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TV Times

'Hiru Avarata' on Swarnavahini
'Hiru Avarata' a teleplay woven around a suspenseful story, directed by Gihan Rohana will be released soon on Swarnavahini channel.

Ranjith Rubasinghe and Roshan Ravindra in a scene from 'Hiru Avarata'

The director of 'Chakkrangi', Sanda Nethi Lowa' and 'Katu Kurullo' director has teamed up with Chandrasena Walimuni to make the twenty five episode play. Incidentally Walimuni is a new comer to the scene.

Hiru Avarata revolves around a wealthy young couple whose marriage breaks up with the involvement of business rivals. The play has a parallel today's political activities in which underworld thuggery and murders coupled with money are highlighted.

The play is shot in locations in and around Gampaha and Yakkala.

The main roles are played here by Jayanatha Bopearachchi, Damitha Abeyratne, Janaka Kumbukkge, Nilanthi Wijesinghe, Nihal Fernando, Ranjith Rubasinghe Roshan Ravindra, Bandula Vithanage and Nuwani Walimuni.

The play's art director is Ajith Hathwella. Nishantha Pradeep handles the camera. It is edited by Nishantha Priyadarshana.

The script and direction is by Gihan Rohana and P. Thilakaratne and Chandrasena Walimuni have produced the drama. Hiru Avarata is a presentation of Susila Entertainment and Gimani Films.

'Irasma' portrays value of parental love
By Susitha R. Fernando
Internationally recognized children's movie "Irasma" based on the award winning novel is now being screened at the theatres of the National Film Corporation circuit.

Irangani Serasinghe and Ama Wijesekara in the movie

Scripted and directed by Ariyaratne Vithana, the film was awarded a certificate of merit at 12 the Prix Leonardo Film Festival held at Parma in Italy.

Adapted from Anoma Ratnayake's book 'Irasma' the story unravels the tale of an amiable girl who loses parental love and struggles to regain it.

Irasma is the only daughter of an engineer father and mother who is a dancer. When the parents were busy with their jobs the innocent girl lives in her own world in isolation.

After a quarrel between the father and mother, little girl is separated from her parents and lives with her grandma. She grows up as an intelligent adolescent and strongly feels the absence of her mother. Living with her grandmother and cousin brothers Irasma is regularly disturbed with the past experience of disputes that had taken place between her parents.

After many years her mother now an invalid returns home from abroad and looking after her with devotion Irasma passes her school examination with a remarkable grades. Even after the return of her father, Irasma refuses to meet him due to the unfortunate experiences haunting her.

Her success makes all odds even by compelling her father to join the family once again. The locations in Irasma are Kandy and Mawanella.

Hirushini Abeygunawardena as a child and Ama Wijesekara as the teen star play the role of Irasma. Others in the cast are Irangani Serasinghe, Douglas Ranasinghe, Maureen Charuni, Duleeka Marapana, Priyankara Ratnayake and a number of child artistes.

The film is enriched with music by Victor Ratnayake to the lyrics of Kumaradasa Saputhanthri Nanda Malani sings the theme song of the film.

Behind the screen Suminda Weerasinghe did the photography and Milton Perera's art direction. Irasma was edited by Denzil Jayaweera.

Director Ariyaratne Vithana has received four Presidential Awards for his children's film "Athuru Mithuru" in 1987. It represented Sri Lanka at the Moscow International Film Festival. His "Thrupthi" a short film on Child Rights represented Sri Lanka at the Chicago International Children's Film Festival.

His first script was made into the film "Selinage Walawwa" by veteran filmmaker Dharmasiri Pathiraja. Vithana has many films and TV features, TV documentaries, stage plays and short stories to his credit. He is the founder of the Children's Film Society of Sri Lanka and served as its General Secretary from the inception.

Irasma is also the first children's movie funded by the Film Development Fund of the National Film Corporation and it also was the first production under the guidelines of the Children's film Society of Sri Lanka.

'Sive Diya Dahara': Tragic tale of a child

Veteran film stars Ravindra Randeniya and Malani Fonseka play the main roles in the teleplay Sive Diya Dahara screened on Saturday 9 pm belt on Swarnavahini.

Lucky Dias and Wasanthi Gunaratne in a scene from 'Sive Diya Dahara'

This teledrama has as its story line the tragic tale of a child who suffers due to family upsets. It is produced and directed by Lucky Dias.

Playing the main role Lucky has joined a large cast including Sanoja Bibile, Amittha Weerasinghe, Richard Weerakkody, Wasanthi Gunaratne, Ratnawalee Kekunawala, Wijeratne Warakagoda, Nirida Uyanhewa and Anusha Damayanthi.

In the story Ranil, a pilot by profession is a widower. He lives with his daughter Madhuri. Yashodara a popular actress joins this family and tries to fill the gap of a loving mother to Madhuri. Determined to become a faithful wife to Ranil, Yashodara decides to quit the silver screen.

However this sacrifice was hard for Yashodara and later leads to problems in their marriage too.

The story takes a dramatic turn with the entry of Nalinda an actor who is a friend of Yashodara. Nalinda was earlier in love with Yashodara but was unable to realize his dream due to financial difficulties.

After having gone abroad and studying acting Nalinda becomes an internationally recognized artiste.

Having arrived in Sri Lanka he invites Yashodara to join him in producing a film which nearly disrupts Ranil's marriage.

Yashodara leaves the country with Nalinda,. Little Madhuri who believes that Yashodara was her real mother once again loses motherly affection. Following Yashodara's departure the child becomes seriously ill.

Ranil tries hard to rescue his daughter and he even goes to the extent of going abroad in search of Yashodara who is now living with Nalinda. All his attempts fail and the child dies.

Later Yashodara gives birth to a child Nalinda. But to the amazement of everybody this child shows mysterious reactions to Yashodara and Nalinda. These even affect their marriage.

Meanwhile Ranil develops a friendship with Ruwanthi. Once again this new relationship is threatened by a wealthy woman named Theja.

It was another mystery as to what her objection was to the union of Ranil and Ruwanthi.

This situation becomes more confounded when Wilbert comes out of the prison carrying a death warrant to the couple.

These interesting and mysterious events unfold gradually through out the play "Sive Diya Dahara".

Veteran singers W. D. Amaradeva and Nanda Malani sing to the music of Somapala Ratnayake and it is scripted by Sunanda Silva and edited by Lalantha Jayakody.

'Prempooja': An ambitious production
Well-known filmologist Amarnath Jayatilaka is planning to make "Prempooja", a musical love story between a Sri Lankan youth studying music and an Indian girl studying dancing at Shantiniketan in India.

It will be made with six songs and an equal number of dances depicting age-old Indo-Sri Lanka Cultural relations with special reference to Music, Dance and other Fine Arts.

It will be the most ambitious Block Buster Movie ever undertaken in the history of Sinhala Cinema as it will be shot in CINEMASCOPE (Anarmophic Format) and in STEREOPHONIC SOUND (Dolby Digital Sound) systems and will be shot 50/50 basis in India and Sri Lanka locations.

It is a film that will also be in Hindi for worldwide sales. The film will have an Indian actress playing the lead female role with a young Sri Lankan actor. The screenplay is written by Award Winning novelist and famous Author Bhadraji Mahinda Jayatilaka on a story concept by the director Amarnath Jayatilaka.

This is his eleventh directorial venture. His latest film "Bheeshanaye Athurukathawak" (A drop in the reign of terror) which had its world Premiere at the Rotterdam International Film Festival in January this year will be released soon in NFC/MPI combined film circuit.

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