T.K. Kalaa gets “Kalaimaamani” award

Among those receiving the Tamil Nadu state governments “Kalaimaamani” award this year will be the singer TK Kalaa of “Thayit Sirandha Kovilum Illai” fame.Kalaa who displayed great promise when she burst on the Tamil film scene in the early seventies faded away gradually. It is to the credit of Chief minister Jayalalitha Jayaram’s administration that it has thought it fit to give due recognition to a talented singer of vast potential at this juncture.

It is indeed a sign of our times that present day Tamil film song fans are fated to listen to a multiple of voices “murder” the sweet Tamil language in their renditions while many native warblers of high calibre continue to languish for want of opportunities to sing play back.Thiruthani Kabali Kalaa (TK. Kalaa) though honoured by an award is one songstress who despite her rich, uniquely harmonious voice and elegant style of singing never received the chances she fully deserved in the Tamil film song realm.

Kalaa is the daughter of a Kodambakkam based artiste couple Kabali and Shanmugasunthari. The latter was a stage actress who worked in yester year drama troupes like Balamurugan and Jothy nataka sabhas.She later acted in minor roles in many MGR films like Kannan En Kathalan, Neerum Neruppum, Ithayakkani etc. As a child Kalaa accompanied her mother to various studios and was enthralled by Kollywood.

What attracted her most was singing. Kalaa learnt Carnatic music from Ammapettai Krishnamurthy. Kalaa is thrilled that her guru Krishnamurthy too is to receive a “Kalaimaamani” this time along with her at the hands of Jayalalitha. It is reported that Kalaa had met the chief minister some time ago and eagerly asked her whether she had ever listened to her songs. Jayalalitha replied “Kalaa paattai Ketkaamalaa? —– Kettirukken”. (Not heard Kala’s songs?…….. I have heard). Incidently Kalaa’s mother Shanmugasunthari received the same award during M.G. Ramachandran’s time as CM.

With the daughter wanting to sing in films Shanumugasunthari tried hard to fullfil Kala’s dreams. Her first break came through AP Naagarajan. Shanmugasunthari had acted in many dramas scripted by the legendary APN . This helped her in canvassing for Kalaa.APN who made a name through films of devotional fervour and literary flavour was filming the story of sage “Ahathiyar” played by singer Seergali Govindarajan. Violin maestro Kunnakudi Vaithiyanathan was composing music.

One sequence in the film was about a young boy serving his parents diligently.He places his parents above all else and even dares to defy Agathiyar in this respect.. The sequence required a song extolling the virtues of parents sung by a different type of voice. TK Kalaa fitted the bill. She sang the song “Thaayit Sirantha Kovilum Illai, Thanthai Sol Mikka Manthiram Illai” perfectly

. The words of Poovai Senguttuvan set to music by Kunnakudi and sung beautifully by Kalaa came across well. In spite of many hit songs in the film rendered by veterans like Seergali, TMS and TR Mahalingam the song rendered by TKK was a hit and remains an all time favourite yet. In fact Kalaa is vividly remembered for this first film song which is almost like her signature song.

The next big break came when MGRamachandran heard her singing at a wedding reception at Mylapore. This was in the mid - seventies when the “Puratchi Nadigar” split from the DMK and had become “Puratchi Thalaiver” by founding his own party AIADMK. When MGR arrived Kalaa was singing a number from an MGR starrer “Nallavan Vaalvaan”. The song was “Aandavan oruvan Irukkindraan” sung by Seergali for the film. MGR was greatly impressed.

As a result MGR got Kalaa to sing in two of his films. One was “Pallandu Vaalha” in 1975 and the other “Ulaikkum Karangal” in 1976. Latha was the heroine in both. In “pallandu vaalha” Kalaa was paired with KJ Jesudas for the song “Poi Vaa Nathiyalaiye” written by Pulamaipithan and music set by KV Mahadevan. It was a hit song. The other was “Vaaren Vali Paarthiruppen” which she sang along with veteran TM Soundararajan. MS Viswanathan was the composer.

Around this time Kalaa also got a chance to sing for the veteran genius Rajeswara Rao. It was for KS Gopalakrishnan’s “Thasavatharam”. Kalaa voiced two songs for the role of Brahalathan in the film.The songs were “narayana ennum naamam” and “paar sumakum paampanaiyil”.

Despite her ability and the initial breaks Kalaa was not very lucky. For one thing MGR had given up acting and become Chief Minister. Another reason was the advent of Vaani Jeyaram. MSV, Shanker - Ganesh and Vijayabhaskar who were ruling the roost in the mid - seventies opted for Vaani rather than Kalaa. MSV gave her chances to sing for his troupe on stage but did not use her in films. Then came the Ilayarajah phenomenon. That was the end for Kalaa.The “Isai Gnani” known for his pique and prejudice never used Kalaa in films.

So TKK had to be content with only a few songs in Tamil movies. These opportunities came with long intervals between each. Many of the songs were not up to the mark either in words or melody. Besides some of the movies they were from became colossal flops. Yet a ray of sunlight in all this was AR Rahman. The budding genius used Kalaa first in the hit song “Kulicha Kuthalam” for K Balachander’s “Duet” where she sang along with SP Balasubramaniyam.

Kalaa got some more chances with ARR in Bharathiraja films like ” Karuthamma”, “Taj Mahal”.and also “May Matham” The lullaby “Aararo Aareero” in “Karuthamma” highlighting female infanticide is a classic.

Among her other memorable songs are “murukko kai murukku” (oru oothap poo kan simittugirathu”), “Oru Kathal Samrajyam” (Nanda En Nila), “En Kannin Maniye” (Rajarajeswari) “Mottu Mottu Malligai” (oru Marathup Paravaigal), “Kal thana nee kadavul illaiya” (Pillaiyar), “Aanagi Nigariye” (Utharavodu Ulle Vaa), Aadipparu Mangatha” (May Matham), “Chinna Ponnu Rasathy” (Sandhitha Velai), “Kaathirathu Kaathirathu” ( En Mamanukku Nalla Manasu), “kathadi Koothu” (Poonkaatre), Kulikkap Pogum Sakkil” (Manathil), “rettaikkili, rettaikkili” (Marumalarchi) and “Sengathe” in Taj Mahal. The last one is Ghazal type melancholy solo composed by Rahman.

Though ARR recognized her talents and gave her many chances Kalaa has also sung for several different composers with diverse styles like Rajeswara Rao, Thetchanamoorthy, KV Mahadevan, MS Viswanathan, Kunnakudi Vaithyanathan, Shankar - Ganesh, Jayaraman, Deva, SA Rajkumar, Bharani etc. Kalaa has also sung for the well - known singer Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi when the latter composed music for “Pillaiyar”.

Apart from her solos Kalaa has also sung with several reputed as well as lesser known singers like TM Soundararajan,KJ Jesudhas, SP Balasubramaniyam, Mano,Krishnaraj, Narendran, TK Nadarajan, KG Prakash etc. She has also sung with female singers like Swarnalatha, Sunitha and the veteran actress Manorama. Interestingly Kalaa has also sung with two actors in films. One is YG Mahendra and the other Mansoor Ali Khan.

Though opportunities were scarce in Tamil cinema Kalaa never stopped singing. She has sung innumerable songs in Tamil for the Mumbai sound industry where sound tracks from Hindi songs are re - recorded for regional consumption. She also gives many public performances from Wedding receptions to stage shows. Kalaa has toured Sri Lanka, Canada, South Africa, Switzerland, France, Malaysia, Singapore etc for performances.

Emulating her mother who has acted in many films Kalaa too has commenced acting in recent times. She has played minor roles in “killi” and “kasthuri Maan”. Another film “Veyil” is nearing completion. Her son Mahendrakumar an undergraduate at Loyola College is also keen on entering films after completing studies.

Kalaa is jubilant about getting the Kalaimaamani. In a recent newspaper interview she said ” I feel elated about receiving the award from Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. It would be a proud moment for me. Adding to the joy is the fact that I am receiving the award along with my guru Amma Pettai Krishnamurthy. My mother received the award during MGR’s period”.

In the same interview she was asked to comment about the decline in Tamil film music. This is what she said ” Lyrics are the most important aspect in songs and if it is not understood by the people, the essence of the song is lost. Singers like P Susheela, Yesudas and S P Balasubramanian have rendered songs in Tamil despite them belonging from other States and their words are crystal clear. But nowadays, majority of the words are not understood”.

This then is the unfolding tragedy of Tamil cinema. The beauties from Mumbai and Malayalam cannot speak Tamil. Those who do speak Tamil do so with mutilated pronounciation. The singers are imported from all over. They sing well but many words are mispronounced or inaudible amidst the raucous “sound” overpowering melody.Many rasikas yearn nostalgically for the time when actors and singers pronounced Thamizh clearly and correctly and the crescendo of music did not drown out the words.

In this bleak scenario people like TKKalaa remain “unutilised” with their vast potential untapped. The “Kalaimaamani” in this situation can come only as compensation to this unique singer with a golden voice! - DBSJ

Songs by T.K. Kalaa

Leela: Exquisite songbird with a mellifluous voice

Porayathu Leela known to millions of rasikas as P. Leela passed away around midnight on Sunday October 30th in Chennai. The 71 year old South Indian songbird was lying in a hospital bed of Sri Ramachandra Medical Centre for nearly a month . She had fallen in the bathroom at her house in Nandambakkam Defence colony , shared for decades , with her sister and family. Diagnosis after admission revealed a blood clot in her brain.Surgery was performed. Complications set in when she got pneumonia.Being an asthma patient her condition deteriorated. She was in a coma at the time of death and so passed away peacefully and painlessly.

The present generation of Thamizh filmsong fans may have never heard her or heard of her. She was the uncrowned queen of song in the realm of Thamizh films during the fifties. P. Leela has sung about 5000 film songs in languages such as Thamizh, Malayalam, Telungu , Kannadam and even Sinhala.. Her Thamizh renditions may number around thousand. She was a household name in the fifties and early sixties.

My mother was her ardent fan. Her favourite Thamizh filmsong “jodi” was the Ghantasala - Leela duo. She would often say that both voices were made for each other. When I was growing up on a diet of films and filmsongs singers like Ghantasala, Leela, AM Rajah, Jikki, Chidambaram Jeyaraman, ML Vasanthakumari, Tiruchi Loganathan etc were on the decline in Thamizh films. This was not due to any shortcoming on their part. In fact they were at their peak then. Unfortunately they were not given opportunities to sing in Thamizh movies.

This was due to four reasons. One was that film music composers and film directors began avoiding them for various reasons. Another was that the old custom of having a variety of singers render playback was giving way to a practice of having two or three only per film. Thirdly the number of songs in a film too was being progressively reduced .Finally leading actors and actresses began insisting that only TM Soundararajan and P. Susheela should sing for them.

As a result singers like Leela got few chances in Thamizh after the early sixties. So the new Thamizh films that I saw in those years did not have her songs. But there was always Radio Ceylon. Also I became a film afficianado and sought out old Thamizh movies. Leela was featured in many of those.

Though my childhood and early teens was the era of TMS, Susheela, PB Sreenivas,Seergali Govindarajan, S. Janaki and LR Eeswari etc it was etched in my consciousness that Leela was the best of them all.. This was due to a rather funny reason. The early sixties saw the Leela stores cum press owner Sinnathurai bringing out an illustrated Leela calendar in Ceylon as Sri Lanka was known then..Radio advertisements were used greatly to market the new product. They used the similarity of the Leela name for that.

Most ads would have a line from a popular song by Leela like “Engume Aanandham” or “Konchum Salangai Oli Kettu”. Thereafter a voice would say that just like Leela’s songs the Leela calendar too was the best or that like a song by Leela the namesake calendar too gave pleasure. This made an indelible impression that Leela was the best singer at that impressionable age. Of course in later years one listened to more and more old songs and realised that all those nightingales of yesteryear were unique in their own way.

As for Leela her voice and singing style to me is inimitable. It was a sweet amalgam of at least five of her contemporaries. ML Vasanthakumari, Jikki, (Radha) Jeyalakshmi, TS Bhagavathy and AP Komala. It was like a veritable “Panchamirtham”. Her resonant voice rang out loud and clear in a solo, duet or chorus singing(Koshti Ganam)

Former filmstar and present Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalitha Jayaram summed Leela up aptly in her condolence message.Jayalalitha described Leela as “one of the greatest vocal musicians of India, who made a name for herself by singing exquisite songs in her mellifluous voice in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu both for the film industry, as well as in Carnatic music.”

The Chief minister who sang herself in some films was a Leela fan. Jayalalitha was CM when Leela got the Tamil Nadu Government’s “Kalaimaamani” award in 1992. When Leela went on stage Jayalalitha observed “Ithu eppavo ungalukku kuduthirukkanum. Enga Amma unga rasikai. Naanum unga rasikai”. (This award should have been given you a long time ago. My mother (actress Sandhya) was your fan. I am also your fan) It speaks volumes about the pitiable plight of Tamil Nadu awards that Leela was bestowed “Kalaimaamani” only in 1992 whereas many lightweights were honoured years before.

