‘Seema Nehe Akase’
The winner of the ‘Best cinema of tomorrow’ award at the recently held Derana Film awards, young filmmaker Malaka Dewapriya who made ‘Bahuchithavadiya’ or ‘The Undecided’ stresses that art is not a market product but a creative art that comes as genuine expression of the artistes.
With a strong belief that an artistic creation that is made for the sake of art will last long but commercial scrap produced with the hope of monetary gain only would soon be forgotten, this young filmmaker strongly believes that filmmakers should be bold enough to swim against the current and should not give up the fight.
Malaka’s maiden film ‘Bahuchithavadiya’ was critically acclaimed and won rave reviews as a film that represented a new genre for Sri Lankan cinema. The film revealed the bitter realities of the present younger generation, their hopes and aspirations.
“What I want to do is to capture the reality of the present day younger generation and how they are being used by those around them and the system and how
Nihal Bandara’s maiden film ‘Seema Nehe Akase’, a story about two desperate lovers who are fed up of their own loves but meet at a point where they have decided to take their own lives, is now being screened at Ritz Borella and other LFD circuit cinemas around the country.
Produced by Tissa Balasuriya for Active Motion Pictures, the film stars Pubudu Chathuranga, and debutant Aruni Mallawarachchi in the lead roles. Sriyani Amerasena, Buddadasa they try to use those around them to achieve their goals,” says Malaka.
“The aim of my art is to analyse contemporary society. I did this in radio dramas I made and ‘Bahuchithavadiya’ is only an extension of them. For the past five years I have been working on this mission. The young filmmaker has captured the complex and intricate issues faced by today’s youth. “I don’t know what is going to happen in the next 25 years. When Dr. Dharmasena Pathiraja made ‘Ahas Gawwa’ (One League Of Sky) in 1974, at a time when there was a closed economy, he did not know what was going to happen after 1977 with a complete change of the economic system,” Malaka analyses. Vithanachchi, Dhananji Tharaka and Rujula Divaratne featured in the cast of the film.
Make up is by Nalin Prematilake, art director-Deepthi Mangala Somage, Ayeshman Hettiarachhi cinematography and editing of ‘Seema Nehe Akase’ is by Praveen Jayaratne. Sanka Ruwanditha handled the musical score while Kaushik Olindha, Ibasha Muthukumari, Dilshan Samarasinghe and Chamari Perera contributed with the playback singing.
“I make my art from what I see in this society and what is happening at this moment. This is the society that we are going through right now”.
“This is what I see and experience. I am not a craftsman or a businessman. An artiste has a criticism about the contemporary society. His duty is to express and expose what he observe and so I do the same,”.
Questioned as to whether he accepted that a cinema is an industry and it is a profitable business, Malaka revealed a completely different opinion.
“I am not a craftsman or a businessman. What I am doing is art. These are my expressions. What I make is not a commodity for the market. I strongly believe that any good art can be established in a society. This is common to cinema as well. If you observe the countries around us what Akira