Who will hear the plight of ‘Can you hear me’ team?
The teledrama team of ‘Can you hear me’ or ‘Ahanna Kenek Nehe’ went to Bandarawela recently and faced a real life drama or a nightmare there. This came after they successfully released their teledrama on national television as the first attempt to internaionalise Sri Lankan teleplays. Starting from October 5, the teleplay with English subtitles, has been telecast on Rupavahini at primetime 9 pm from Monday to Thursday. From the release itself the teledrama was receiving both local and international kudos, the first time for a Sri Lankan teledrama.
Award winning tele-director Sunil Costa and his team went to Bandarawela to complete the final episodes of the teledrama that has been planned for three seasons. Having won the Best Teledrama and a number of other awards for his last direction, ‘Sudu Andagena Kalu Avidin’ which was telecast last year, Costa has teamed up with National Rupavahini to take Sri Lankan teledrama international by uploading the series with English subtitles to the social media. The play has already won the attention of large number of foreign viewers who never knew about Sri Lankan teledrama industry.
However the journey to Bandarawela became a nightmare as their work was suddenly stopped by health authorities in the area as a complaint had been made by an unknown person. False news has been spread that the team had left Colombo that was undergoing lock down due to Covid-19 pandemic and the team members were potential health threat to the area. Subsequently all the members in the cast and the crew were sent on self-quarantine in the same hotel they were lodged at and PCR tests were conducted. On Wednesday, November 4, the results of PCR tests were out and all the drama team members were found negative. However the damage was done and the teledrama filming had been delayed for number of days. The team complained that some of the local media personnel acted irresponsibly by filming one of the stars in the drama, Shalini Tharaka in her own room where she was undergoing quarantine and posted it on the social media. It further misreported saying that the teledrama team was sent on self-quarantine by the villagers themselves.
Award winning teledrama star who won both the Best Actress and the Most Popular Actress awards at Raigam Tele award 2019, replied to the allegation in a public video message. In the video footage which went viral on social media Shalini stated that she along with the team of other artistes went to Bandarawela with all legal documents issued by the health authorities as well as the National television, Rupavahini.
“However on the request of the health officials in the area we decided to stop our filming and undergo self-quarantine in the same hotel where we were lodged at,” she said.
“It is not that we have come to carry out an illegal activity or were committing crime here in Bandarawela,” she complained.
Meanwhile Broadcasters Guild of Sri Lanka, an umbrella organization comprising number of electronic media institutions in Sri Lanka in a letter to Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella has expressed its concern over the continuous disturbance on the filming of the teledrama, ‘Can you Hear me’.
“This continuous obstacle come despite the approval has been issued by the Director General of Health Services to carryout filming of teledramas and movies following the guidelines that have already been issued by the Health Ministry,” the letter signed by Asanga Jayasuriya, chairman and Laksiri Wickremage, secretary of the Guild stated.
It also stated that if the teledrama that has already being telecast is stopped, nearly 4500 people who are directly and indirectly involved in it would go jobless. It further said with lockdowns are on in many part of the country, television and teledramas have become one of the main sources of entertainment for the people. “If the production of local teledramas is stopped in this manner, the TV airtimes will have to be filled with foreign imported soap operas. This will cost a huge sum of money for Sri Lanka and will affect the local teledrama industry”.
Sunil Costa, director of ‘Can you Hear me’ speaking to the Sunday Times said, with the PCR test results were out Medical Officers of Health (MOH) in the area gave two options to the team either to continue shooting or leave the district. The team opted for the latter as everyone was disturbed and exhausted with what they went through for several days.
“We have spent nearly Rs. one million to keep the team under quarantine for several days,” However Mr. Costa who had come to Colombo said that a new guideline is being prepared with the participation of several teledrama directors, dramatist and lawyer Douglas Siriwardena, representatives of television stations and Health Department to complete the teledrama and film productions that have come to standstill due to Covid-19 pandemic.
“This is a complicated issue as the pandemic is continuing and what we are trying to learn is how we could live and do our works of art while facing it,”he said. The teledrama director is hopeful that his team could go back to Bandarawela and get back to filming of the teleplay.
| ‘Can you hear me’ features Dilhani Ekanayake, Niroshan Wijesinghe, Umayanga Wickramasinghe, Veena Jayakody, Michelle Dilhara, Roger Seneviratne, Shalini Tharaka, Lakhsman Mendis, Gihan Fernando, Ananda Kumra Unnahe, Chinthana Kulathunga, Priyankara Rathnayake, Sampath Jayaweera, Ajith Lokuge and Malee Jayaweera in main roles. Behind the screen, director of photography is Sisikirana Paranavithana, editor-Shan Alwis, music director-Dinesh Subasinghe, art director-Ajantha Alahakoon, make up-Wasantha Purnawansa and production manager is Malith Peiris | |