TV Times

TV Times

On the spot where Udayakantha shoots his latest tele serial
By Ramesh Uvais
As we reach a Kirulapone residence where a well-known director and some top stars are picturising some scenes for his latest tele serial, we wonder if we had accidentally landed up at a birthday party by mistake.

A few chairs surround a table laden with a birthday cake and some sweetmeats. Before we let your imagination run wild we are told that the scene about to be taken will depict the wife and children organizing a surprise birthday party for their sick father.

Udayakantha Warnasuriya, the award-winning film and tele drama director appears to be engrossed in his work, but he joins his team members to greet us and ensure our assignment is hassle-free.

Veteran cameraman K.D. Dayananda discusses the camera angles and lighting. Three big lights spread brightness around. Director Udayakantha dicussses some important point with his long-time confidant assistant director Donald Jayantha. He describes the scenes to award-winning stars Ravindra Randeniya and Vasanthi Chathurani who listen intensely. Veteran dramatist and radio artistes Muwanpelessa Menike Rathnawalee Kekunawela smiles gesturing that she has grasped what the director expects from her.

The scene is ready for take. But Udayakantha wants to see a full rehearsal. "Please switch off your mobile phones. Stand by. Silence," Donald Jayantha shouts, while Udayakantha calls for action.

Ravindra Randeniya appears from his bedroom and is astonished on seeing bunches of balloons decorated with colourful crepe paper all over the hall. Just then he notices the table with a cake, comb of bananas and other sweet dishes.

Udayakantha is happy with the portrayal and wants to go for the take. After concentrating on his movements, Ravindra delivers the goods perfectly.
The camera angles are changed to picturise the next shot linking the previous one. Here Vasanthi Chathurani, playing Ravindra's wife and her three daughters Gayani Nadeesha, Umali Thilakaratne and Dihani de Silva are expected to wish the surprised father (Ravindra) on his birthday.

‘Is it ok if we place this light in this direction,’ a unit boy asks K.D. Dayananda who replies back saying that he has to get all the lights in position before he can decide. In the meantime someone wants to know if the props need to be adjusted.

All these hassles are brought under control within minutes while Ravindra, Vasanthi, Ratnavalee and the three girls are quietly rehearsing their dialogues.
"Happy birthday Thaththi," the three girls kiss and wish their father. Putting on an intense look in her eyes, Vasanthi wishes her husband and that shot is cut after a couple of takes.

The occasion is the shooting of veteran Udayakantha Warnasuriya's latest tele drama - Senehase Geethay (The song of love) after a lapse of about 10 years.
Ranjith Premaratne and Sujatha Premaratne produce this tele serial titled 'Senehase Geethaya'.

Udayakantha finds a little break to tell us details about the tele drama he is directing after a long lapse. His previous tele dramas like Eka Gei Kurullo and Humalaya were huge hits but he moved to the film scene where he made a name for himself with movies like Diya Yata Gindara, Rosa Wasanthe and Le Kiri Kandulu, which were hits. His latest film 'Hiri Poda Wessa' due to be released this year is also a much-awaited creation which basically touches youth sentiments.

"Though I intruded the film scene, I know there is a wide television audience expecting something from me. I owe them something novel and this is my comeback move. In Senehase Geethaya, scripted by me, I try to emphasize the importance of family values and reiterate the fact that we have to face life positively irrespective of what befalls the family. Ravindra and Vasanthi play the crucial roles here apart from some useful contributions coming from Ratnavalee, Vijaya Nandasairi, Kusum Renu and Devika Mihirani," says Udayakanth who is in the midst of a 65-day schedule to complete the 24-episode story. The long schedule itself gives a picture of how much pain and detail Udayakantha is going to put in to the creation.

We personally see how sincere he is to his profession. And so are his team members. Even when director calls for lunch break, Ravindra and Vasanthi was busy running through the script to practise their dialogues and getting ready for the next shot.

The assistant director has to go and remind them again of the lunch break.
During the lunch break Vasanthi tells us that she plays a powerful role as a courageous woman. She is indeed a courageous woman off camera too. Her second tele drama production 'Sedona' is now being telecast on Swarnavahini every Friday at 9.30 pm while her first was 'Aga Pipi Mal'. Next we cut to Ravindra Randeniya, the man who has always done things differently.

"This is the first time I am working with Udayakantha. I think this tele drama series is going to be a landmark creation in the small screen arena. When you bring out a production, is has to have a certain standard and Udayakantha is in a broader sense trying to enhance the quality of tele dramas in the country. We should obvioulsy have a higher standard in this particular game. Judging by the way he is handling this project I am sure he is capable of bringing out a tele drama, which is going to create a landmark in our tele drama history.

The way Udayakantha handles the story; it will definitively touch the most sensitive points of the viewers. I say this because the emotional story is all about family relationships, which will appeal to a wide section of the audience.
"In this story I play the role of the father who is struck down by an ailment but the family are not aware that it's a terminal disease.

Their world had been their father and his illness brings so much sadness into the family. But the mother or my wife played by Vasanthi is a courageous woman who thinks that the family should get together and cheer up the father instead of giving it a gloomy outlook. The particular scenes being today also shows how she organizes a little birthday party for her sick husband.

This is a very positive thinking tele drama. The biggest disaster that can happen to a family when a father snuffed away suddenly is the collapse of the family's progress. Usually in such a situation everybody become so negative in their thinking and believe that it's the end of the world. But here, in this story, the mother comes to terms with reality and believes the best thing she could do on behalf of her children is to carry on life from there.

I am personally so impressed with story and once again I must say this family oriented tele serial is certainly going to be a huge success, " says Ravindra and we leave the sets giving Udayakantha and his team the freedom go ahead with their landmark effort.

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