Blackout
for Sudu Kapuru Pethi?
By Vidushi Seneviratne
Controversy surrounds the abrupt suspension
of ‘Sudu Kapuru Pethi’, a teledrama which
was being aired on Rupavahini every Sunday at 8.30 p.m.
over the past two months. A few minutes of one episode
had been edited without prior warning, according to
its director, Athula Peiris and then the next week it
was not shown at all.
“About six minutes of my tele-drama
was edited without my knowledge and I found out only
when I was watching that particular episode. Nine episodes
were telecast completely, but the editing was done in
the tenth episode. I was not informed that such editing
had taken place. And it is not being telecast at all
from last week,” he said.
The plot revolving around a romantic
relationship between Anjali, a Sinhalese medical student
and Abhijith, a Tamil engineer, the story progresses
with scenes set both in Colombo as well as in the North.
“The message I’m trying to give in the story
is that the feelings, ideas and opinions regarding the
war in our country, are the same among all Sri Lankans,
irrespective of their race,” said Mr. Peiris,
an award-winning tele-drama and stage director, who
is also attached to the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation
at present.
But according to Newton Gunarathne,
Chairman of SLRC, the teledrama consisted of some damaging
and demoralising content, with regard to the Sri Lankan
security forces. “Considering the present security
situation of the country, we feel that this teledrama
could affect the morale of our soldiers. In addition,
when we get appeals from religious leaders, eminent
educationists, members of the security forces and other
citizens, to stop the telecasting of a tele-drama due
to these reasons, we have to pay heed to them,”
he said.
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The tele-drama has not been banned,
but only temporarily suspended, and once certain parts
are edited, it will be re-telecast, he said. “The
director of the tele-drama was informed of the editing
and the suspension by his department heads. It was not
an arbitrary decision of one person, but a collective
resolution taken by all the responsible departments.
A committee consisting of neutral parties has been appointed
to review the tele-drama and edit the unsuitable parts,
and so the tele-drama will be re-telecast in the near
future,” Mr. Gunarathne said.
Mr. Gunarathne added that being a
production of the SLRC itself, and spending close to
Rs. 5 million rupees for its production, the Corporation
needs to recover the money spent and so the tele-drama
will definitely be re-shown soon.
“As a state media organisation,
the SLRC has to consider many things. There is a huge
difference between the security situation during the
time period when this tele-drama was approved, and now.
SLRC feels that some of the content within the script,
is causing a negative impact on security forces, and
so we have decided to review, edit and re-telecast the
tele-drama later on,” said Gamini Abeykoon, Deputy
Director, Programmes, SLRC.
Didn’t SLRC officials view the
entire tele-drama before it was aired? “The Corporation
does not view the programme if it is a production made
within the Corporation. If it is an outside production,
and a foreign production, the entire programme is reviewed,”
says Mr. Gunarathne. “Though the script could
be read and approved, when the creativity aspect comes
in, a production could change as well. Also, we don’t
look at the entire production, but view it in sections,”
added Mr. Abeykoon.
With only a thin line between the
freedom of expression, and sensitivity to national concerns,
especially during these trying times, this is evidently
a no-win situation. Until a compromise is reached among
the parties concerned, viewers will have to wait patiently
in the hope of seeing the rest of “Sudu Kapuru
Pethi” unfold.
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