We want to develop an avenue for talented, serious artistes, (who cannot find a market in Sri Lanka), to find markets such as Canada.

We want to help artistes such as Priyanka Withanatchi (who lives in Toronto), maker of cinematic excellent films such as Sam's Story to tap into the Canadian market. He told me he has been waiting more than six years to have his film released in Sri Lanka.

There is also the huge Sri Lankan diaspora in Canada, who are starved of Sri Lankan entertainment and filling this gap is another mandate of Tharupathi. We are planning to hold a Buddhist Film Festival in Ottawa and are looking for films with Buddhist themes of Sri Lankan origin with sub titles. Our intention is to have two major events in a year, be it Sinhala or Tamil.

Q: Being a veteran figure in the Sri Lankan film industry, how would you compare the standard of today's Sri Lankan film industry with that of the previous decades and also with the world cinema?

A: I consider the Rukmani Devi era and the Gamini Foseka and Lester James Peries era as the golden age of the cinema. People go to the cinema, be it a serious art form or commercial, to be entertained. If you see a Lester Peries or Satyajit Ray film the pure quality of the audio/visual medium entertains you. It is the same with Yasapalitha Nanayakkara or K.A.W. Perera film on the commercial side during that time.

Artistic films

Today, we have artistes such as Prasanna Vithanage making artistic films and Udayakantha Warnasuriya on the commercial cinema, but the film industry is in doldrums!

In my view the cinemagoer today is exposed to the best in world cinema and has an elevated taste. So there is a comparison between the two and the cinemagoer has a choice and selects the better product. Our product has to step up to the plate or get rejected.

Statistically then our product is not up to the level of world cinema. We have to promote and create good full-time producers, who are well versed in the audio/visual medium of cinema and a flair for marketing, both technically and creatively and who can bring out a good product. The finances will automatically come after these producers, as they will bring the masses to the theatres.

Today I see directors doing the role of full-time producers and also directing: the product therefore is a failure.

In world cinema most directors who become full-time producers move away from direction and employ a director to give form to the product. The producer is always involved in the content and the beauty of the product through the director.

Aesthetic film

Q: In which way do you think should the aesthetic film of Sri Lankan cinema change to grab the lost audience?

A: The Avant-Guard cinema that I talked of earlier comes to my mind here. There has to be innovation, not "art-for-art's sake". The film should always be for the audience.

Aesthetic cinema should have a Sri Lankan identity or form. The audience should identify themselves with what is shown. Then the film has caught their attention. If you look at a Lester James Peries' film or Satyajit Ray film immediately you identify it's Sri Lankan or Indian in culture or nature and it binds you emotionally and aesthetically. So is a Kurosawa film. Otherwise, the viewer will distance himself and move away. The content or the subject should be truly Sri Lankan in their lives not wider social reform.