* 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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