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7th February 1999

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* Here's to a man who's equally talented in theatre and cinema
* Be a Jack of all trades

Here's to a man who's equally talented in theatre and cinema

Clad in a simple short sleeved shirt and a pair of trousers (when most were in colourful lounge suits), he walked up to the stage, collected his award and went back.

One more call. He came on stage again. And before he could turn back, yet another. The event: Sarasaviya Film Festival 1998. Award winner: Dharmasiri Bandaranayake: Awards: Best Script, Best Direction and Best Production. The film: Bava Duka.

Young and daring Bandaranayake has given us a few classic products both in cinema and on stage. His last three stage productions were translations of renowned works. Yakshagamanaya (1994), the award winning drama (it won 12 awards at the State Drama Festival), which is being staged at the Lionel Wendt today to wind up a week long festival of films and dramas made by him, is a translation of Bertolt Brecht's ' The Resistable Rise of Arture UI'.

The fact that Bandaranayake's dramas fitted in to the social pattern of the day made them more meaningful. "The war had begun when I made Makarakshaya (based on 'The Dragon') in the mid- eighties. When people saw the play they realised they had all experienced what was being said in the play," he told a TV interviewer recently.

Bandaranayake is also a good actor and has turned out some powerful performances. Since his entry into producing dramas with 'Chulodara Mahodara' in 1974 he hasn't looked back. He followed it up with 'Ekadhipati' the following year and then moved over to the cinema. His maiden effort, Hansa Vilak (1980) won him the Sarasaviya award for best script and is among the best 20 films produced over the past 50 years. Thunveni Yamaya (1983) also gave him the best script award and Suddilage Kathawa (1985) brought him his first award as best director.

Be a Jack of all trades

"The filmmaker should be a jack of all trades. He should have a broad knowledge of everything. He should, of course, be a creative person. He should also have an understanding and an insight into human nature."

This advice came from renowned Indian filmmaker Shyam Benegal (he was in Colombo to deliver the Neil I Perera Memorial lecture on the invitation of the Asian Film Centre) when interviewed by media man Gamini Wijetunga. He also identified what a filmgoer would basically expect-'Entertain and take our worries away'.

He touched on a significant development in Indian cinema - the upper middle class becoming the determining factor in film themes. Although they constitute a minority, they create an agenda in cinema by deciding on what type of films they wish to see. So Indian cinema has more or less narrowed down to projecting middle class interests. Gone are the days when the simple, idyllic rural life created a lot of interest as subjects for the cinema. Television is no different. Benegal also believes in globalisation. He also talked about today's trend to blend modernity and tradition. Pointing out that cinema gives messages that would either reinforce one's own beliefs or disturb one's beliefs, he said a large number of Indian films reinforce traditional values.

Two of Benegal's creations -'The Making of Mahatma' and 'Pandit Nehru' were screened at last week's Indian Film Festival.

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