TELEDRAMA

'Kadulla' back on small screen

Kadulla, the evocative teledrama that explored the societal changes that took place in mid twentieth century Ceylon, is back on the small screen for a new generation of television audiences every Sunday at 8.30 p.m. on Rupavahini. Sponsored by Commercial Bank, the drama series will run till November 2015.

Tilak Jayaratne's monumental screen play was first broadcast as a radio play and was filmed for television under the masterly direction of Dharmasena Pathiraja, one of the most prolific and recognised film directors and screenwriters of Sri Lanka who directed many award winning films, documentaries and teledramas.

Kadulla addresses the emergence of the affluent elite that governed the country after Independence in 1948, and the social upheavals that followed.

The teledrama stars several icons of the Sinhala acting fraternity, including Jackson Anthony, Vasanthi Chathurani, Mahendra Perera, Lakshman Mendis, Cletus Mendis, Priya Ranasinghe, Yashoda Wimaladharma and Peter de Almeida.

Theepic drama has won multiple awards including nine UNDAawards including Best TV Feature, Best Director, Best Script and Best Male and Female Performances in 1992.

As part of its commitment to the development of local skills in film making by supporting high quality productions of this nature, Commercial Bank of Ceylon funded the production of Kadulla which was originally telecast over Rupavahini in 1992. This 21 episode teledrama is considered an epic benchmark in local television production, and received rave reviews when it was first aired.