Porayathu Leela was born in Chithoor near Palghat, Kerala in 1934.. Her early years were in Kochi where her father Kunchan Menon was a school master. He was devoted to Carnatic music even encouraging Leela’s mother Meenakshi Kutti to learn Carnatic after marriage. The father recognized the musical ability and voice range of his daughter at a very early age. He arranged for music lessons with Mani Bhagavathar the uncle of Carnatic vidwan TV Gopalakrishnan and later Vadakkancheri Rama Bhagavathar . Leela as a child was made to practice alone between 4 - 6 am daily.

Chennai or Madras was the South Indian capital during the Madras Presidency days of the British Raj. It was the cultural Mecca for those of Dravidian heritage. Rama Bhagavathar moved to Madras. Realising his daughters potential needed a change of place, Kunchan Menon resigned his job in 1944 and migrated to Madras. Leela continued her music tutelage under Rama Bhagavathar along with Pathamadai Krishna Aiyar and Maruthuvakkudi Rajagopal Aiyer in Madras. The father and daughter were also present for all kacheris by the masters like Ariyakkudi, Semmangudi, GNB, MS, DK Pattammal etc.

Leela made her mark when she came first at the “Ragam - Thalam - Pallavi” competition organized by the Madras Viswath Sabha in 1944.The judges were GN Balasubramaniam and Palghat Mani Aiyer. This gave her a break when the Andhra Mahila Samithi arranged for regular performances. She began making a name as an up and coming carnatic musician. Neither the father nor daughter ever wanted to sing in films. Their focus was the stage.

The forties however saw a new phenomenon known as playback singing in Indian cinema. Instead of actors singing their songs they were merely lip - synching the words on screen. Regular singers were singing the songs. The final sound track was made after combining both through re - recording. Many professional singers were earning money and fame by singing in films.

The music composer Pathmanabha Shastri heard Leela sing and was impressed. An offer was made. Menon and Leela were reluctant first. They were sceptical about the new medium. Finally they agreed. Leela made her entry into playback singing for cinema in 1948. It was the Thamizh film “Kankanam” starring KR Ramasamy and Menaka. Leela sat on the floor and sang into the mike. Four of her songs were recorded for the film. She never looked back after that.

1949 was the turning point year in her career. She sang in “Pilhanan” for which Padmanabha composed music. She also began music lessons under musical prodigy CR Subbaraman who was also scoring music for films. CRS gave chances to his pupil. Leela sang first for CRS in the Kannada film “Bhaktha Kabeer” in 1949. CRS also gave opportunities to Leela in the Thamizh movies “Mohini” and “Velaikkari”. “Aahaa Ivar Yaaradi” sung for “Mohini” with KV Janaki and “Oridanthanile” for “Velaikkari” were hits. Both were featured on dances by the Travancore sisters Lalitha and Padmini. A singing star was born.

1949 proved to be a milestone for Leela’s playback singing career in Telugu Cinema also.Her debut in Telugu was in `Mana Desam’ The second film Mirzapuram Raja’s `Keelu Gurram’ was a super hit and then came the movie which catapulted her to fame, K. V. Reddi’s `Gunasundari Katha,’ in which Leela sang all the songs for the heroine Sriranjani Junior in the company of Ghantashala who composed the music and also sang a few of the songs. Most of the songs rendered by Leela in this film and the Tamil remake “Gunasundhari” (1955) became hits and are remembered to this day. In the 1950s Leela began to sing in all South Indian films.

It was also Subbaraman who enabled Leela to impress connoisseur and commoner alike with a classic number. It was for the film “Manamagal” and again a duet for a dance by Lalitha and Padmini. CRS wanted Leela to sing with the legendary ML Vasanthakumari.. Leela was nervous to sing along but was persuaded by her mentor. It was the ragamalika “Ellam Inba Mayam”.MLV and Leela moved effortlessly from raga to raga off - screen even as Lalitha and Padmini danced in rhythmic movement on - screen. Leela held her own with MLV and established her name as a singer par excellence of classical melody. Incidently MLV and Leela were the only two singers of that generation with formal training in carnatic music.

As far as Thamizh was concerned Leela’s voice harmonised perfectly with Ghantasala’s bass voice as well as AM Raja’s tenor. She also sang with TMS, Seergali, Chidambaram, Tiruchi and VS Sundaram. The film and music critic Ranga Rao observed that Ghantasala always held a torch out for her. The duo hit it off perfectly in films like “Bhathala Bhairavi” “Maya bhajaar” and “Prema Pasam” with evergreen numbers like ” Amaithi Illathen Maname” , “Ennathan un Premaiyo” , “Kathale Deiveega”, “Neethanaa Ennai”, “Aahaa Inba Nilavinile” and “Veesum Thendralile” etc.

Among her many duets with AM Raja were ” Vaarayo Vennilaave ” in ” Missiamma”, “odameethirunthe” in “Assai Magan” and “Naan seitha Poojapalam” in “Gunasundari”. Some of her memorable numbers with Soundararajan were “Mugathinil Mugam Parkalam ” (Thangappadumai), ” Nenjil kudiyirukkum” (Irumbuthirai), “Thendral urangidakkoodumadi” (Sangili Thevan), “Thalaiyam Poomudichu” (Bhagapirivinai) , “Sundari Soundari” (Thookku thookki), “Igalogame” (Thangamalai Rahasyam) “Poovindri Manamethu” )Thangappathumai) and “Nilave Nee Intha ” (Pattinathar).

Seergali and Leela also hit it off well with items like “ellaiyillatha Inbathile” (Chakkaravarthi Thirumagal) , “Kuttrala Aruviyile” (Nallavan Valvan) and “Kalathai Matrinan” (Manithan Maravillai). It was also with Seergali that Leela sang in a Thamizh film after a gap of many years. It was “Engirundho Vanthal” in 1970 where a skit on Sakunthalai was performed on screen. The song by Seergali and Leela begins as “Kalithasa Maha Kavi Kaviyam, Kanni Sakunthalai Endroru Oviyam”. It was poignantly appropriate that Leela voiced for Sakunthala. Like Dushyanthan in Kalidas’s epic forgetting Sakunthalai the Tamil film world too had forgotten Leela.

Then there are her innumerable film solos. The one that I like most is the song “Then Suvai Mevum Senthamil Geetham” in “Dr. Savithri. The musical score is by maestro G. Ramanathan who usually gave ample scope to Leela in the movies he worked in. The song is based on eastern and western classical. Leela sings in sopranic tones to piano accompaniment. The piano interludes are variations of a Beethoven symphony. Leela begins with an “Aaahaara bhirugha” of incredible sweetness and follows up with similiar interspersals. The words too extol the virtues of music and song. “Aanandha Geetham ” (A song of happiness) is an “Amudha Saagaram (Ocean of Ambrosia ) How true! The song is almost like a mission statement signed by Leela.

Among other popular and well - appreciated solos are “Kathiruppan Kamalakkannan” in “Uthama Puthiran” where Leela sings a ragamalika set by Ramanathan for a Bharatham sequence by Padmini and her younger sibling Ragini. Leela moves from one raga to another smoothly. So remarkable is the singing that many mistake the singer for MLV. Another of Leelas clasical gems is “Neeye Kathi Eeswari”set to Sarukesi raga in “Annayin Aanai”. The composer is SM Subbaia Naidu who also appreciated Leela’s work greatly.

It was Subbia who composed music for “Konchum Salangai” for which Leela sings the theme song “konchum Salangai Oli Kettu, Nenjil Ponguthamma Puthiya Paattu”. The hit song of the film however was “Singara Velane Deva”. It was this song - accompanied by Karukurichi Arunasalams nathaswaram - that launched S. Janaki’s career. What is interesting is that Subbiah Naidu wanted Leela to sing it initially.

Leela however declined saying she could not do full justice to the song and recommended the relatively unknown Janaki as most suitable to sing it. A rare act of frankness and magnanimity!. When Janaki performed in Toronto last month she recollected this incident and expressed her gratitude to” Leelaamma.”

A Leela solo lingering in memory is the lilting “Kaanagame Engal Thayagame” in “Merriland” Subramaniam’s “Yaanai Valartha Vaanambadi”. It was a story about a feminine “tarzan” reared by animals in the forest. The song was played on the not so well - known Kumari as she rode on the back of an elephant.

Another Leela solo etched in memory is the song in “Kappalottiya Thamizhan” about Indian freedom fighter V. O. Chithamparapillai. The title role is played by Sivaji Ganesan. He is on his deathbed and wants wife Kumari Rukmani (Mother of Lakshmi and grandmother of Aishwarya) to sing Subramania Bharats immortal “Endru Thaniyum Engal Suthanthira Thagam?” (When will our thirst for freedom be quenched?). Leela sings it just as an old woman about to lose her husband would have sung it by his death bed. At the same time her song expresses the yearning for freedom in the dying man.The full import of the song’s meaning and emotion comes out clearly.

There are other notable songs like “Engume Aanantham”, “Kannaalan Varuvara”, “Paartheera Ivar sarasam”, “bhagyavathi Naan” “Nithirai Illaiady” etc . In my opinion the finest four of her best solos were in “Missiamma” , “Vanchikottai Vaaliban and “Thangappathumai”. Missiamma starred Gemini Ganesh and real life wife Savithri. The two remarkable Leela solos were “Mayame Naan Ariven” and “Enaiyalum Mary Matha”. The latter an appeal to the Virgin Mary was sung on an emotional high though Leela is a hindu. It is on par with the Jikki - Periyanayaki number on Mary in” Gnanasoundari” - “Arul Tharum Theva Mathave”.

The solo from “Vanchikottai Valiban “is “Vennilave thanmathiye ennudane Va Va”. It is a soothing melody set on screen for Padmini in a nocturnal boat scene. The melody is evocative of the gentle breeze, moonlight glow, ripples in the water and above all the slow , rhythmic movement of the boat. It transports one to an ethereal atmosphere.

The fourth solo is the tragic number “sollamma Vai thiranthu” in “Thangappathumai”. It is played out on Padmini on screen. The music is by Viswanathan - Ramamoorthy. Leela has gone on record saying that it was the most difficult song she has ever sung for Thamizh films. The recording took place from 9am to 9 pm at a 12 hour stretch. Since it was full of pathos Leela was emotionally high - strung. Viswanathan was not easily satisfied and made Leela labour ceaselessly. At the end of it all Leela wept uncontrollably. Leela’s singing plus Padminis acting made the song sequence a great success.

Leela has also sung several duets with singers of her own sex. The songstress combinations have been successes very often. It was the “inbamayam” duet with MLV in “Manamagal” that made Leela’s name. There have been other duets with others too like “vetkamaga irukkuthadi” - Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi in “Paar Magakey Paar” and “Vaaliya Needooli” - (Radha) Jayalakshmi in “Arivaali”. Both were bharatanatyam numbers. Leela however clicked marvellously with Jikki and P. Susheela.

The crowning achievement with Jikki was in “Vanchikottai Vaaliban” by Gemini Studios. Music was by C. Ramachandra of “Anarkali” fame. Two great danseuse actresses Padmini and Vyjayanthimala were the heroines vying for hero Gemini Ganesans affection. There is this magnificient dance competition between both in the presence of the hero and villain Veerappa. Jikki sings for Vyjayanthi and Leela for Padmini in the classic number “Kannum Kannum Kalanthu”. The song written by Kothamangalam Subbu is a verbal duel. The words, melody, dancing and singing prove to be an excellent combination. At one point Veerappa exclaims “Sabash! Sariyana Potti” (wow! Great competition). It was not only apt for the on screen dancing but also applicable for the off - screen singing by Jikki and Leela.

Leela’s much praised duet with Susheela was in “Lavakusha” starring NT Rama Rao and Anjali Devi. The duet was a marathon 12 minute number “Jegam Pugalum Punniya Kathai Ramanin Kasthaiye, Athai Sevi kulira Padiduvom Kelungal Ithaiye”. The words of Maruthakasi encapsule the story of Ramayana in that song. The music is by Ghantasala. Leela and Susheela sing it in Telungu also in the Telugu version of the film.. Sri Sathya Sai Baba was greatly enamoured of that song. He referred to Leela and Susheela as Lava and Kusha because it was Lava and Kusa who sing it on screen.

Leela has sung for many actresses like Padmini, Savithri, Jamuna, Anjali Devi, TR Rajakumari, Rajasulosana, Vijayakumari and even Saroja Devi. It is felt that her voice suited Padmini and Savithri best. She has also sung for composers like CR Subbaraman, Ghantasala, KV Mahadevan, SM Subbiah Naidu, Rajeswara Rao, C, Ramachandra , G. Ramanathan and Viswanathan -Ramamoorthy. Almost every composer elicited the best from her though CRS, Ghantasala, KVM and G Ramanathan excelled in utilising her talent. Leela was a simple and humble person without any airs or tantrums. She cooperated with all her music diectors and co - singers well.

