Three Yellow Cats, a case study
The first film in two languages with foreign and Sri Lanka actors, made in Sri Lanka, by Sri Lankans was the, Three Yellow Cats. It was a very interesting film most of you haven›t seen it, I urge you to find out more about it from those who saw it. There were 2 version of this film. An English and local.
Let’s look at the local version of the film first, there were two local stars in it. Mr. Gamini Fonseka, and Mr. Joe Abeywickrama. They played supporting roles.It was filmed in colour and it was a very attractive film. It was house full with the Sri Lankans.
But, we were critical of it, it had too many missing elements Let’s discuss, those. There were no stars in the film, the acting was poor, the story in coherent. there really wasn›t a story to speak of. There were two unknown European actors as I recall in the film. I give the producer, a good friend of mine, a lot of credit, I congratulate him on his effort.
So, was it a foreign film, or was it a local film. Or was it some thing altogether new. Was it financially lucrative for the investors. These questions come to my mind.Once, I was with Mr. Fonseka, my mentor and idol, he was speaking to an investor, who had come to see him about making a film with Mr. Fonseka, playing the lead role.
Mr. Fonseka, asked the investor, if he had 200 lakhs to burn. (For a Sri Lankan film) That is what it cost, to make a film, realistically. A bare minimum. If you don›t get the recipe or the formula right, you are setting yourself up for failure. Let’s get back to the, Three Yellow cats. Let’s assume, if they corrected some of the mistakes, and make this movie again today, but this time with, a Hollywood star, a starlet, a great story, and distribute it internationally.
Will it have a better chance of survival then, at the box office. I say yes, the chances and the odds of such film will be on the one hand have a broader audience appeal, It will be a hit. So let’s make some good films, in Sri Lanka, for the Hollywood audience. After all are we not the «Hollywood audience».
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