With 54 productions to his name, he holds the title of the film producer who had funded the most number of films in Sri Lanka today. Though he has other and more profitable means of income, his passion for the art keeps him in the field. “I love to reminisce about my past productions because there are many interesting stories which can and cannot be revealed,” seasoned producer and theatre owner Sunil T Fernando noted with a smile. He recently turned his attention to child-oriented movies. ‘Daruwane’ his 52nd production is screening at the EAP circuit these days. Q: Why did you decide to venture into child-oriented movies? Three of the main child actors in ‘Daruwane’ I made ‘Daruwane’ on behalf of children. It is the second children’s film that I have done, after ‘Chandi Patav’ in 1983. It is mostly based on incidents relating to my son, Ricky Thomson, who passed away in 2010 due to dengue. I was grief stricken and did not engage in movie-making for sometime. During this period the story formed in my mind and I wanted to relate this message to the society. I contacted V Sivadasan who was in Canada then. He agreed to direct the movie. This is the first movie I wrote and produced after Ricky’s demise. I believe that this is a milestone in my life. Q: You are the producer with the most number of film productions to your name today. Yet movie-making is not lucrative. What keeps you in the field? I normally make a concrete plan and stick by it before engaging in production. Problems do not arise due to this. I was still schooling when I produced my first movie. I produced ‘Chandi Patav’ in 1983. Later I did ‘Maddhuma Bandara’, ‘Puthuni Mata Sama Wenna’ and ‘Ko Hathuro’. All four movies were unsuccessful. Normally a person would have thought about quitting the scene but I decided not to give up. I made ‘Jaya Apatai’ with Sonia Disa and continued along my path thereafter. I have many beautiful memories linked with cinema and have enjoyed life to the fullest. I have met many celebrities. I share a good working experience with all those who have been involved in my productions. I have never cheated them out of money even if some films were failures. Artistes from Gamini Fonseka to upcoming actors and actresses have dealt with me in a very amiable manner. That is why I was able to come so far. Udayakantha Warnasooriya’s ‘Kosthapal Punyasoma’, Nilendra Deshapriya’s ‘Thanha Rathi Ranga’ and Sudesh Wasantha Peiries’ ‘Jeevithe Lassanai’ are some of my upcoming productions. I think these are my best years as a producer. It’s all about team spirit Youth romance Comedy Respecting your elders Q: How did you choose the child actors of ‘Daruwane’? Some of the scenes were shot at my son, Ricky’s, old school St Peter’s College, Bambalipitiy. The lead child actor who portrays Ricky’s role, Shyan Perera, too is from the same school and had acted in a programme called ‘Pan Batta’. He portrays the character well. However Yohan Perera who portrays the role of Rickey’s nemesis is the one who has features similar to my son. If my son had been alive today, this film might never have happened. Q: Out of all the productions you have done, what are you most satisfied with? ‘Daruwane’ is closest to my heart probably because of my son and also because of the storyline. Q: There were certain accusations coming your way during your stint with cinema. These came mostly because of the English, Tamil and Hindi films I imported for my theatres. I have faced many hardships due to the rules and regulations passed by past governments in importing movies. I was in a very sorry state then but luckily Prof Somaratne Balasuriya who was the Chairman of the Public Performance Board looked into the matter. He allowed me to screen the movies with certain restrictions. Q: Except for a few productions like ‘Kusa-Paba’ and ‘Sewwandi’, most of your productions are commercial movies. Aren’t you interested in producing art movies? After so many years in the field I know what kind of movie will become a hit and therefore invest in such productions. That is why I banked my money on ‘Kusa-Paba’. Though it broke revenue records, it did not bring in a large profit because it was very costly to make. It was done mainly for pleasure’s sake. Producers like Vijaya Ramanayake who have made internationally acclaimed movies like ‘Kaliugaya’ and ‘Yuganthaya’ are not appreciated for their efforts today. I have not seen him taking part in any cinema related function as an invitee. He used to be very wealthy but had spent his time and money making quality productions which did not bring him bucks. I did not want to fall into the same situation. If I can earn profit from my productions, then I would be able to fund more movies. That is mainly why I wanted Sunil Soma Peiries, the most popular director of that era, to direct my films. He knew the audience’s tastes and all his movies brought in cash. I have done various genres of movies from adult only films to action, comedy and family productions according to the trends in the industry. Nearly all of them proved to be successful. Q: Tell us about your upcoming production, ‘Doni’. ‘Doni’ is not entirely a children’s movie. It is for both children as well as adults. I also managed to bring Kamal Addarachchi and Sangeetha Weeratne back onto the silver screen together after many years since ‘Saptha Kanya’.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2012/07/30/fea20.asp
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