In spite of her ability and popularity Leela was unassuming. She also had strong principles. Once she lost a great opportunity to sing with MK Thiyagaraja Bhagavathar for one of his films because she had a prior commitment for a Kacheri. She refused to cancel it in order to sing with Bhagavather. Incidently Leela is one of the few songstresses to sing with music composer KV Mahadevan. It happened accidently because the male playback singer did not turn up and KVM had to finish the recording on that day itself. The film was “Mathanamohini”. The KVM - Leela song “Kannalanai” was a hit.

Leela was a singer who could sing almost any type of song at any pace. Classical, semi. classical, light and folk songs were all her forte. Devotional, dancing, gypsy, folk, romantic songs were all part of her repertoire. She could grasp the melody easily and sing with all intonations. She kept the “shruthi” low and sang out lustily giving full range to her mellifluous voice.

It is indeed a pity that a songstress of Leela’s calibre was slowly sent into oblivion by Tamil cinema. After “Engiruntho Vandhal” in 1970 there was a long lull till Ilaiyarajah got her to sing in “Katpoora Mullai” in 1984. It was for a classical song by Sri Vidya on screen. The actress was the daughter of ML Vasanthakumari with whom Leela has sung together in many films.Leela was not one to canvass for songs and allowed herself to fade away gracefully.

Though Thamizh cinema spurned her Leela was not a spent force. Thelungu and Malayalam cinema embraced her. She was not top of the pops but retained a respected place till her sixties. The Malayalam classic “Chemmeen” for which Saleel Chaudhary composed music has Leela singing for Sheela. She also composed music for the Telungu film” Chinnari Papulu”.

Apart from Thamizh cinema even the orthodox music societies of Tamil Nadu ignored Leela. She was a formally trained carnatic singer but the “Sabhas” of Chennai did not give her many assignments treating her as a second class playback singer. Kerala and Andhra gave her many stage programs. She was however given continuous prominence by Malayalam radio and television .

Her marriage to a lawyer was a failure. She lived with her sister and family in a Chennai suburb. Her solace in life was her sangeetham and bhakthi. Leela turned more and more to devotional songs in later years. Her songs on her family deity Kuruvayoorappan and others on Mookambiga and the recital of Narayaneeyam were well received. The LP records and audio cassettes on Kuruvayoor and Narayaneeyam recitals were best sellers for decades.The devotional hymn, Vakacharthu as recited by Leela, is played every morning in Kuruvayur temple, coinciding with the Nirmalya darshan at dawn.

The Thamizh tinsel world and snobbish sabhas may have rejected Leela but thousands of her fans never forgot her. Whenever a program featuring her was staged in Tamil Nadu or abroad many flocked to see and hear her. Unfortunately such occasions were few. Technology however enables her fans to listen again and again to the melodious voice at a mere click. Her memory will remain evergreen for ever and ever . The name P. Leela can never be erased from the sphere of Thamizh film songs. “Then Suvai Mevum Senthamizh Geetham Endrum Eluvathu Leelavin Kuralale”.

Songs by P.Leela

Illaiyarajah’s son Yuvan Weds Grand Daughter of Jaffna

March 21st was an auspicious day for marriages. In Sri Lanka the media hype was about Cricketing spin wizard Muthia Muralitharans marriage to Madhimalar Ramamurthy of Adayar in Chennai.

Even as the Murali - Madhi wedding was on at the Rajeswary Meiyammai Wedding hall another VIP wedding was taking place at the Mayor Ramanathan Chettiar wedding hall. If one “Kalyanam” was of interest to cricket lovers the other “thirumanam” captured the interest of many Tamil film music fans.

Yuvan Shankar Rajah , son of maestro Illaiyarajah and a composer in his own right got married to Sujaya Chandran of London . She is the daughter of medical doctor parents Velayutham and Sarojini Chandran living in Britain.

While Indian media gave much prominence to the “London” connection there was practically no mention about the Jaffna connection of the Bride. Sujayas mother Dr. Sarojini known generally as Saroja is a daughter of Jaffna hailing from Myliddy. An old student of Mahajana College, Thellippalai Sarojini had her higher education in India where she met and married Sujayas father a native of Kerala.

Sujaya based in London is a devotee and student of music. She met Yuvan Shankar Raja as a “fan” in London. Sujaya kept in touch with Yuvan during his many trips to London. There were reverse trips to Chennai too. Gradually rhapsodic love bloomed and the couple with the blessings of their parents embarked on a matrimonial symphony.

With hits like “Kadal Konden” “Manmathan” and now “Ram” Yuvan Shankar Rajah is now firmly established as a little maestro. He is no longer Illaiyarajahs son but a composer in his own right. Music however runs in the family what with Appa and Chithappahs Bhaskar, Gangai Amaran, Annan Karthik Rajah and thangai Bhavatharini making their individual indelible marks on the Tamil film scene.

The wedding ceremony was conducted according to Vedic rituals in accordance with the wishes of the mystical Illaiyaraja. A large number of Brahmin priests were present chanting the “manthras” with gusto.Yuvan tied the “thali” knot at the auspicious time of 10. 05 am.

The attendees and well - wishers were virtually a who’s who of the Kodambakkam movie crowd. The bride Sujaya seemed thrilled at the sight of this galaxy assembled at her wedding.Illaiyarajah personally introduced most of the guests to his daughter in law.

A proud father Illaiyarajah was visibly happy and greeted each and every guest. The fraternal trio Rajah, Bhaskar and Amaran seemed to have patched up their differences and presented an amiable and amicable front to the guests.The family members of the clan too were seen wrapped in bonhomie.

Pride of place was given “Panchu” Arunasalam, Illaiyarajahs mentor who gave the maestro his big break in “Annakkili”. Directors Bharathirajah and SP muthuraman with their wives were present on the stage attending to the couple and guests. Bharathirajah tied a bracelet around Yuvans wrist.

Directors Maniratnam, Shankar, Selvaraghavan, Sa Chandrasekhar and the doyen of them all K. Balachandar were all present.

The guest of honour was former chief minister and DMK Chief Muttuvel Karunanidhi alias Kalainjar. He came in with his customary yellow shawl flanked by deputies Arcot Veerasamy and Thuraimurugan. When Illaiyarajahs wife queried “Amma varaleengala? ” referring to Kalainjars wife Thayalu being absent Karunanidhi retorted “why If Amma had come then how could I have come”.

There was a lot of laughter as everyone present understood the implicit reference to Kalainjars nemesis Tamil Nadu chief minister Jayalalitha Jayaram also called “Amma”. Quipping further Kalainjar inquired “Did you invite “Amma”?. He then remarked ” I was referring to my Veetukkara Amma” amid ripples of laughter.

The couple came down from the dais to receive Kalainjars blessings. The chief minister Jayalalitha though not present had reportedly sent her greetings and gift earlier.When Kalainjar was leaving RM veerappan was entering.

Kamalahasan and Rajanikanth were expected but only the “Mumbai express” showed up. But the super star made amends by sending his daughters Aishwarya and Soundarya with new son in law Dhanush.

When Prabhu and Ramkumar came the talk moved to “Chandramukhi”.Sarathkumar and Radhika also made their presence felt.

Another notable attendee was the writer Jayakanthan who had recently won the Gnanapeeth award. “aachi” Manorama was seen walking up to the one time “enfant terrible” of Tamil letters and congratulating him.

The lyricist Vaali was present for a long time. Taking a front row seat he was seen observing keenly the wedding rituals. Singers P. Susheela, LR Eeswari, Unikrishnan and Hariharan were there too. The rendering of Ghazals by Hariharan was the highlight of the evening.

Music marvel AR Rahman came too and presented Yuvan a diamond ring. nstead of putting it on Yuvans finger the “Musical storm” dropped it neatly into the bridegrooms pocket.MS Visvanathan was there with wife for an hour.

Illaiyarajah seemed radiantly happy at the Tamil film personalities ranging from character actor Sangili murugan to the divine ms. Meena converging to wish the couple.Director Selvaraghavan a close pal of the groom was seen engrossed in conversation with Yuvan

Several actresses like Kushbu. Radhika, Suhasini. Sneha, Revathy, Suhanya, Rohini, Sangeetha etc were engaged in deep conversation with Ms. Jeeva Illaiyarajah. They also exchanged pleasantries with the bride Sujaya who seemed enthralled by the shining stars.

The grooms brother Karthik went around greeting all guests while carrying his cute kid Yatheeswar.The grooms sister Bhavatharini was wearing a dazzling silk saree and bedecked in traditional jeweelery was the cynosure of most eyes as she busily enacted her duties as a virtual mistress of ceremonies.

The unspoken question on most lips was “Eppo Kalyanam Bhavatharini?

After honeymooning in a far eastern country the couple is set to take up permanent residence in Chennai. With a number of films up his sleeve the new bridegroom is expected to roll out an impressive list of melodies combining a Madras beat with Jaffna rhythms even as he settles down to married life with Sujaya Chandran the grand daughter of Jaffna.

