ISSN: 1391 - 0531
Sunday February 3, 2008
Vol. 42 - No 36
Financial Times  

Actor Joe in historical TV ad for Ceylon Biscuits

Picture shows the veteran actor contemplating during the ‘shoot’ for the advertisement.

Joe Abeywickrema, initially the top comedian of Sinhala films who later emerged as Sri Lanka’s premier actor, is turning his immense talent to a new field -- scripting his first TV commercial for leading biscuit brand Munchee.

The final production of the TV commercial, built around a historical incident, mirroring the advent of Prince Vijaya to these shores, is now ready according to sources associated with the production company commissioned for this project. Abeywickrema, asked to comment, said `I am a villager, and I love this country, its geography, its culture, its climate and its values. For several decades, I was an actor, and in that role, I was successful in projecting our values as well as our way of life. But in all that time, I never even once contravened or abused the dictates of our cultural heritage or the values this country embodied. But now I see how this valuable heritage is constantly distorted, particularly in advertisements. Against this background, I felt that I must attempt to change this distorted perspective and give the people of Sri Lanka a TV ad that did not distort or degrade Sri Lankan heritage, but was still enjoyable to watch and appreciate.” Nandana Wickramage, Ceylon Biscuits Ltd, Group Marketing and Sales Director said it was indeed a privilege and honour to be the first company ever to have had a TV commercial scripted by a person of such standing among the artists of Sri Lanka.

 

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