Tele artistes take arms against ‘Mega teledramas’

Today teledrama has become the main mode of entertainment for the majority of Sri Lankans and knowingly or unknowingly it plays a vital role in society setting role models, values and customs.

Starting as an art meant to fill television programmes, teledramas later became popular with cinema playing a secondary role at the time. Sadly today a majority of the teledramas have become a cheap mode of entertainment and specially the long dragging multi episode teledramas which are named as 'Mega teledramas' have made a dangerous impact intellectually on the viewers and economically on almost all the independent artistes involved in the industry. These teledramas drag on with episodes being added without any relevance to the main story purely to keep the programme on for the main advertisers. As a result the hapless viewing public are taken for a ride.

Tele Makers Guild, an organisation formed by both veteran and new teledrama artistes for the upliftment of the industry has initiated a campaign against the Mega series teledramas to protect the industry by curtailing the programmes or completing stopping them.

It was because of their strong protests that taxes on low quality Indian-made soap operas were introduced. But now in order to evade the tax, the same stereotype dramas are being produced with long-dragging episodes and storylines replaced by Sri Lankan actors and actresses. The trend started by the private media has now spread to the state run television channels too.

According to the Tele Makers Guild, mega teledramas affect the industry in a variety of ways. First the industry becomes a monopoly in the hands of a few business oriented producers and they manipulate the industry for their benefit. Because of this there is a great risk of many a veteran and also budding artistes being lost to the profession.

What it unfortunate is that the trend has resulted in the production of low quality teledramas without any standard, with the audience being forced to watch stories with false social values and violating their right to watch an enjoyable show.

The artistes who came before the media, complained that the trend not only would result in the downfall of the teledrama industry but the whole of society with false and wrong values. Even though all the limited episode teledrama are being reviewed an by expertised panel and the relevant air time is decided accordingly, in the mega teledramas there is no such procedure and they are being telecast without any monitoring or censoring.

Award winning script writer, director and filmmaker Tissa Abeysekera expressing his ideas said that the government should immediately intervene in this problem. ‘If not what happened to the Sri Lankan cinema would definitely happen to teledrama also’.

‘Having a monopoly of the limited airtime is a dangerous trend and is a serious violation of viewers' rights’ he said. The teledrama industry would become another black market where a few businessmen have full control.

Voicing against the mega tele production, award winning director Sudath Rohana, the president of Tele Makers Guild said the trend had deprived opportunities to telecast teledramas that have already completed production, spending millions of rupees.

‘Instead of viewers who should decide what to watch and what not is now decided by the management in the television channels who promote low cost, cheap teledramas’. Representing the teledrama directors, Benette Ratnayake said that those in the Mega teledrama production are promoting wrong social values and destroying aesthetic interest and affecting one's thinking pattern.

Mr. Ratnayake also statistically proved how this trend has affected the artiste. At present Rupavahini telecasts 47.6% out of total number of teledramas (limited episodes) while Swarnavahini 21.4%, ITN 17.6%, Sirasa 10.7% and Derana dedicates 2.38 % of its airtime.

Telecasting mega teledrama, Sirasa, the channel offers the highest airtime of 41% with 5 mega teledramas weekly while ITN dedicates 25% with 3 teledramas, Swarnavahini with 16.6% with 2 and Derana 16.6% with 2.

"The total 12 teledramas has blocked the telecast of 107 locally made limited episode teledramas which result in losing jobs for 5885 including 107 producers, 107 directors, 107 script writers, 107 cameramen and 214 actors and actresses.

With a tone of gratitude Mr. Ratnayake said that the credit should go to Rupavahini which does not telecast single 'mega' episode teledramas and expressed his concern against Sirasa which gives only 5.5% of its air time to new teledramas while offering 41% of its airtime for mega teledramas. "Sirasa which telecast the least number of new teledramas awards its maximum teledrama air time for mega teledramas.

He stressed that this trend of mega tele production reflects the bankruptcy of creativity in this field of art. Speaking on behalf of the actors and actresses, actor and playwright Janak Premalal said mega teledrama should be refused by all the stars who think of the development of the teledrama industry in the country.

"Teledrama should be developed as an art as well as an industry. But the mega trend blocks both these areas resulting in major unemployment among all the artistes.

A meeting organized to initiate an open discussion with the participation of all the artistes in the teledrama industry and audience will be held at 3.00 pm on June 5 at the Public Library auditorium. The event is meant to find solutions to the crisis which has affected almost the whole of society. And Tele Makers Guild invites everybody to participate for the development of Sri Lankan teledrama industry.

Tele Makers Guild

Started fifteen years ago Tele Makers Guild is the only organization comprising a large number of teledrama, which include directors, producers, technicians, actors and actresses. It has acted to protect the teledrama industry from various censorships and had promoted its development.