Gemini Ganesan - Romance King of Tamil Films By D.B.S. Jeyaraj Gemini Ganesan one time heart throb of Tamil cinema passed away peacefully in his sleep at 1.30 am on March 22nd at his residence in Nungambakkam, Chennai. In a career spanning five decades the octogenarian made his mark in Tamil films as the romantic hero par excellence and was known as "kaadhal Mannan" (King of Romance). His on screen and off screen persona were intertwined and the evergreen Gemini with four wives had several liaisons with attractive women. As Tamil Nadu chief Minister Jayalalitha Jayaram remarked his death is truly "an end of an era in Tamil cinema". His real name was Ramasamy Ganesan. The prefix "Gemini" stuck to him because prior to acting Ganesan had worked as casting director at the prestigious "Gemini" studios in Tamil Nadu. By a coincidence his contemporary and namesake Sivaji Ganesan too got the prefix "Sivaji" due to his acting as the Mahratta King in a drama written by former DMK chief Minister CN Annadurai. Sivaji, Gemini and MGR (Ramachandran) comprised the triumvirate that dominated Tamil movies from the fifties to the seventies. Another Thespian SS Rajendran strove valiantly to make this a quartet but failed. Gemini however was the odd man out among the three musketeers.Unlike MGR and Sivaji he had no professional experience as a stage actor. Both MGR and Sivaji had learnt the ropes as part of the Madurai Boys Company drama group. Unlike them Gemini had tertiary qualifications. He was a B Sc graduate from Madras University whereas the others having taken to the stage in childhood were schooled by life. MGR and Sivaji encouraged fans associations and participated in politics Gemini remained aloof from politics. He even declined a Rajya Sabha MP nomination proposal by Rajiv Gandhi. While he was always cordial towards fans and friends he never promoted "Rasikar Mandrangal". This phenomenon continues to this day in Tamil Nadu and other South Indian states with proliferating fans associations dedicated to various film stars. While MGR's on screen hallmark was swashbuckling action sequences and Sivaji that of powerful dialogue delivery Gemini cooed and wooed his way into many a heart. All the world loves a lover! Gemini was the greatest lover on Tamil silver screen making hearts flutter. His handsome features, dashing personality, cavalier attitude, soft speech, twinkling eyes and impish humour proved an irresisistible combination. Though he proved his mettle in many movies with fight scenes and heavy duty dialogue Gemini was not classed as a fighter or actor in the MGR - Sivaji mould. This softie image led to a nickname "Sambar" or vegetable broth. Gemini was also called Ganesh, Gemini Mama and RG. His real name was Ramaswamy Ganesan. He was born into a well - educated middle class Brahmin family in Puthukottai on November 17th 1920. After rceiving secondary education at Rajahs College he moved to Chennai for higher studies. GGGanesan studied at Madras Christian College and graduated in Science. He worked as a demonstrator in cHemistry for a while at his Alma Mater. Utterly bored with academia he obtained employment at Gemini Studios run by the mercurial SS Vasan. Vasans father in law Ramachandran was Geminis grand uncle. He worked as casting director at Gemini. One of his duties was to interview prospective actors and actresses. Among his finds was Chandrababu, Ranga Rao, Savithri and Balaji. It was this stint at Gemini that bestowed Ganesan his name Gemini. His first film role was in "Miss Malini" a film based on a short story by RK Narayan. His name in the credits was RG. Later he played Lord Krishna in "Chakradhari". He came to be noticed as an actor by playing the villain opposite RS Manohar in "Thai Ullam". His turning point was as the hero playing dual roles in "Manampol Mankalyam" in 1952. From then onwards there was no looking back. He has acted in more than 200 films in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Hindi. Most films however were in Tamil his mother tongue. Among successful movies that Gemini acted as hero were Kanavane Kan Kanda Theivam, Vanjikottai Valiban, Kalyanap Parisu, Missiyamma , Then Nilavu, Meenda Sorgam, Sumai Thangi, Patha Kanikkai, Parthiban Kanavu, Kairasi, Kalathoor KannammaKonchum Salangai Katpaham, Ramu, Valkai Padagu, Shanthi Nilaiyam, Thamarai Nenjam, Vellivila , Punnagai and Naan Avanillai. He also acted in several blockbusters with Sivaji Ganesan playing second lead. Notable among these were Pennin Perumai, Veera Pandiya Kattabhomman, Kappalottiya Thamilan, Pathi bhakthi, Pavamannippu, Parthal Pasi theerum, Kandan Karunai, Saraswathie Sabatham and Unakkaha Naan. His only film with MGR was Muharasi where he played elder brother. Gemini also starred with SS Rajendran in "Vairakkiyam.In Kalathoor Kannamma Kamalahasan as a child artiste acted as Geminis son. Decades later in Avvai Sanmugi the aged Gemini played father in law to Kamal. Gemini has acted opposite several leading actresses like Anjali Devi, Pushpavalli, Padmini, Vaijayanthimala, Savithri, Devika, Vijayakumari, Saroja Devi, Vanishree, Rajashree, Kanchana, Bharathi, Jeyanthi, KR Vijaya and Jayalalitha. His screen chemistry with almost all his heroines was superb. Some of the love songs Gemini crooned on screen are evergreen numbers. Several playback singers have sung for Gemini but it was AM Rajah, PB Sreenivas and SP Balasubramaniam whose voices blended most harmoniously on screen. The directors who brought out his acting abilities out best were Ragavaiah, Bhimsingh. Bhanthulu, Sridhar, Shankar, Gopalakrishnan, Balachandar, Nagarajan etc. Some of his roles are unforgettable. The ugly dwarf in Kanavane Kankanda theivam; the valiant military commander Velliathevan in Veera Pandiya Kattabhomman; the freedom fighter Madasamypillai in Kappalottiya Thamilan; the burdened family man seeking solace as a Catholic priest in Sumai Thangi. The widower with child caught up in a triangular relationship in films like Katpaham, Ramu etc. The Nathaswaram playerlip synching to perfection on screen the music of maestro Karukurichi Arunasalam in Konchum Salangai, Vikkarama Cholan in Parthiban Kanavu, the warrior Verramallan in Saraswathy Sabatham. Lakshmana in Lava kusa; Lord Siva in Kandan Karunai; Lord Krishna in Veera Abhimanyu; the devotee to truth in Punnagai are someperformances lingering in memory. His magnum opus however was in his own production "Naan Avanillai" (I am not he) directed by S. Balachandar. Gemini played nine roles. The story was about a bigamist posing off as different men in different disguises to different women. It was a case of art imitating life and Gemini was in his element playing all roles. It was a sign of Gemini's remarkable sense of humour that he chose to film such a story as the only film he has ever produced. Unfortunately it did not click at the box office. Geminis first and only legal wife was Alamelu called fondly as "Bopji". Gemini married at 19 and had his first child when 22. This did not prevent further marriages done according to religious rites. One such wife was Pushpavalli with whom he acted in his first film . Another was the illustrious actress Savithri with whom he has acted in many films. She was known as Savithri Ganesh. Gemini made headlines a few years ago by his marriage to a woman more than fifty years his junior Julianna. He also had a live in relationship with the actress Rajashree. Ganesans other extra- marital liaisons were numerous and added grist to the gossip mills of Kodambakam. Gemini was no gigolo but a casanova.. He was not a hypocrite and candidly admitted to these saying his life was an open book. Some writers have compared him to Gary Cooper in this respect. His wife Bopji stood by her philandering husband throughout like the typical Indian loyal wife. She and Gemini have four daughters. Three of them Revathy, Kamala and Jeya are medical doctors. A fourth Narayani is a journalist on Times of India. Gemini has two daughters by Pushpavalli. The elder is Rekha the well - known Hindi actress. The younger Radha also acted in a few Tamil films but then opted for marriage and migration to the USA. Savithri and Gemini have two children. The daughter Vijayasamundeeswari is a Physiotherapist. She acted in films as a child artiste "Baby Savithri". Gemini's only son Satheesh Kumar is also living abroad. Despite the fickle love life Gemini was a shrewd businessman and invested heavily in real estate and property development. He was a good sportsman having captained the College Cricket team. He also played Tennis, Golf, Badminton . His other interests were swimming, riding horses, ball room dancing and reading. He has visited Sri Lanka several times and had many good friends. The MGR - Sivaji - Gemini Period at its best was the golden age of Tamil cinema. The last of that trio has breathed his last. Many actors have romanced their heroines in the past and no doubt will do so in the future. The "romantic king" crown however belonged to Gemini Ganesan and all other aspirants only pretenders to the throne.He was and will be forever the "Kaadhal Mannan" of Tamil cinema just as MGR was the "Puratchi Nadigar" (revolutionary Actor) and Sivaji its "Nadigar Thilakam".

Toronto Festival: Films "Of By And For" The People by D.B.S.JEYARAJ Film festivals are fast becoming annual events in many, many cities now. The reviewer V.Radhika writing in the "Hindu" summed it up aptly "In a box-office-propelled movie world, film festivals are oases of hope. They offer a kaleidoscope of world visions that are not packaged in a fast-food format: to be devoured and forgotten. They showcase works that hold a mirror to the times we live in, often reflecting unflattering but thought-provoking images". Sri Lanka striving hard to establish its own niche in the celluloid realm should seriously consider the screening of an international film festival annually in Colombo. If conducted and continued with consistent perfection the film festival could prove to be an additional fillip to the tourist industry. More importantly it could help the country stamp its own distinctive mark on the film scene. Venice and Cannes may be the most glamorous but other cities too have established a name for themselves in this respect. One such example is Toronto in Canada where I have been living for the past fifteen years. The Annual Toronto International Film Festival - rated second in importance to only Cannes - is the largest of its kind in North America. September as far as Torontonians are concerned is not only the month where summers give way to fall/autumn but also the film festival month. Come mid - September and areas surrounding participating theatres are dramatically altered with winding queues of film buffs waiting in line with their tickets. Films from the four corners of the globe are exhibited to hectic schedule that ultimately leaves avid film goers exhausted but exhilarated. As an ardent movie aficionado I been fortunate indeed to witness parts of this glorious spectacle as a viewer for thirteen times in the past except for two years when away from Toronto. It is indeed a unique event where the elites mingle with the commoners in viewing films as mere film buffs. Devoid of judges and juries it is mass participation that determines the festivals course. In the words of Festival director Piers Handling " The philosophy of the festival was always ' this is a festival for the people of Toronto' the public is still our most important constituency and we've never lost sight of that".Handling sees the festival as a "perfect mix of the pubic and industry, the two intersect, they jostle with each other, but there is no real friction between both sides of the festival. The film makers love coming here because they don't feel its a market or they don't feel its a press junket". According to Handling many distributors of foreign language films like to see the movies with a live audience in Toronto before taking decisions on buying them." It is the public that decides what's good and what's bad".The great advantage of Toronto is not being one of the "more high pressure festivals, which are competitive and are more of a market or press situation". There is vast opportunity for both the struggling independent maverick as well as the more established film makers to exhibit their wares here. Sri Lankan film makers or South Asian filmwallas for that matter should focus more and more on what is known generally as the Toronto film fest. This people oriented public nature of the Toronto fest as opposed to many others where critics and juries hold sway is a major reason for its popularity. This years festival was the one where I saw the most number of pictures. I managed to cram in twenty - two features, seven documentaries and one "revived" classical oldie. Though nearly three months have passed it does not seem too late even now to write briefly about this years film fest. After all few reviewers in South Asia give prominence to it. The 29th Toronto film fest held from Sep 9 -18 showed 328 films from 60 Countries of which 253 were full length features and documentaries while the other 75 were shorts. 99 of these celebrated their world premieres while 220 were North American firsts. 155 films from 55 non -English speaking Countries were in languages other than English. The final selection of 328 to be screened was made by the organizers out of a mind boggling 2686 entries. Each film was screened twice on 19 screens at 8 theatres and cineplexes in the heart of Toronto. 20 of these were special "Gala" presentations with high priced tickets. These galas have parties following screenings attended by filmakers, artistes and Exhibitors. The rest of the tickets were well within reach of the average cinephile and more than 250, 000 tickets were lapped up during the 10 days of film mania. More than 700 journalists from 80 Countries spangled with fans, filmmakers, actors and distributors for the peoples film festival. A distinguishing hallmark of the Toronto fest is the question and answer session provided at the end in most screenings. Audience members get a chance to clarify film related issues from the director, producer and other artistes present. The film makers are only too happy to field questions and serious filmfans pose many sensible and sensitive ones. These sessions are never dull and often transcend constraints of time until organizers reluctantly wind them up finally. This year saw an eclectic mix ranging from the 540 minute marathon "Evolution of a Filipino family" from the Philippines to the 2 minute short "More Sensitive" from British Columbia in Canada. The nine hour film in Tagalog by director Lav Diaz took eight years to make and focused on the fifteen years of martial law imposed by Ferdinand Marcos. The 120 second clip in English by Gail Noonan was on a second rate singer keen to prove he was smarter and more sensitive than the Viewer. The festival has earned a reputation over the years for exhibiting the best of current global cinema and for showcasing the latest works of famed international directors. These categorised under three sections "Masters", "Contemporary World Cinema" , and "Special Presentations" have proved time and again to be the most popular attractions of the festival. Movies under these banners provide high profile sneak previews by world renowned film makers as well as other creative talents. Jean - Luc Godard, Michelangelo Antonioni, Pedro Almodovar, Wim Wenders, Ousmane Sembene, Volker Schlondorff, Steven Soderbergh, Agnes Varda, Spike Lee, Istvan Sabo, Zhang Yimou,Tom Hooper and India's Buddhadeb Dasgupta etc were some of the maestros whose works were on display in Toronto. South Africa: Ten years later - was the theme of the National Cinema Spotlight focus. A decade after apartheid being abolished South Africa has a flourishing film industry reflecting the voice of a united nation. The highlights of this spotlight were the feature "Drum". Short film " Mozart - Music of the violin" and the documentary "A South African Love Story -Walter and Albertina" about legendary apartheid fighter Walter Sisulu and wife. There were other South African films in the special presentation category like Hotel Rwanda and Yesterday. Hotel Rwanda directed by Terry George had a powerful storyline based on actual events of the Rwanda genocide. The film with Hollywood's Nick Nolte in the cast was voted the most popular film of the festival and given the Peoples choice award. "Yesterday" an elegiac movie about an HIV positive Zulu woman was a moving experience. Directed by Darrel James Roodt and co - produced by Anant Singh the film had a superlative performance by Leleti Khumalo. It has been selected for nomination to the Oscar competition in the best foreign film category. Another remarkable SA based film was "Red Dust" directed by Tom Hooper and based on the novel by Gillian Slovo. An intense movie with a thrilling narrative "Red Dust" is set against the background of South Africa's Truth and reconciliation commission hearings. In addition to these were many other films made by or relating to Black issues and themes featured under the regular "Planet Africa" category. The only ones from South Asia were four "India" films. Dasguptas "Swapner Din" (chased by dreams) had Prosenjit and Rimi Sen and a fresh face Rajesh Sharma in the main roles. Though set in West Bengal " the trio of characters and their aspiring dreams were typical of persons in any part of India" explained the director at the screening. A delightful road movie was " Hari Om" by Bharatbala of "Vande Mataram" fame. A visually stunning film that brought out the beauty of rural Rajasthan "Hari OM" has scintillating performances by Vijay Raaz and Camille Natta. Interestingly Bala relied on the fusion music of Nitin Sawney instead of his AR Rahman as many would have expected him to do. "Schatten der Zeit" or "Shadows of Time" was a Bengali language movie set in colonial Calcutta. This German production had director Florian Gellenberger writing the screenplay. The movie with Prashant Narayanan and Tannishta Chatterjee in the lead roles evoked shades of Satyajit Ray. Irfan Khan and Soumitra Chatterjee also made their presence felt. "Zero" a feature documentary by Elida Shogt probed the mysteries of zero as a mathematical concept and as a state of being. Th search for the origins and cultural roots of zero brings the filmmaker to Varanasi where she maps her inner world onto the powerful mix of Hindu ritual and spirituality. There was a time when the Toronto festival featured a large number of Indian films. Once four films of Maniratnam were featured. The advent of a separate Toronto South Asia film festival in recent times has made an impact leading to a reduction in Indian movies. Other screening categories include "Real to Reel " (documentaries) "Discovery" ( new directors) "Wavelengths" (avant - garde artistes)," Midnight madness "(late night movies) and "Dialogues" (viewing and discussing films). Traditionally Pride of place is given to Canadian films through the "Perspectives Canada" category to help nurture the fledgling Canadian industry. This year it has been dropped and Canadian movies are being screened in the general categories instead of enjoying a special place. This time however two new Canadian sections. One is" Canada first " for first time Canuck directors and another "Short Cuts Canada" for Canadian short films. There are also the regular " Canadian Retrospective" and "Canadian Open Vault" sections. Several Canadian film makers made their mark at the festival showing signs of holding their own against Hollywood. Canadian cinema seems to have come of age. Much excitement was generated by the Canadian documentary " Casuistry: The art of killing a cat" by Zev Asher. The film showed the killing, skinning, cooking and eating of a cat as a "protest" against the killing and eating of other animals and birds. The animal rights activists were out in full force picketing against the film and the riot squad was called. Asher himself was placed under protective custody for a few hours. I managed to see 30 out of the 328 shown in 10 days. My pick for best feature was "Der Untergang" (Downfall)about the last days of Hitler by Oliver Hirschbiegel. Patricio Guzmans "Salvador Allende" was the choice as best Documentary. Hopefully if time and the editor permit I do hope to write about these and a few other "good" ones I saw in the coming weeks.

