Sri Lanka going Hollywood
Having returned from Madrid International Film Festival with three valuable awards for his first complete Hollywood film direction ‘A Common Man’, Chandran Rutnam who placed Sri Lanka among world’s film location destinations is optimistic in taking country’s cinema to international markets.
Chandran Runam directing ‘According to Mathew’
Delighted over his recent victories at Madrid in Spain, Rutnam is extremely pleased about the three awards his film, probably the first Hollywood film from Sri Lanka won said “these awards bring recognition”. “It has proved that we are capable of making international films,” Rutnam said adding “it may be slow but we can reach there,”.
‘A Common Man’ bagged three awards from the main section of the festival; the Best Film, Best Actor and the Best Direction. Produced by the Asia Digital Entertainment (pvt) Ltd of Manohan Nanayakkara and starring two Hollywood actors Ben Kingsley and Ben Cruise, the film earlier won a bronze medal in the New York film festival.
This international recognition has proved the huge potential we have, Rutnam said stressing that a large number of young filmmaker have displayed huge potential taking country’s cinema to the world. “I see enormous talents among the young generation. We should give them opportunities to come up,” Rutnam said. Ever busy with cinema, Rutnam is getting ready to start the second phase of the shooting of his much awaited movie on famous ‘Vicarage Murder’ or nefarious murder by Fr. Mathew Peiris, which shocked and rocked the country in 1970s.
The filming of ‘According to Mathew’ is to be started on locations in Horana, Lunawa and Colombo from early September.
“I found an excellent house in Horana that resembled the vicarage of St. Paul’s church at Kynsey Road where Fr. Mathew Peiris lived,” Mr. Rutnam told TV Times.
Rutnam waited years to start the film project but had to halt due obvious reasons. “I wanted to do the film and at the prison I met Fr. Peiris who also was my friend and pastor at St Paul’s church,” Rutnam said. He okayed the film but wanted to depict him innocent in the film. “But I told him if I depict him innocent there would not be a film,” he said. At that time he was awaiting his appeal and he expected that he would be freed from the appeal and he also wanted to play his own role in the film which I objected,” Rutnam revealed the reasons to stop the film on ‘Vicarage murder’.
“Fr. Mathew was my friend and he was enigma I would call it” Rutnam said the moves which drove him to do the film on the infamous double murder trial.
Rutnam was pleased with the depiction of the main dual roles of Mrs. Dalreen Ingram and Fr. Mathew played by Sri Lankan born Bollywood star Jacqueline Fernandez and renowned entertainer Alston Koch. “Jacqueline was simply marvelous and the role was completely different from all the roles she had played in Bollywood. She is a natural beauty and a natural actress and I am sure this is going to be her passport to Hollywood from where she is going to get many offers,”.
On the other hand Alston whose first appearance in cinema listens to the instructions which is most important, Rutnam said.
The production of ‘According to Mathew’ is to be completed this year and it is to be released next year internationally.
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