SINHALA-TAMIL-MUSLIM blend in local cinema

As Tamils across the world celebrate Thaipongal today, it is heartening to note that a Sri Lanka Tamil film directed by a Sinhalese is now being screened in the EAP circuit. Ashoka Handagama’s Ini Avan which features a talented cast comprising Darshan Dharmaraj, Niranjani Shamugaraja, Subashi Balasubramanium, Raja Ganeshan, Malcolm Machado and King Rathnam is getting good feedback at the box office.

Despite frictions that emerged between the two communities triggering the three-decade-old war, the local film industry was always a place where the Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims worked in harmony giving priority to the ‘Sri Lankan’ concept.

While Sri Lanka’s first Sinhala movie ‘Kadawunu Poronduwa’ (Broken Promise, 1948) was made by an IndianTamil S M Nayagam, the first Sri Lankan Tamil film, Samudayam was made by a Sinhalese Henry Chandrawansa in 1962.

However Sri Lanka’s very first film is considered to be ‘Rajakeeya Wiickramaya’ (Royal Adventure) which was made by a Muslim businessman in 1925.

Rajakeeya Wickramaya which starred the late politician Dr. N. M. Perera in the lead role, was produced by Sri Lankan Muslin film enthusiast T. A. J. Noorbhai and the film was directed by South Indian Gupta.The film was however mysteriously destroyed.

Sinhala cinema’s pioneer heroine and playback singer Daisy Daniels alias Rukmani Devi was also not a Sinhalese, but there was no difference among them whether they belonged to any religion or race. It was the Sri Lankan spirit that mattered for them.

CeylonTheatres founder Sir Chittampalam Gardiner, Cinema’s group founder K. Gunaratnam and Cinema Entertainment Ltd. founder Jabir A. Cader also played crucial roles for the welfare of the Sinhala cinema.

- Ramesh Uvais

There have been no language or religion barriers in cinema because human emotions are the same everywhere and in every being.