Sinhala film's line of destiny By D. B. S. Jeyaraj

Consensus is perhaps an elusively unattainable word in the Sri Lankan political lexicon. Mercifully, there are however several things about which there is a national consensus cutting across race, religion, caste and creed.

One such phenomenon would be in appreciating the creative genius of Sri Lanka's foremost film director Lester James Peries. With a remarkable career spanning five decades it could be said that he has now become a national icon identified with the sphere of cinema. Lester James Peries is acknowledgedly the pioneer of authentic Sinhala cinema. It was he who created in every sense of the term an indigenous cinema in both substance and style. Also it was he who first gained worldwide recognition for Sinhala cinema. He was the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 31st International Film Festival of India that concluded last January in New Delhi. Last year it was awarded to Italian film maker Bernardo Bertrolucci. It was in India that he was catapulted to fame 36 years ago. His Gamperaliya (Village Upheaval) received the Golden Peacock award for Best Film then. The first Sinhala movie was Kadawunu Poronduwa (Broken Promise). Made in Madras, it was released in 1947. Most Sinhala films in the first decade were heavily influenced by Hindi and Tamil masala movies. It was said that the only thing Sinhala about them were the actors and dialogue. The pioneering departure from this trend was by Lester in 1956 when his maiden feature film Rekawa (Line of Destiny) was released. Shot entirely in Sri Lankan outdoor locations, the path-breaking film altered the destiny of Sinhala films. Critics like Regi Siriwardene, the well known Sri Lankan writer and critic described Rekawa as an "event of tremendous importance." From Rekawa to his last film so far, Avagira, the auteur has left his celluloid imprint in a productive career that has topped half a century. Critics have described the nature of his films as the "cinema of contemplation." India's greatest film maker Satyajit Ray considered Lester to be of the same mould as him and once referred to the Sri Lankan as his "closest relative East of the Suez." In spite of the creative affinity between the two, Peries was not influenced by Ray when he made his first film. Regi Siriwardena told this writer in a telephonic conversation that Lester had not seen Pathar Panchali or Apu Sansar when he first made Rekawa. Regi who has worked as scriptwriter with Peries on some films told this writer by telephone that the first Ray film viewed by Lester was Aparajitho and that too was only after Rekawa was made. "It is a classic instance of two great Asian directors being of the same creative wavelength and proceeding on a parallel course independent of each other," says Siriwardena. The octogenarian director was born on April 5, 1919 in Dehiwela. Born to Catholic parents with an affluent westernised background Lester had his schooling at St. Peters College. His parents wanted him to become a lawyer or doctor while his teachers wanted him to be a Catholic priest. Lester however wanted to study literature and began writing stories, poems and plays from his student days. He was also an incurable film buff.

It is said that the legendary Lionel Wendt realised Lester's creative potential and advised his parents to allow him to do whatever he wanted. After leaving school, Lester went to London where he led a bohemian existence that bordered on the avant garde. While working as correspondent of the Colombo based Times of Ceylon, Peries also engaged himself in making short films and documentaries. A short film, Soliloquy made in 1949 won an award for artistic and technical merit from the Institute of Amateur and Research Filmmakers of Great Britain in 1951. He also produced another award winner Farewell to Childhood. It was based on a short story he had written when in Sri Lanka but adapted it to English surroundings. It was the eminent film maker Ralph Keene who was instrumental in persuading Lester to return home. "You should make films in your own country, about your own people," Ralph told him. Returning to Ceylon in 1954 Peries joined the Government Film Unit and began churning out several documentaries on several subjects including malaria and vehicle traffic. In the process he was exposed to new experiences of life which he was not aware of earlier. He discovered his roots and became appreciative of the island's cultural heritage, something which his upper middle class anglicised existence had restricted earlier. In later life some critics pointed out that his "distance" from the social and cultural milieu in which his films were rooted was a "disadvantage." But Lester compensated for this deficiency by infusing his creations with a tremendous amount of empathy. As Lester himself has stated, "in film the visual language is more important than the verbal. A filmmaker must master the language and syntax of the film. What is most necessary for a filmmaker is empathy, the ability to empathise with his subject." Associated with him at the GFU were cameraman Willie Blake and editor Titus Thotawatte. Yearning to evolve more meaningful films, the trio resigned from the GFU and embarked on the Rekawa venture.The trio broke up later with Blake migrating to Australia and Thotawatte becoming a film director in his own right. Thereafter Peries worked with a number of different artistes and technical personnel without being tied up with a team for too long. The only exception was perhaps his wife Sumithra who has been editing his films and assisting in screenplays. In later years Sumithra blossomed forth as a successful film director who could portray feminine but not necessarily feminist issues sensitively on screen. She also served as ambassador to France where her husband received the French Legion D’ Honour. Lester's early training as a documentary film maker as well as his penchant for creative literature were reflected in his films. According to Regi Siriwardena the twin hallmarks of Lester's auteuristic film making approach were his stylistic "construction of narrative" and ability to "capture and project actualities in a realistic manner." Lester's films described as the cinema of contemplation capture emotions and moods vividly on screen. These expressions are two-fold in the sense that they consist of clearly articulated or manifested emotions on the one hand and also of unarticulated, underlying feelings on the other. Complex relationships, poignant moods,tense undercurrents etc. are portrayed in auteuristic style that is simple and comprehensible. Lester's films do not have a very overt political content.The political message if any is quite subtle. As he explains it, "I cannot make intensely political films. Politics is there on the periphery, in films like Yuganthaya, where there is reference to the tension between labour and capital. All my themes are about the Sri Lankan family. I use the family as a microcosm through which the problems of a larger world are reflected. I understand my limitations and work within this. To me the battles within the family are more important and far more intense than anything outside of it." After Rekawa Peries made Sandesaya (Message), a historic drama set against the Portugese conquest. It had some magnificient scenes of battles. Then came the milestone Gamperaliya in 1964 that made its mark in the third New Delhi film festival. It won the Golden Peacock Award for best feature film. This was the first time a Sinhala film had won an international award. The late Ediriweera Sarachchandra was quoted in a Sinhala newspaper as having stated of Gamperaliya that after viewing it he left the auditorium with a feeling that he had seen a miracle and wondering how this spontaneous creation had manifested itself. Gamperaliya along with Nidhanaya are considred the twin masterpieces of the maestro. It was the first of a trilogy based on novels by the literary colossus the late Martin Wickremasinghe.The others were Kaliyugaya and Yuganthaya. The three films made after long intervals of time depicted on celluloid the collapse of the old order and the emergence of the new. Together they comprise an epic of transition portraying vividly on screen the struggle between a dying world and another struggling to be born. His greatest movie however was Nidhanaya made in 1970. Based on a novelette by G. B. Senanayake, it won the Royal Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. It is also included in the global list of 100 best films to be ever made that was compiled by the Cinematic Institute of France to mark the World Film Centenary. Nidhanaya also won the award at Sri Lanka's Golden Jubilee of Independence for being the best Sinhala movie in fifty years. It also won critical acclaim as one of the ten top Asian films for all time. Though a citizen of the world with a cosmopolitan background, Lester succeeded greatly in portraying the existential realities and nuances of rural Sri Lanka and its ontological veneer. He also excelled in transforming on celluloid popular novels and short stories. He also experimented with psychological topics that had not been dealt with before on the Sinhala screen. Some of his milestones include Delovak Athara that dealt with schizophrenia and Golu Hadawatha. Evocative of Akiro Kurosawa's Rashomon Golu Hadawatha too was told in flashback sequence with the two chief protagonists narrating their version of events. Another landmark was Ran Salu where the Catholic Lester chose an explicitly Buddhist theme. Akkara Paha was based on a novel by Madawala S. Ratnayake. Ahasin Polowata was another major example of Lester's attempts to portray characters of a complex psychological nature. It was adjudged the best third world film at the Cairo International Film Festival and awarded the Aknetath trophy. Desa Nisa adapted from a stage play was remarkable for a superlative performance by Joe Abeywickrema and cinematography particularly the preliminary scenes of the lotus pond. Beddagama was based on the Leonard Woolf classic Village in the Jungle. The only English film made directly by Lester was the God King, a Sri Lankan-German co-production. The God King with a blend of foreign and local artistes and the film was shot in Sri Lanka. The story revolved around the Sinhala monarch Kassyapa who built the lion fortress palace rendered famous by its frescoes on Sigiriya. The stipulations of a foreign funded movie restricted Peiris's creative control and cramped his style severely. The result was quite visible in the finished product which was not one of the director's best works. Lester himself admits this saying, "I strayed when I did God King. It was dictated to me in a way. It was clearly not my cup of tea." In a recent interview Lester was asked to comment on his career. This is what he said then,"There is an old French saying that in order to understand life you have to see it backwards.This is how I saw through my work. I have done features in the last 40 years and have been in films for fifty years in all. The most important lesson is that you begin to realise how little you know...". This realisation or self knowledge about one's own inadequacy was what the Tamil poetess Auvaiyar said centuries ago: "Kattrathu Kaimmannalavu. Kallaathathu Ulagalavu" (What we have learnt amounts to a handful of sand. What we are yet to learn is of global proportions."

OBITUARY: A doyen among actors - Sivaji Ganesan, 1928-2001

SIVAJI GANESAN, 72, one of the brightest stars on the Tamil film firmament for nearly five decades, passed away at a Chennai hospital on July 21. With more than 300 film roles to his credit, he inspired a whole generation of artists, virtually creating a new school of acting.

His acting career, which began at the age of eight, could be divided into three phases - 1936 to 1952, when he acted only on stage; 1952 to 1974, when he acted for the big screen and also gave stage performances; and 1974 to 1999, when he acted only in films. (His last film was Pooparikka Varigirom.)

Villupuram Chinniah Ganesan, or V.C. Ganesan, was born on October 1, 1928, in Villupuram, which was then in Tamil Nadu’s South Arcot district, to Chinnaiapillai, a railway employee and freedom fighter, and Rajamani, in whose name he was to launch later a successful film company, Rajamani Pictures.

Smitten by a street drama about Kattabomman, the feudal Polagar of Panchalan-kurichi who defied the British, young Ganesan became enamoured of acting and abandoned school when he was in Class Two. Forsaking home, he joined the Madurai-based Bala Gana Sabha drama troupe first, and later the troupe run by Ethaartham Ponnusamipillai. From child roles he graduated to female roles and then on to the “raja part”, the role of the hero, as it was known then. The first landmark in his career was his portrayal of the Maratha warrior Sivaji in the drama ‘’Sivaji Kanda Samrajyam'’ written by Dravida Munnetra Kazha-gam leader C.N. Annadurai, who went on to become the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister. E.V. Ramaswamy, the patriarch of the Dravidian movement, acclaimed his stellar performance and referred to Ganesan as ‘Sivaji’ Ganesan. This was in 1946. The sobriquet stuck.

The big break in Sivaji’s career came in 1952, when he acted as the hero in Parasakthi, a film directed by Krishnan-Panju. The dialogue, written by DMK leader and former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi in fiery and flowery prose with a surfeit of alliterations, the hallmark of Karunanidhi’s style, came powerfully alive in a stunning performance by Sivaji, unparalleled in Tamil cinema. The monologue uttered as an address to Tamil Nadu in the earlier scenes and the courthouse speech in the closing stages of the film were classic instances of delightful oratory. A star had arrived in Tamil cinema.

The Karunanidhi-Sivaji combination made an explosive impact. The writer’s rich prose, brimming with vitality, was given emotive and impressive expression by the actor. Every film in which they collaborated was a success. Notable among them were Thirumbi Paar, Manohara, Kuravanji and Iruvar Ullam.

