Mini Muthu brings new producer, new hero
Melbourne-based Janaka Vipulakumara Elpitiya is the newest producer who enters the Sri Lankan tele drama industry with the latest small screen creation ‘Mini Muthu’ which will unspool soon.
“I have been in Australia for the past 20 years. We are great lovers of arts. We associate with Sri Lankan artistes especially when they come down to Australia. But my becoming a producer is an accidental move,” Janaka told Impulse.
“The Mini Muthu team was in Australia on two shooting schedules in Brisbane and Melbourne. It had three producers. Once the Brisbane schedule was over they came to Melbourne. Since Amila Abeysekara who plays the lead role is a friend of ours, we provided accommodation and other facilities to the team. By that time there were financial issues and finally I was convinced to take over the entire project as the sole producer, after long discussions. Prior to that I had no intention at all to produce it. My 19-year-old son Lasith Hansakumara Elpitiya who reading for a double degree in Business Management at the Victoria University was also offered a key role in the drama. The script was also revised to provide him a bigger role which he completed during a one month schedule in Sri Lanka. Veteran artistes Ananda Wickremage and Chamila Peiris play the parents of my son. He can’t read and write Sinhala but can converse well. The tele drama directed by Sampath Roshan is nearing completion now,” said Janaka who produced the tele drama on behalf of JTS Films (Aus) Pvt. Ltd.
Mini Muthu features Amila Abeysekara, Anarkalli Aakarssha, Lasith Hansakumara Elpitiya, Sherril Decker and other popular artistes.