Dharmasiri Bandaranayake and Swarna Mallawarachchi in a scene from Hansa Vilak. Hemal Ranasinghe in new Sinhala film Maariya
Dharmasiri Bandaranayake’s award-winning Hansa Vilak (Swan Lake) was released recently to commemorate the 40th anniversary of this iconic landmark of Sinhala cinema.
Reflecting on the film, Bandaranayake told film weekly Sarasaviya that he was a filmmaker who some reviewers liked to group along with the leftist directors like Vasantha Obeysekera and Dharmasena Pathiraja.
“I was influenced by Eastern European cinema as a young man, and it was not an accident if the fans see the influence of the left in my works,” said Bandaranayake, who made five landmark films in his career. He started his on stage and produced five popular dramas.
Bandaranayake played the main role in Hansa Vilak along with Swarna Mallawarachchi while directing the film. He attributes his success as a filmmaker to the inspiration from directors Lester James Peiris, Obeysekera and Pathiraja.
The new digital copy of the film was restored in the Prasad Laboratory of India at the State Film Corporation’s expense. Lester’s Rekhawa, another masterpiece of Sri Lankan cinema, was also restored in the same laboratory.
The total cost of Hansa Vilak 40 years ago was Rs, 250,000. “After my first stage play, Eka Adhipathi, I made Makaraksha. After those two stage plays, I started concentrating on making films because I wanted a different experience. It was really the cinema of Eastern Europe that influenced me to change my career.”
MAARIYA, SINHALA FILM WITHOUT AN ACTRESS
Director Aruna Jayawardene’s latest film Maariya has a unique feature, perhaps for the first time in Sri Lankan cinema. It does not have an actress.
Aruna, who made NiIkini Wessa (August Rain), says the story was inspired by a group of Indonesian fishermen who got stranded in the sea about two years ago.
“When they have given up hopes for survival after floating aimlessly in the ocean, they come across a plastic doll washing up near their boat. The men thought it was an angel who floated to them to save them, and therefore they dress it up and started venerating it by holding pooja ceremonies in the boat,’ the director said during an interview with Aruna newspaper.
The film features a host of well-known Sri Lankan actors like Mahendra Perera, Hemal Ranasinghe, Ashan Dias, Priyantha Sirikumarage, Surath Dassanayeke and Darshan Dharmaraj. “There is another character who is not a fisherman. He is a man called Malan played by Dasun Pathirana who boards the boat with the idea of going to Australia illegally,” he added.
The film was shot in the high seas in a boat for 15 days. Replying to whether it is advisable to screen a movie while the audience is reluctant to come to the theatres due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, he says, the filmmakers have to find a way to attract fans. “When we released our first poster, there was a huge interest among the audience, and we hope to move forward taking into consideration that massive interest.”
Aruna directed 1970 Love Story and wrote the scripts for U-Turn, Yathra and Dancing Star. His debut Nikini Wessa had Chandanie Senevirathne and Thumindu Dodanthenna in the lead roles. The film revolved around men and women in Sri Lanka’s dry zone, featuring a mortician who attempted to open up a crematorium in her remote village. The film represented Sri Lanka at many international film festivals.
RANDIL LIYANAGE YOUNGEST SINHALA DIRECTOR
Randil Liyanage is the youngest director in Sinhala cinema. He wrote the script for Colombo at the age of 19 and directed it when he was 21 years old. The movie had its debut in Colombo on February 18.
Randil, who was born in Gampaha, studied at Colombo Nalanda College. Speaking to Aruna newspaper, he said he studied films at the Sri Lanka Media Training Institute and planned to make a movie with some of his colleagues. “I wrote the script in 2017, based on dreams and the lifestyles of youngsters living in urban Colombo. I showed my script to main actor Hemal Ranasinghe who liked it instantly.”
He said the movie helped gain valuable hands-on experience as the only qualification he had was the diploma in film-making in a practical way. Cameraman Amith Krishantha too, is a newcomer who had made several short films. The film was shot in the Colombo suburbs of Mahawaththe and Mattakkuliya. Randil’s father, Athula Liyanage, produced the film along with Anusha Edirimuni and Nimalika Perera.
After finishing the project, Randil wrote a couple of scripts and was engaged in several films made by his friends. Talking about the pandemic, which had kept fans away from cinemas, he says if the film is good and appeals to fans, they will always flock to the theatres. (www.newstrails.com)