Sivaji had an extraordinary flair for dialogue delivery. He pioneered an exquisite style, diction, tone and tenor. (Later other scriptwriters, such as Solaimalai, Sakthi Krishnaswamy, Aroor Das, and ‘Vietnam Veedu’ Sundaram, were to provide dialogue that tapped his diction, which rendered the Tamil language euphonious.)

A generation of actors and aspirants modelled themselves on his style. Despite this mass attempt to imitate and emulate him there was no replicating or duplicating the veteran. This stylish, dramatic presentation was essentially considered to be a feature suitable for the stage rather than the screen. A device used frequently in his earlier films to give an outlet to his histrionic talents was the inclusion of short historical dramas - on the Chera King Senkuttuvan, Akbar’s son Salim or Jahangir, Socrates, Emperor Asoka among others - within the main plot, often dealing with a social theme.

His acting ability received maximum exposure in the bantering arguments Veerapandiya Kattabomman has with his British adversaries in the eponymous film. Sivaji received the best actor award for this role at the Afro-Asian film festival held in Cairo in 1960.

Sivaji’s talents were by no means restricted to his oratorical prowess and powerful dialogue delivery. He could emote all the nine moods (navarasas) realistically. This skill found scope in all his films and came out into full play in his 100th film Navarathri in 1964, in which he played nine different characters signifying wonder, fear, compassion, anger, gentleness, revulsion, romantic passion, courage and happiness.

His other commendable multi-role performances were in Uthama Puthiran in a dual role, and Deiva Magan and Bale Pandiya in which he did three roles each.

Sivaji Ganesan played a wide range of characters, from god and king to commoner. Whether it was the mercurial Chola emperor Raja Raja Cholan, Lord Siva, Lord Muruga, Saivite saint Appar, Vaishnavite saint Periyaalvar or Tamil poet Ambigapathy, Sivaji was always at his scintillating best. He was equally splendid in contemporary roles and stereotypes making every performance a memorable one.

Superb among them are his roles as Bharatha in Sampoorna Ramayanam, the patriotic lawyer Chidambaram Pillai in Kappalottiya Thamizhan, the nagaswaram player Sikkal Shanmugasundaram in Thillana Mohanambal, Prestige Padma-nadha Aiyer in Vietnam Veedu, Barrister Rajanikanth in Gauravam and Police Superintendent Chaudhury in Thangapadhakkam.

Despite achieving stupendous success on the screen, Sivaji remained faithful to his first love, the stage, and acted in plays for decades. Scenes from some of his films remain etched in memory: the ‘Yaaradi Nee Mohini’ song sequence in Uttama Puthiran, where Sivaji’s mannerisms would remind present day movie-goers of Rajnikanth’s style; the physically challenged Ponniah in Bhagapirivinai, the inimitable gait as the fisherman in Thiruvilayadal and the clash with Tamil scholar Nakkeeran in the same film; his duel over artistic superiority with Padmini in Thillana Mohanambal; particularly during the ‘Nalanthaana?’ song sequence; and the Othello drama sequence in English with Savithri as Desdemona in Iratha Thilakam.

Sivaji had an astounding capacity to synchronise lip and body movements to playback renditions making it appear as if he was actually rendering these songs. Singers Chidambaram Jeyaraman, Tiruchi Loganathan, Seerkazhi Govindarajan and A.M. Raja in the earlier days and T.M. Soundararajan later gave voice to his songs, making the singing and speaking voices blend as an indivisible entity.

Several directors, among them Krishnan-Panju, T.R. Sundaram, L.V. Prasad, B.R. Panthulu, T. Prakash Rao, A. Bhim Singh, K. Shankar, A.P. Nagarajan, A.C. Tirulokchandar, Sridhar, P. Madh-avan, K.S. Gopalakrishnan and K. Vijayan, directed Sivaji in vastly different roles, bringing out his versatility.

It was Sivaji’s tragedy that as the years progressed, opportunities for him to display his acting talent became scarce. But he did act in cameo roles, often stealing the scenes, as in Thevar Magan, which won him the National Awards Jury’s Special Jury award in 1993. (Sivaji, incidentally, declined the award.)

Ironically, the man hailed as a great thespian never won a national award for best actor. He was conferred the Dadasaheb Phalke lifetime achievement award for meritorious service to Indian cinema in 1997.

THE film journal Pesum Padam gave him the honorific ‘Nadigar Thilagam’ (doyen of actors). Sivaji was honoured with the titles Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan and the Tamil Nadu government conferred on him the Kalaimamani award. The French government honoured him with Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Literature. Sivaji served as a member of the Rajya Sabha. But despite his vast popularity as a film actor he was not successful in politics. Starting out as a Dravida Kazhagam and later DMK activist, he crossed over to the Congress in the late 1950s. When the Congress split in 1969 he stayed with the ‘old’ Congress of Kamaraj. After Kamaraj’s death he joined the Congress led by Indira Gandhi. In 1989, he formed his own Tamizhaga Munnetra Munnani and struck out alone only to suffer a humiliating defeat in the elections. Later he functioned as leader of the Tamil Nadu Janata Dal for a while, but soon ceased to be active in politics.

Essentially a creature of the stage when he entered films, Sivaji Ganesan brought that baggage with him and superimposed it effectively on the film medium. Yet his brilliant acting made this so-called violation of screen norms the accepted norm of film acting. Generations of Tamils learnt to appreciate the beauty and power of the Tamil language because Sivaji Ganesan breathed new life into it.

Sivaji was no stranger to Sri Lanka. His movies ran to packed houses in the island. Several of his films were adapted and remade in Sinhala. Substantial portions of Pilot Premnath and Mohanapunnagai were shot in Sri Lankan locales with Sri Lankan artists Malini Fonseka and Geetha Kumarasinghe in the lead female roles.

Gamini Fonseka: Monarch of the Sinhala Movieland

The headline flashed on the computer screen was devastating. “Gamini Fonseka Sinhala Screen Legend passes away” it said. An uncontrollable feeling of sadness overwhelmed me. Gamini was no more. It was as if a part of ones life had ended. Nostalgic journeys down memory lanes of the past becomes inevitable.

I was born in 1954 the year that Gamini entered the field of cinema. It was only in March this year that Dharmasiri Gamage and other like minded souls celebrated Gamini’s Golden jubilee in films by organizing a “Raja Dekma” in his honour. Dharmasiri passed away some days ago. Now Gamini too has followed suit.

I had planned in March to write an article in appreciation of Gamini Fonseka then. Due to many reasons it got postponed. Then other pressing matters and a feeling of revulsion about Sri Lankan politics caused a mental block. The very question of writing became anathema for a while. The whole business of writing on matters Sri Lankan seemed purposeless.

Gamini’s death however has compelled me to write again. Feeling extremely guilty about not having penned an article in his honour while he was alive I now pay tribute to the man after his death. This article is to honour the memory of a man whom I loved as an actor, appreciated as a director, admired as a politician and above all respected as a decent human being.

One is grief - stricken because Gamini the actor on the Sinhala silver screen became an important part of life in childhood. This is the kind of relationship one has with actors , singers, writers and sportsmen. The impact of films and film stars in the South Asian region is Phenomenal. Childhood impressions in that sense are indelible.

Belonging to a middle class Tamil family living then in Colombo I was drawn into the world of films at an early age. The staple diet of this film fascination was naturally Tamil - MG Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganeshan, SS Rajendran, Ranjan etc were the Tamil cine heroes who enthralled me then.

But I was indeed fortunate that despite my Tamilness I was equally attracted to Sinhala movies from an early age. This affinity for Tamil and Sinhala films itself was viewed as something unusual at St. Thomas’s Prep or STC Mt. Lavinia where I studied in the sixties. Few Sinhala or Tamil kids saw Sinhala or Tamil films in those schools then. But then I was indeed lucky to savour Tamil, English and Sinhala movies from a very young age.

As children we were enamoured greatly of action movies. “Fighter” actors were relished as opposed to “character” actors. So MGR , Jaishnkar, Anandan, Ravishankar from Tamil movies along with Charlton Heston, John Wayne, Yul Brynner and later Clint Eastwood were my childhood favourites. As far as Sinhala films were concerned there was only one and that of course was Gamini.

Gamini Fonseka entered my life when I was about eight years old. The place he did so was a movie theatre in Maradana bearing his own name Gamini. “Ran Muthu Duwa” was my first Sinhala Movie. The family went to see it for two reasons. One because it was the first Sinhala technicolour film. Secondly to see the famed underwater scenes made possible by Mike Wilson.

Gamini along with Jeevarani, Shane Gooneratne and Joe Abeywickrema starred in it. Gamini’s acting, dancing and fighting captivated me. I was well and truly hooked. I never ever recovered.

The song and dance sequence ” Pipee pipee Renu Natana” remains fresh in memory even now. I still remember the melody and some of the poetic lines like “Apey watte mal pipila meemassen wikvela” and “Rana giraw Kumbura udin mal mal gamanak giya” etc.

To digress slightly many years ago while returning from an outstation journalistic assignment in Sri Lanka the journalist fraternity in the vehicle burst into a singsong as was customary then. After regaling colleagues with Tamil songs I was asked to sing a Sinhala number. I sang the “Ran Muthu Duwa” song. Udaya Manawasinghe who was present was very happy and told me that it was his father’s composition.

My admiration and fondness for Gamini’s films grew over the years. Initially the attraction was mainly the fight scenes. Gamini brought a refreshing naturalness to those scenes as opposed to the artificiality in South Indian ones. It was later that one learned to appreciate the finer points of his acting.

There was hardly a Gamini Fonseka film that I missed in the sixties. This was due to a woman Mary Caroline who was then a domestic helper at our home. She stayed with the family for about seven years. Mary was an avid Gamini fan. So I would accompany her every month to Sinhala films in general and Gamini Fonseka films in particular. This was how I managed to see so many of his films in my childhood. “Chandiya”, “Soora Chowraya” and “Sorungeth Soru” were some of my favourites then This is how Gamini Fonseka became a permanent part of my childhood memories. He remains there forever.

A break with Sinhala movie going came in the early seventies when my family moved to Jaffna. I returned with a vengeance to “Sinhala chitrapati”after we shifted back to Kurunegala and then Colombo. One recalls wistfully the hours of enjoyment at the Jupiter, New, Modern , New Imperial theatres in Kurunegala and Roxy, Saphire, Elphinstone and Gamini in Colombo. Not only did I see new films but also several old ones when re - screened.

I remain to this day a firm Sinhala film aficionado not only of quality films but also of those masala movies. Lester, GDL, Nihalsinha, Siri Gunasinha, KAW, Pathiraja, Sumithra, Tissa, Vasantha , Dharmasiri , Parakrama and Prasanna took Sinhala cinema in a new direction away from shackles of Bombay and Madras. But for sheer entertainment one cannot forget the “popular” films of Cinemas, Ceylon Theatres and people like Yasapalitha, Tampoe, Morais, Dev Anand etc too.

Gamini straddled both these worlds with ease. He was both an “arty” actor of powerful serious movies as well as a ” melodramatic ” star of popular cinema too. He was artistically appreciated and commercially valued. For two decades and more Gamini was the uncrowned king of Sinhala cinema. He made his mark as both actor and director. In the process he helped liberate Sinhala cinema Indian constraints and gave it fresh perspective and dynamic direction.

Gamini also elevated the standards of Sinhala cinema and provided it with integrity and self - respect. He fought for the upliftment of the industry and fellow artistes and technicians. Gamini Fonseka is inextricably intertwined with the evolution and growth of Sinhala cinema.

My formative years as a Sinhala film fan were therefore heavily influenced and shaped by Gamini Fonseka. To me and millions of other like minded people Sinhala cinema was personified by Gamini Fonseka for a long, long time. Notwithstanding the brilliant creators of our times who have elevated the standards of Sinhala films one is unable to imagine or visualise Sinhala cinema without thinking of Gamini Fonseka. Sinhala cinema is certainly not Gamini Fonseka but without Gamini Fonseka there is no Sinhala cinema either. His death therefore marks an end of an epoch!

Sembuge Gamini Shelton Fonseka was born in Dehiwela on March 21st 1936 as the third child of William and Daisy Fonseka; After initial schooling at aPresbyterian institution he went to St. Thomas’s College, Mt.Lavinia. He made his mark there not as a Thespian but as an artist of repute. He was capable of caricaturing school masters mercilessly.

Apart from art young Gamini also excelled in Sinhala language and literature while at college. One of his proudest moments was when he won the Sinhala literature prize when he was in the upper fourth. He received his prize from old Thomian and first prime minister of Independent “Ceylon” DS Senanayake. He was also a good cricketer.

Involved in many a schoolboy skirmish Gamini had to cut short his secondary education early.He then entered the wonderful world of films in a technical capacity. He worked under the legendary David Lean for “Bridge on the river Kwai” and our own Lester James Peiris on “Rekawa”. His association with Lester as an assistant director on Rekawa changed Gamini’s line of destiny forever. Gamini’s first screen appearance was “Rekawa” as part of a crowd. The same man went on to become a crowd puller in later life.

