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| Robin
in mood to reminisce By Chamintha Thilakaratne Forty years ago, Robin Fernando was an insignificant actor trying his luck amongst the giants of the industry. But today, he is a master in dissecting action filled movies taking time out from training and directing. 
At his house in Nawinna, Maharagama, Robin Fernando reminisces the good old days of action films. Swords, pistols, shot guns and bows and arrows in addition to the several awards won decorate his large living room. Pictures of his youthful days when he was an ardent horseman and gymnast are hung on the walls. "It was
Ariyaratne Kahawita who introduced me to the film industry. Titus
Thotawatta was my 'guru'," said Robin. Since then
he has come a long way. "I have acted in some one hundred films
and directed action in about another one hundred and twenty films,"
he proudly added. Commenting
on the film industry situation at present he said that "ours
is a small industry and those involved struggle to survive. Action
films are not produced as a result," he said. Among the films
that Robin Fernando directed are Hasthaveerayo, Sura Doothiyo, and
Ninja Sri Lanka. They are all high action films involving plots
of betrayal, crime and deception. In emphasizing
the importance of action directors, Robin feels that it gives professionalism
to the action scene if it is well choreographed. "In addition
to less action films being shot, action scenes lack professionalism
today because artistes are not sufficiently trained and scenes are
unguided," he said. Reminiscing
the old favourites such as Alexander Fernando, Piyadasa Wijeykoon,
Bandu Munasinghe, he pointed out the importance of being physically
fit to do a stunt. "Physical
fitness is essential. Firstly because on screen one must appear
capable and secondly because one needs stamina and energy to handle
the requirements," he said, Mr. Fernando
was not happy the direction the industry is heading. He was of the
view that only romances and comedies and heroes that come in such
films are prioritized or looked upto. "Action artistes are
as important. They play a greater role in films. Why are they never
awarded or recognized," he questioned. With no set
budget and managing with poor salaries, many stunt artistes in Sri
Lanka are left to mind their own safety. Robin Fernando is one artiste
who is fighting for the rights of these people. "This is an industry that requires upliftment. Professionals suffer a lot as a result of ignorance. People like myself who have experience and knowledge must be used to encourage and uplift the industry if it is to grow. I regret that I was an action director in Sri Lanka. My experience and opportunities available would have been much greater if I was overseas," he said in a tone of regret. In concluding the interview he said he was willing to work for free if the film industry is willing to use his expertise to bring back and encourage action films in Sri Lanka. 'Swan
Lake' at Russian Centre It is a story
of a Princess, who is turned into a swan by an evil magician, where
all her firends become swans too. Every midnight she and her friends
become human again for a few hours. One midnight she is discovered
by a Prince who falls madly in love with her and promises to rescue
her. There is a
ball in the castle where Prince is meant to choose a bride. The
magician's daughter enters as a black swan, looking exactly like
the princess and prince is instantly drawn to her and he declares
she will be his bride. The Princess then appears and sees what has
happened and he recognised her too, and realizes he has broken his
promise. She rushes off to the lake. The ballet
and film fans can be at the Russian Centre at Independence Avenue
to view the rest of the story. For more details of the film, contact Chandi on 685429/685440 between 9 a.m. - 4 p.m. on week days. 'I'm
not Gay' says Alicia Keys The Grammy
Award winner said just because she wears trousers and no skirts
and dresses doesn't make her gay. In fact she goes on to reveal
she has been in a long term relationship with her boyfriend who
she says is 6 years her senior Watch MusicTV Nonstop on ETV Asia-Pacific
Robot Contest The Independent
Television Network (ITN) as a member. of the ABU is to participate
in the contest with a team of students selected from the University
of Moratuwa representing Sri Lanka. Twenty teams from 19 countrues
are going to take part in the Robocon 2002 competition which is
to be held in Tokyo this month. The theme of
the contest, Robocon 2002, is "Reach for top Mount Fuji".
A robot is to be used to climb the mountain. In the real contest,
a model of Mount Fuji is built using tubes and the robot should
fire plastic balls into the tubes within three minutes. The robot
can be either manually controlled and fully automatic According to
the ABU newsletter, as many as 200 robots are being made for the
contest and the number of students involved exceeds 3000. The process
of preparing for the contest in Sri Lanka began a few months ago
at the University of Moratuwa. A team from
the Department of Electronic and Telecommunication Engineering of
the Faculty of Engineering, University of Moratuwa is making final
preparations for the contest. The team known as "Chaturanga'
consists of three final year students, Kasun Pieris, Ajith Vithana
and Tharindu Dissanayake. They will leave
for Tokyo in mid August accompanied by Dr. Amith Munindradasa, Senior
Lecturer in Electronic Engineering to take part in the competition
The ITN is working in close collaboration with the University of Moratuwa on this project which has been coordinated by Prof. (Mrs.) I.J. Dayawansa.
Picture shows (Left to Right): Jonathan Wearn (Executive record producer UK), Mohan Tissanayagam (MD, International Distillers Lanka), David Whelton, Rohan Joseph and Stefan Pfeiffer (General Manager of the Lanka Oberoi).
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