Young directors have ignited hopes for Teledrama industry
The trend of viewers leaving television due to substandard and stereotype teleplays has somewhat changed with two new debut directors Lakmal Dharmaratne and Namal Jayasinghe’s teledramas ‘Koombiyo’ (Ants) and ‘Sahodaraya’ (Comrade) both telecast on ITN.
Asoka Handagama
The two teleplays which went beyond usual family issues, love stories or historical characters, discuss serious social and political issues that Sri Lankan society undergoes right now. They talk about the corrupt political system that is full of violence and dishonesty, politically motivated killings, silencing of the media, youth unrest and many more topics.
Over more than three decades history in the teledrama industry, several attempts were made by talented directors like Dr. Dharmasena Pathiraja, Parakrama Niriella, Asoka Handagama and Jayantha Chandrasiri. They marked different phases in the teledrama industry and the attempts of these directors were to introduce art to teledrama in place of light entertainment. But eventually low quality family tales overtook these.
For example Dr. Pathiraja’s ‘Kadulla’ was an evocative teledrama that explored the societal changes that took place in the mid twentieth century Ceylon. It addressed the emergence of the affluent elite that governed the country after independence in 1948, and the social upheavals that followed.
In another attempt Parakrama Niriella’s ‘Yashorawaya’ (The Sound of Glory) attracted the tele audience with its sheer genuineness in discussing social and true family issues.
‘Yashorawaya stunningly dramatized a perennially recurrent human theme – the fate of doting parents who are reduced to a lonely old age, after their children grow up and go their several ways’ wrote veteran journalist Edwin Ariyadasa analyzing ‘Yashorawaya’ and added ‘it awakened the masses to a new form of socially beneficial tele – entertainment’.
Parakrama Niriella
The TV Times spoke to two pioneering teledrama directors, Parakrama Niriella and Asoka Handagama to analyse the trend created by two young teledrama directors and the future of the industry.
“Teledrama industry must exploit these efforts” Handagama
Asoka Handagama, playwright, filmmaker and one of the pioneers who tried to use teledrama as a medium of art with his award winning teledramas like ‘Dunhinda Addara’ (1992) and ‘Negenahira Weralen’–East is Calling (2006), ‘Synthetic Sihina’ (1998) and ‘Diya Keta Phana’–Water Gauge (1997) spoke to the TV Times on the new trend.
‘We worked hard to prove that television was a medium through which we could do art. We tried hard to do it but eventually gave it up’.
Because of this new trend started by the younger generation directors, viewers who had given up television have returned. This is a positive impact and it has created a new viewing platform,” Handagama said.
‘With the emergence of social media there is a communication alternative that has been created. We see that many viewers watch these teleplays not on TV but through the internet.’
Namal Jayasinghe
This trend is popular in other countries and tele serials like ‘Vikings’ and ‘Game of throne’ are extremely popular.
With teledramas like Lakmal Dharmaratne’s ‘Koombiyo’ and Namal Jayasinghe’s ‘Sahodaraya’ this trend has been created.
Now television stations must try to exploit this opportunity while not misusing it. They must behave with discipline and respect these works of art.
On the other hand this has proved that it was not television viewers who demanded cheap soap operas but were forced to watch them. As a result they left television and now they are returning to it.
‘These efforts should be encouraged by the television channels’ Parakrama Niriella
Director of pioneering teledrama makers who created ‘Yashorawaya’ one of the most popular teledramas in the history of teledrama industry in Sri Lanka says that teledrama should lead the masses and they follow it. “It is not that teledrama is made to please the masses. If the teledrama is interesting people will follow it,”.
There are series of questions as to how television channels are going to react to this new trend. Would the channel entertain similar efforts by the other young directors? Will they accept these new faces in the industry? There are a number of fresh faces both behind and in front of the camera in ‘Koombiyo’ and would such efforts be encouraged by the television channels.
Among the international recognitions Niriella was awarded Special Jury Prize from the Golden Crest International TV Festival of Poldiv, Bulgaria in 1985 and winner Transtel prize for the prix Futra International TV Festival and competition in Berlin 1986 for the tele-drama Kada-Ima (Boundary).