Gamini then acted in an English television series about the antics of an”elephant boy” filmed in Sri Lanka. He was also production assistant.

His first big break in acting came with “Daiwa Yogaya” in 1959 where he played a secondary role. Senadheera Kuruppu and Rukmani Devi were in the lead roles. Then came Lester’s ” Sandesaya” where nominally Gamini played second fiddle to Ananda Jayaratna but stole the show from him with a stellar performance.

It was around this time films like “Adata wediya Heta Hondai” Ranmuthuduwa” “Getawarayo” and “Dheevarayo” exploded on the screen and established Gamini as a box office draw . He proved however that he was not a melodramatic actor singing, dancing and fighting alone by making his mark as a character actor in Lester’s “Gamperaliya” that won the Golden Peacock in New Delhi. Once again Gamini was the “third” to Henry Jayasena and Punya Heendeniya but gave a performance par excellence as Jinadasa.

Titus Totawatte’s “Chandiya” was a milestone. This was perhaps the first anti - hero role of Sinhala cinema. Gamini breathed and lived the part of a tough guy. Titus had a sequel “Chutte”. It was in a way art imitating life because Gamini was in every way a “Chandiya” in real life. Thomians of yesteryear speak volumes about his martial prowess. The benchmark of his fighting prowess was the “historic” encounter with Dehiwela’s “strongman” Karthelis the brother of S de S Jayasinghe.

A major reason for the naturalism in Gamini’s fighting scenes was the man himself. He was a fighter both orthodox and unorthodox. He often got into brawls always or a good cause. One such incident was at Embilipitiya Circuit bungalow when the caretaker and his cronies in an intoxicated state picked a fight with the film crew on location there. Gamini pitched in with flying fists and proved that his macho image was not confined to celluloid alone. He then moved the entire crew at his expense to Tissamaharama.

There was a time when film artistes and technicians were treated rather shabbily by the film makers. Gamini changed all that to a great extent. He fought for their rights and dignity with the film makers, distributors, media , film corporation and government. Yet he was not complacent and remained concerned about their plight.

He was unhappy about the way the various regimes treated and continue to treat the film industry. At his “Rajadakma” Gamini advised artistes to spurn politics and went on to observe “I have worked for both parties but no one has done any good for the film industry or artistes”.

Gamini reached the peak of his popularity in the late sixties and early seventies as romantic action hero. When Sean Connery won over the western world as Ian Fleming’s James Bond in “Dr. No” and “from Russia With Love” Mike Wilson cashed in on the “OO7″ craze with a Sri Lankan version. Enter our own man with a license to kill - Jamis Banda. Who else other than Gamini could do justice to the role in “Sorungeth Soru?

There were other popular roles too with Sri Lankan versions of the famous Tamil “Vallava” film series starring Jaishankar and Manohar produced in Tamil Nadu by Ramasundaram of Modern Studios. Gamini was the mainstay of the “sooraya” film series in Sinhala. ” Soorayangath Sooraya”, “Edath Sooraya Adath Sooraya” “Sooraya Soorayamai” ” Hatharadenaama Sooraya” etc. The action films of old had a simple underlying thread that good triumphs over evil. So Gamini like MGR gave us a happy feeling and inspired all to greater heights.

This success in action movies did not mean that Gamini was playing stereo -typed roles alone. Far from it! He played a variety of roles and proved his thespian skills in many. Two memorable performances were in Lester’s “Nidhanaya” and “Yuganthaya: as Willie Abeynayake and Simon Kabalana. “Nidhanaya” Lester’s masterpiece is the only Sinhala film to be included in the 100 Best Movies of the World list.

There have been several actor - directors who failed when directing themselves. It was a case of underplaying or overacting. One man who performed this dual role creditably was Hindi cinema’s Raj Kapoor (Awaraa, Barsat, Shri 420 etc) In Sinhala cinema Gamini was one man whose acting did not falter when directing.

Starting from “Parasathumal” to others like “Uthumaneni” “Sagarayak Medha” ” Koti Waligaya” “Nomiyena Minissu”etc Gamini played his roles remarkably in those films. At the same time he stamped his arterial mark as director. One cannot place him in the class of an A plus director in Sinhala cinema. But an A minus director he certainly was.

Parasathumal in particular was brilliantly directed and proved a path breaking venture. It is indeed hard to believe that Gamini was under thirty when he directed this maiden venture. After Gamini’s death I borrowed a DVD of “Parasathumal” from a friend and viewed it again. Being in a sentimental haze perhaps I was astounded by the movie. Gamini as Bonnie Mahathmaya was simply superb!Gamini as director brought out fantastic performances from Punya, Anula and Tony!

Other noteworthy films where his histrionic skills were strikingly displayed were “Getawarayo” “Hulawali” “Oba Dutu Daa” “Sekaya” “Sanasuma Kothanada” “Weli Kathara” “Sana keliya”, “Deviyane Oba Kohedha?” , “Sekaya” and “Sarungale”. His performances in films directed by him were all fabulous.

“Sekaya” produced by SPM movies and directed by E. Rathinam was a remake of the Tamil classic “Deivapiravi”. Gamini, Rita Ratnayake and Tony Ranasinghe played the roles acted by Sivaji. Padmini and SS Rajendran in the original. I had the chance of seeing both films again in my twenties again. It was then that I marvelled at Gamini’s performance as against that of Sivaji. Sivaji like MGR, SSR etc came to film from the stage. Gamini like Gemini Ganesh came straight to films.

Incidentally both Gamini and Sivaji were greatly influenced by Marlon Brando. Gamini combined shades of Sivaji, Brando, Brynner and Paul Newman. His primary inspiration however was Brando. The Hollywood giant passed away some months ago. Though affected by Brando it must be said to Gamini’ s credit that he evolved his own “fusion” style and distinctive method.

Two English films starring Gamini Fonseka that I have sen are “Sitadevi” and “Rampage”. In Manik Sandrasagara’s “version” of the Ramayana Gamini played a modern Ravana to Bengali actress Mamta Shankar. Rampage was a Moby Dick type of man vs beast saga with an elephant as protagonist. In this Gamini played a planter - hunter opposite Mary Tamm who also acted in Frederick Forsythe’s “The Odessa File”.

Gamini also acted in an Indian Tamil movie “Neelakkadalin Orathiley”. He had two heroines Radha Saluja the Hindi actress and Sri Priya the Tamil - Telugu star. An Indian Tamil magazine review described Gamini as a “Koluk moluk Biscuit Pappa” look alike. What it meant was that Gamini had “babyish” looks alike the child models in advertisements for biscuits. Radha Saluja became a close friend and used to correspond with him for a long time.

Gamini however never acted in a Sri Lankan Tamil film. When reputed writer Senkai Aaliyaan’s “Vadaikaatru” (North Wind) was filmed Gamini was approached for the “Viruthasalam ” character role. It did not work out. But Gamini gave an astounding performance as a Tamil in Sunil Ariyaratne’s “Sarungale”. He played Nadarajah, the Jaffna Tamil clerk in a story that highlighted both the anti - Tamil communal violence as well as the caste contradictions among Tamils.

Among places that “Sarungale” was filmed in was Karaveddy my mothers ancestral village. Gamini himself was very proud of his role in that. Once in a conversation before the film’s release he told me personally “any Sinhala man who sees this film will never lay hands on a Tamil again”. Alas! That was not to be and not many years later came Black July 1983.

But one thing that must be emphasised in the case of Gamini Fonseka that he was a man with absolutely no trace of communalism in him. I have had only about four or five conversations with him including an interview for the “Virakesari” in 1978.This is not enough to gauge a man but two lengthy conversations with him convinced me of his bona fides in this respect. But there have been several people intimately knowledgeable of Gamini like his close friend Sivanandhan (now in Canada) who directed him in “Oba Dutu Daa” who vouch for the greatness of the man in this.

A notable feature of Sri Lankan films both Sinhala and Tamil is the multi -ethnic diversity of the industry. Sinhalese, Tamils both Sri Lankan and Indian. Muslims , Malays and Burghers have all contributed to this. The contribution of Tamils to the Sinhala film industry is massive starting from that pioneer SM Nayagam producing “Kadawana Porunthuwa”.Many leading Producers, directors, cinematographers, technicians, studio owners and even some artistes have been Tamils.

Gamini acknowledged and appreciated this immense contribution by the minority communities to Sinhala cinema. He has not been afraid to state this publicly whenever the occasion arises. He did so in the Golden Jubilee celebration and also in what was perhaps his last interview given to Prasad Gunewardene and Stanley Samarasinghe of “Daily News” .One important reason among many for the decline in Sinhala cinema is related to the escalating ethnic conflict. The single greatest blow to Sinhala cinema was the burning of Vijaya Studios along with the film archives. Many Sinhala films including those of Gamini ’s have been irretrievably lost

In conversations with Gamini I have often heard him refer to many of the Country’s problems including the ethnic crisis as having been caused and exacerbated by “third grade politics” “dirty politics” etc. He has often uttered these words in some films too. The more I read of what transpired in this Country in the Donoughmore era and the post - Independence years the more I am inclined to agree with Gamini. Contemporary politics of which I have enjoyed a ring side view as a journalist has only strengthened that viewpoint. Even now the selfish, irresponsible conduct of our so called leaders demonstrate that we are on accelerating towards doomsday.

Unfortunately for Gamini he too was sucked into politics. He began involving himself in politics during the days of Dudley Senanayake as a UNP supporter. The days of JR saw Gamini take a back seat. The ascendancy of Premadasa saw him get back in the fray. In the face of JVP terror Gamini braved the odds and contested in Matara. He won and became deputy speaker. Soon disillusioned he wanted to quit but stayed on because he did not want to abandon Premadasa in the face of the impeachment crisis.As deputy speaker he conducted affairs in all three languages and without fear or favour.

He felt out of place in a UNP sans Premadasa and was soon attracted to Chandrika Kumaratungas politics. The mid nineties was an idealistic phase where many thought Chandrika Kumaratunga was going to usher in a new era. Gamini was one who thought so too. He was first disappointed by the national list fiasco. Amends were made by making him North - East Governor. He was excited at first and had many plans to develop the areas and alleviate the suffering of the people. Once again he was to be thoroughly disappointed. After frustrating agony Gamini quit.

Thereafter his advice to all film artistes was not to enter active politics. Had he followed his own advice he may have been spared heartburn and disappointment that ultimately debilitated him. If Gamini had not entered full time politics he would have been able to contribute much to Sinhala cinema as a director and as an actor playing mature roles. He had turned to song writing too and may have impacted positively in that sphere too. One aspect that cannot be lost sight of is that Gamini never entered politics to make money or for position but from a sincere desire to serve the people and Country.

He was immensely helpful to people ranging from an old schoolmaster to out of work actors and technicians. Much of his charity was done without fanfare and publicity. Some people call him proud but others have found film accessible and friendly. Gamini made it a point to attend funerals of loved ones in the industry and also visit them when ill in hospital. The genuine outpouring of grief at his death was illustrative of the esteem in which he was held by his peers.

He has acted opposite many actresses but the one with whose chemistry Gamini hit it off best was Malini Fonseka. Two others who paired well with Gamini were Jeevaranee Kurukulasooriya and Veena Jayakody. According to Gamini Sandhya Kumari was the most beautiful actress he interacted with while Malini was the best. The best actor according To Gamini was Joe Abeywickrema - not himself. The best director who brought out the best in Gamini as director was Lester and Gamini himself.

The film reels have run their course. The projector has ceased humming. The curtain has rolled in. The Gamini Fonseka show has ended. The lights are on again but the light has gone out of Sinhala cinema. All that we have are fond memories of the past and copies of his available movies. The memory of this monarch of Sinhala movieland will never cease. Thank You Gamini for innumerable hours of entertainment, pleasure and satisfaction. Thank You again!

Symposium: Sri Lanka's cultural experience

For a distinct identity

Sri Lankan Tamil films have made little progress in quantitative or qualitative terms, but they constitute a key index of the cultural development of Tamils in the island in the post-Independence period.

D.B.S.Jeyaraj TAMIL cinema in Sri Lanka, it may be argued, is yet to grow beyond its nascent stage. While thousands of Tamil films have been made in India and hundreds of Sinhala movies have been produced in Sri Lanka, the number of Sri Lankan Tamil films produced so far has not touched the three-digit mark. In qualitative terms also the genre is yet to make its mark. Nevertheless, the attempts made against the odds, by individuals concerned to forge a distinctive cinematic form and assert a separate cultural identity in the post-Independence years are quite interesting. In the context of cinema, Sri Lankan Tamils comprise indigenous Tamils, Tamils of recent Indian origin and Tamil-speaking Muslims. Some preliminary observations are relevant here.

