Bertram revives spiritual renaissance

Experienced teledrama director Bertram Nihal's latest effort 'Amarapuraya' (Immortal City) is to analyze life's struggle between spirituality and materialism.Having contributed a large number of TV productions his landmark directions like 'Gamperaliya', 'Dadabima', 'Kadawara' and 'Bhavana' has infused a completely different flavour amongst Sri Lankan television viewers.

While preparing for the filming of his latest venture, Bertram spoke in length about his 'Amarapuraya' and teledramas, television and Sri Lankan TV audience.

Bertram: "Amarapuraya", implies the Immortal City - in other words the "Undying City". You can also interpret it as the "City of Immortals". In my work, I analyse this, as a haven in which noble people who have traversed beyond ordinary human sentiments, take shelter. But whatever that may be, the main background that provides the undertone for this drama, is the manner in which contemporary society has turned topsy - turvy. In a society that revolves around the cash-nexus, human ego has become deformed.

People display lethargy and disinterestedness, to discriminate between truth and falsehood. As a consequence, social structure has become imbalanced. Arbitrary attitudes and policies pervading the totality of politics have reduced the masses to a group of sleepy and insensitive beings. They just move about, as blind bats in the night. Many are not aware why they live. They have become a species of beings that have automatically appeared. In such a society of earthlings, we have to move as if swimming against the current.

Bertram: Amarapuraya will achieve a high and elevated niche. It will awaken the sleepy. This will heal those minds bruised by monotonous and senseless teledramas that appear endlessly.

Bertram: The contents of this teledrama communicate the proper guidance, necessary to awaken, the power that man has within him. Today, people in advanced countries, travel around seeking spiritual renaissance, escaping all worldly and material dimensions. The philosophy of Theravada Buddhism of Sri Lanka has within it all the focal points essential for such spiritual renaissance.

TV Times: How do you view the crisis the local teledrama - makers face, by the invasion of Indian Teledramas?

Bertram: This undoubtedly is a complex issue. This phenomenon, has bred a whole series of problems. On the one there are problems of professionalism skills, talent and the insecurity of personnel associated with teledrama. And, on the other hand, this has imperceptibly paved the way for a serious social crisis. Most people, who make a vast fuss about this situation, are motivated by narrow political views. Those who are really capable of analyzing this crisis and are also competent to propose solutions, tend to remain silent, because they do not want to get involved in this hurly-burly activity. This kind of complex problem cannot in any way be solved by patch-work. These have to be viewed delicately, far-sightedly and above all with a wise and discreet attitude. The greatest surprise for me is why professionals, authoritative persons, experts in the field and intellectuals maintain silence in the face of such a tremendous social and cultural threat.

TV Times: Can such a mass-medium like television, be utilized to promote artistic creations?

Bertram: I do not consider television, a medium of art. It is only a tinsel - dazzle that stirs the mass-mind. Although one could experience, the miracle of the moving image through the medium of television, this particular medium has its own limits and boundaries. Currently new technologies make an effort to overcome these limitations. It is quite likely that in the future, art could be enthroned in the medium of television.

Bertram: Television has a great potential to transform the attitudes of the masses. To achieve this, we need TV personnel possessing vision and farsightedness. But, today we lead TV along wrong dimensions. The refined TV image, has the capacity to see through the human mind and make that vision come alive. This effect can be achieved, only through the establishment of an intimate link with life.

TV Times: How is it, that in Sri Lanka, there is such an intimate link between the TV medium and Teledrama?

Bertram: One cannot imagine any other country in the world, where such a plethora of teledramas dominate the TV medium. In most other countries, the TV medium is expected to achieve three E's - which are education, enrichment and entertainment. But, we in Sri Lanka, have made them upside down. Instead of enriching the lives of the people and educating them higher values, what we do in TV here is making the lives of the people more complex by presenting to them complicated teledramas, when they approach TV to escape from the troubling issues of their own lives.

This, in fact, is the social erosion brought about by these. Most viewers absorb as ideals, the vicious experiences narrated in many of the sub-standard teledramas. When people embrace these vicious experiences blindly, because of their attractiveness and appeal, they are persuaded to look on society, with anger and hatred making them deluded and misled.