Young Devinda Kongahage’s maiden telefilms ‘Sadhisi Tharanaya’ with its content and novel presentation has brought much hopes for the future audio-visual medium, television and cinema.
With a much relevant theme, delicately handled cast and precise technology, the telefilm (as Devinda calls it and we all agree) marks a definite juncture of the television industry, a new bud of a talented generation in which the country’s art is lacking.
‘Sadhisi Tharanaya’, the title according to the director suggestive of ‘the unending journey of a temporary life, describes the journey of human beings who are not completely black or white.
And the teledrama set against the backdrop of a society engulfed in violence and corruption backed by politics. And it brings out a life of a politician and his own daughter who goes against her own father in order to fight for her ideology and act according to her conscience.
‘Sadhisi Tharanaya’ is ably played by a renowned cast including Sriyantha Mendis, Buddadasa Vithanarachchi, Damitha Abeyratne, Bimal Jayakody, Jayani Senanayeke, Suresh Gamage, Gihan Fernando, Sarath Kothalawela, Nethali Nanayakkara, Nimal Jayasinghe, Shashika Peiris, Sujeewa Priyalal, Shantha Senanayake, Gamini Jayalathand Wasantha Vittachchi, Keerthi Pathirana, Yamuna Weerasekera, Tissa Bandaranayake, Bandula Suriyabandara, Keerthi Ranjith Peiris, Gayan Lakruwan, Janake Jayakody and Roma Rosy Jayakody.
There is no art called ‘teledrama’: Devinda
Playing a leading role in veteran filmmaker Dharmasiri Bandaranayake’s film ‘Bhawa Duka’, Devinda started his career when he was just 11 years old. The young child actor who played the role of ‘Gira’ in the film had a big urge to search for real art and cinema. Having worked as an executive producer for Sirasa TV, Devinda has directed a number of short films including much acclaimed Thuruliya Daruwo and a few documentaries such as the one on Sir Arthur C. Clarke on his 85th birthday which was later broadcast on BBC. ‘Sadhisi Tharanaya’ is the result of his long journey of self-teaching and experimenting.
Here follows an excerpt from an interview to the ‘TV Times’ during which Devinda describes about his maiden direction and his journey as a director.
TVT: What inspired you to become a director?
Devinda: It was during the period I worked as a child actor with Mr. Bandaranayake and other team in his remarkable film which I believe as one of the best films ever made in this country. The experience was like being at a training academy. It was the first shadow of my career and I realised the importance of being a director. Though I started my career as an actor, I realised the role of a director is far ahead of an actor. A director is a visionary and he is a person who gains from society and gives it back with much more creativity. And it was definitely Dharmasiri Bandaranayake who inspired me to become what I am today.
TVT: What challenges did you have to overcome when you were completing ‘Sadishi Tharanaya’?
Devinda: Unlike any other tele creation, we had a lot of preparation and pre-preparations. While writing, developing and rewriting the script, we selected the entire cast and I had a meeting with all the artistes six months ahead of the production of the telefilm which is not usually done when making tele-creations today. And sometimes the actor does not know his dialogues until he comes to the set. As a result the production took nearly one year and editing another six months. And because of its content we needed to have a top quality technology as well. And Sadisi Tharanaya will mark as the first tele-creation which is going on air with stereo sound.
With all these my real challenge was how to inspire my audience with a creation or telefilm and force to glue them to their seats.
TVT: Why do you insist on naming ‘Sadishi Tharanay’, a telefilm not a teledrama?
Devinda: The medium of teledrama was created at the inception of television in this country in 1979. Then it was veteran artistes in stage drama who made so-called teledramas. Their contribution was tremendous at that stage and they were mostly influenced by the stage in which they were involved. They gave a 3-dimentional effect to stage creation and tagged it ‘teledrama’. And today we see the dangerous consequences with low quality production and even it is being used as a business.
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And on the other hand in the international arena there is no art called ‘teledrama’. There are ‘soap operas’ and ‘telefilms’ or ‘tele-creations’. And what I did was actually a film and it was later changed to a telefilm. When my father and I first went to Master Khemadasa to get him do the music direction he scolded me for destroying a complete film. So telefilm or telecreation should be much advanced and it has an identity as a form of art.
TVT: What contribution did Master Khemadasa’s music make in your direction?
Devinda: ‘Sadishi Tharanaya’ marks a remarkable bridge between two completely separate generations. While I represent the younger or the third generation in the visual medium of this country Master represents the first generation. And he exactly knew what I was doing and his music played the most decisive role to make the teleplay a complete success.
Master Khemadasa created 16 masterpieces for Sadisi Tharanaya and after laying down them, Master was amazed to see that I have fitted the music pieces exactly where he would have placed them. It was a moment when a creator is born within another creator and with humble pride I would say that Master did his final music creation for ‘Sadishi Tharanaya’ before this country lost him.
TVT: You have handled a theme against the background of a politician? Was this your personal experience?
Devinda: We are all creatures of politics. From a newly-born child up to death we are a part of politics. We eat, we sleep with politics and politics has become a part of our lives. And being born to a family of a politician, I don’t believe much in politics and I am apolitical and neither would I ever join politics. At the same time I condemn the manipulation of politics for personal gains and the horrible consequences it has on the society as a whole.
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