First, the visual media - the big screen and the small screen - constitute the most popular form of cultural entertainment for Sri Lankan Tamils. Cinema, however, has not had an effect that transcended the barriers of popular culture. Tamil films have not been a vehicle of social and political change in Sri Lanka unlike in Tamil Nadu, where all Chief Ministers from C.N. Annadurai, who came to power in 1967, have been involved in cinema at some time or the other.

Secondly, it must be noted that Indian Tamil cinema has had a limited Sri Lankan Tamil connection. Thavamani Devi, a Jaffna Tamil woman, defied convention and acted as a "female Tarzan" in Vanamohini which was produced in India in the 1940s. She set off a series of controversies by acting in what were considered immodest roles. However, there has been a long line of Sri Lankan Tamils involved in Indian cinema in various capacities. Two prominent persons among them, who are active at present, are award-winning director-cum-cinematographer Balu Mahendra and producer-director V.C. Kuganathan.

Thirdly, several well-known personalities of Indian Tamil cinema have had some kind of connection with Sri Lanka: M.G. Ramachandran was born at Madulkelle in Kandy; comedian Chandra Babu spent his early years in Colombo as a student of St. Joseph's College, Maradana; actress Sujatha, whose father taught in Sri Lanka, spent her childhood in Galle; Radhika, daughter of M.R. Radha, also grew up in Wennappuwa from where her mother hails.

Fourthly, Sri Lankan Tamils have been a constructive component of Sinhala cinema right from its inception. The first Sinhala film, Kadawuna Poronduva, was produced by a Tamil, S.M. Nayagam. The pre-1983 period saw a large number of Tamils become part and parcel of the Sinhala film industry as producers, directors, cinematographers, music directors, sound directors, technicians and musicians. In fact, the owners of some of the major studios and theatres were Tamils. But with the post-1983 developments in the island, the Tamil presence in Sinhala cinema has become virtually non-existent

Despite their contribution to Sinhala cinema, very few Tamils made any worthwhile attempt to pioneer the production of Tamil films in Sri Lanka, the chief reason for this being doubts about the commercial viability of such films. Competition from imported South Indian films and the films produced by flourishing Sinhala film industry made the production of Tamil films in Sri Lanka a risky venture. Besides, the distribution of Tamil films posed a problem. The distributors were accused by Sri Lankan Tamil film-makers of discouraging local production of Tamil films.

Under these circumstances, the task of making Tamil films in Sri Lanka was left to maverick producers, who did not have adequate financial or institutional resources. The successful development of Tamil cinema in India was owing to the entrepreneurship of major studios such as Modern, Gemini, AVM, ALS, Vijaya, Jupiter, Narasus and Pakshirajah. In Sri Lanka there was no such development; there it was left to independent film-makers, who were fired by desire and determination, to try their hand at cinema. Many of them lacked an understanding of what good cinema was all about. Their purpose was to emulate within the Sri Lankan milieu films made in Tamil Nadu.

THE first Sri Lankan film in Tamil - as opposed to a Sri Lankan Tamil film - was named Kusumalatha, which was screened on December 29, 1951. It was not a film made originally in Tamil; it was a Sinhala film, Sangavunu Pilithura starring Eddie Jayamanne and Rukmani Devi, dubbed into Tamil. The voice-overs were supplied by Indian Tamil artists. So, this movie cannot be considered to be an authentic Sri Lankan Tamil film.

In that respect, the first Sri Lankan Tamil film was Samuthayam (Society), an adaptation of C.N. Annadurai's Velaikkari. This film, however, was in 16 mm and in technicolor. While the producer of the first Sinhala film was a Tamil, the producer of the first Sri Lankan Tamil film was a Sinhalese, Henry Chandrawansa. He was its director too. Samuthayam was initially planned as a 35-mm film but later the producer reverted to 16 mm because of financial difficulties.

The film was essentially a labour of love. At one stage the producer was in dire straits, and the artists were forced to raise money by soliciting donations from the public. Already in trouble, the producer faced a further shock when he was unable to find theatres to screen the film. The film was screened in 1962 at the Borella YMBA hall by special arrangement. Thereafter it toured the country and was exhibited in schools and halls of religious bodies. Finally, with the aid of Ceylon Theatres, it was exhibited in 1963 at Manel Theatre in Dematagoda. The chief guest on the occasion was Federal Party leader S.J.V. Chelvanayagam.

The first Sri Lankan Tamil film in the standard 35 mm was Thottakkari (Plantation Woman). Its makers were persons who had started out on Samuthayam but broke away from the group because of professional differences. The film was plantation-oriented and included speeches by trade unionists S. Thondaman and Azeez. It was directed by Krishnakumar who also played the male lead role. Thottakkari was released on March 28, 1962 at nine theatres. The film did not exceed two weeks at the first run. It had several technical defects.

If Samuthayam and Thottakkari were the first Sri Lankan Tamil films in 16 mm and 35 mm respectively, the last Tamil film produced in Sri Lanka was Sharmilavin Ithaya Ragam (Sharmila's Melody of the Heart). Its producer-cum-associate director is a Muslim, Peradeniya Junaideen, and the director a Sinhalese, Sunil Sopma Peiris. Junaideen also wrote the screenplay, the dialogue and the songs. The film was completed in 1989 but could be screened only in 1993 because of the non-availability of theatres.

Sharmilavin Ithaya Ragam was based on a novel serialised in the Tamil weekly Chinthamani for 32 weeks. The novel was very popular and met with success in the book form too. It was written by Junaideen's wife. Junaideen had dabbled in several cinematic enterprises; he was an assistant director of the English movie Mountain in the Jungle starring Ursula Andress, which was shot in Sri Lanka. At a ceremony held in Colombo one month after the screening, Junaideen related the severe financial problems he faced (he even sold his house in Kandy) while producing the film. He broke down when he said that he was struggling to raise Rs.50,000 to dub the film in Sinhala.

Although there have been some attempts to produce Tamil movies in Sri Lanka after Sharmilavin Ithaya Ragam, they have not borne fruit; however, some telefilms have been made. So, technically, the unfinished saga of Tamil movies in Sri Lanka, which began with Samuthayam in 1962 and Thottakkari in 1963, has not proceeded beyond Sharmilavin Ithaya Ragam released in 1993. Nearly 50 Tamil films have been produced in Sri Lanka during the post-Independence period. While the quantity and quality of these films leave much to be desired, they do constitute an important index of the cultural development of Tamils in Sri Lanka during this period. Thambyayah Thevathas in his descriptive work Ilankai Thamil Cinemavin Kathai provides an exhaustive account of the birth and growth of films in Tamil. He categorises the films into four. One is the 16-mm category (Samuthayam, Pasa Nila). The second is films dubbed from Sinhala into Tamil, such as Kaliyugakaalam and Naanku Latcham. The third is Indo-Sri Lankan joint productions such as Nankooram, Pilot Premnath. The fourth is the larger and authentic category of Tamil movies, such as Thottakkari, Kadamaiyin Ellai and Vensangu produced originally in Sri Lanka.

It is the considered opinion of this writer, after having viewed almost all of the Sri Lanka-made Tamil films, that none is worthy of mention as a masterpiece either as a serious art film or as a commercial masala film. Sadly, very few of them made profit. But equally sad is the fact that none of them made an impact as an instance of good cinema. Still some films are worthy of mention as relative mileposts within the specific and limited context of Sri Lankan Tamil cinema.

Pasa Nila, made by two schoolmasters at Jaffna College in Vaddukkoddai, has been a singular achievement, with students and staff members of the institution acting in most of the roles. One of the two pedagogues, Joe Dev Anand, went on to become a successful Sinhala film-maker. Then there was Kadamayin Ellai, a film made by an English lecturer, Vedanayagam, a devotee of Shakespeare. The film was a Tamil version of Hamlet.

Nirmala was the first film to create a name for its own brand of original music and songs. Sillaikur Selvarajan wrote the lyrics and a youngster from Trincomalee, Pathmanathan, composed the music. The song "Kanmani Aada Vaa", sung by Ferdinand Lopez, was a hit, and for the first time Sri Lankan Tamils were humming a local Tamil film song. Vensangu, made by the Tampoes who had experience in the making of South Indian and Sinhala movies, was a reasonable success.

Another novelty was the advent of a trade unionist-cum-politician on the Tamil silver screen. V.P. Ganeshan of the Democratic Workers Congress was the Sri Lankan equivalent of M.G. Ramachandran in Tamil Nadu. Ganeshan produced and acted in the lead roles in Pudhiya Kattru, Naan Ungal Thozhan and Naadu Pottra Vaazhgha. He is also the only film-maker to produce three films, all of them reasonable successes.

In terms of commercial success, Rathathin Rathame stands out. But again being registered as an Indian movie and with an Indian cast - Jaishanker, Radhika, Nagesh, Asokan - it cannot be called a Sri Lankan film. However, the film was shot in Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans were involved in its production. In fact, its producer and director were Sri Lankans.

The greatest commercial success after Rathathin Rathame, in Tamil films was Komaligal (Clowns). This was a remake of a popular radio drama, "Komaligalin Kummalam". The film, produced by M. Mohammed, a businessman, was directed by Ramanathan, an experienced person in the Sinhala film world. The highlight of the film was the performances of Ramadas, a Brahmin in real life, who played the role of a Muslim, and Abdul Hameed, a Muslim, who played a Brahmin role. A sequel to it, Emaligal, also met with reasonable success.

Three Tamil movies, however, stand out as having reflected Sri Lankan Tamil life in a realistic manner. They are Kuthuvilakku, Ponmani and Vadakkattru (North Wind). The first two are set in the peninsula, while Vadakkattru is set against the backdrop of the Neduntheevu island. Both Kuthuvilakku and Ponmani have the burning problem of dowry as the central theme. The heroines meet with death in both films. Vadakkattru, based on a novel by Senkai Aaliyan, deals with the tensions between migratory and indigenous fishermen. This is perhaps the best Tamil film made so far. It is produced by Sivathasan of Kamalaalayam Movies and is directed by Premnath Moraes. The screenplay and dialogue are written by Sempiyanselvan. The music is composed by Latiff. In the cast are S. Yesuratnam, K.S. Balachandran, K.A. Javahar, Vasantha Appadurai, Chandrakala, Lathis Veeramani, A.E. Manoharan, Anantharanee Rajaratnam, S.S. Ganeshapillai and Inthirakumar.

THIS then is the brief tale of Sri Lankan Tamil cinema. It is a story of a cultural industry that struggles to assert itself against overwhelming odds: on the one hand there are the Tamil films from India, and on the other there are Sinhala films. While there has been no help forthcoming from the Sri Lankan Government to promote and foster indigenous Tamil cinema, India too did not allow any access to the vast Tamil Nadu market. Thus it was left to individuals who were fired by the desire to make achievements in Tamil cinema to try their hands at it, amidst great hardship.

One of the positive aspects of the Sri Lankan Tamil film scene has been its ethnic diversity. The cruel ethnic divide was not reflected here. Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamils of Indian origin, Muslims - they have all been involved in its development. Almost every film has reflected the ethnic diversity of the country - in the form of the cast, technicians and musicians.

Although some of the early ventures were disasters, Sri Lankan Tamil movies have struggled to evolve their own individuality. The period between 1970 and 1977 in particular saw a cultural renaissance in the Sri Lankan Tamil literary field. The implications of this were felt in films too. Tamil film-makers realised that mere imitation of Indian Tamil cinema would not pay commercially or artistically. So they began experimenting with a new genre based on realistic portrayals of indigenous issues and themes. A more committed form of film-making aimed at striking out an independent course was emerging.

Even as this process was in progress, three calamities struck. The first was the opening up of the economy, paving the way for joint Indo-Sri Lankan productions. When prominent Indian stars came to Sri Lanka and began shooting in familiar spots, the novelty of offering to filmgoers Sri Lankan locations on screen was appropriated by these films. So, indigenous films lost a primary attraction.

The second was the arrival of television and the video cassette. Indian Tamil movies could be now viewed sitting in one's drawing room. The state, on the other hand, did not encourage the local industry by offering incentives. The adverse impact felt by Tamil films from Tamil Nadu and Sinhala films as a result of television and the video cassette was felt even more acutely by Sri Lankan Tamil cinema.

The third and most important factor that affected Sri Lankan Tamil cinema was the ethnic violence of 1983 and the continuing escalation of the conflict. Sri Lankan Tamil society itself was torn asunder and uprooted by the ongoing conflict. This led to a moratorium on all meaningful cultural activity. Internal displacement and migration to other places became the reality of life for Sri Lankan Tamils. Performers, producers and patrons of culture were all affected. In this situation, Tamil cinema faces extinction. It would require a political change to create a climate that is conducive to the resurgence of Tamil cultural forms. Sri Lankan Tamil cinema, characterised by a widespread expression of popular culture, can emerge with strength only in such a context. With cinema in Sri Lanka facing a crisis with regard to screening, there appears to be no prospect for Tamil cinema to emerge, let alone flourish.