‘Siddhartha Gautama’ in the spotlight

Saturday, 14 September 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

By D.C. Ranatunga We see a film. We enjoy it. We talk about it. We spend time discussing the merits and demerits for a couple of days. And then forget about it.

Last week I had a sneak preview of the international version of ‘Sri Siddhartha Gautama,’ the highly acclaimed film made by Light of Asia Foundation. It is being given the finishing touches and should be ready for release soon. We saw the film at the auditorium of the Foundation at Pelawatta, which, in fact, is a part of King Suddhodana’s palace in the film. Most of the filming was done here while the exterior shots were at Manelwatta, Kelaniya. Prior to seeing the film, the Foundation’s creator Navin Gunaratne insisted that we should see the gallery before we left. It was yet another memorable experience. The well-laid-out gallery relates the story of how the film was made. The clothes and the jewellery the kings, queens, princes, and princesses wore, the props used, swords and other weapons, and a heap of other items are displayed in the gallery. In a corner is the palanquin used by Yasodara. It has been turned out by local craftsmen based on designs done by architect Roshan Chandraratne and Navin G with the work being supervised by Bharata Liyanage of the Faculty of Fine Arts. They also did the cart in which the prince and princess travelled, which is preserved in an adjoining open building. They had got some input from the Chief Archaeologist of Nepal who had been quite pleased what had already been done and given several books for reference. Great care had been taken in selecting the costumes and jewellery to match the early times. “We had a team giving us ideas and they took great pains in picking the right designs,” says Navin G, who went over to India and selected the jewellery. “The typical antique designs cost a lot of money. I remember buying one and when they realised what the purpose was, they had no objection in my photographing the rest of the designs. Based on those I managed to get the right types turned out in Delhi.” The costumes were mainly handlooms turned out here. So were the silk costumes. The team concentrated on earth colours and avoided bright colours. The only bight coloured costumes were worn by Channa’s dance troupe who performed in the palace. The photographic coverage of the events relating to the film will also be of much interest and value in the future. It has been possible to preserve the palace and the palace garden because of the expanse at the Foundation headquarters at Wijesinghe Mawatha at Pelawatta. There had been plenty of space to set up the gallery too. Seldom can film producers afford this luxury. In fact, I can’t recollect any other gallery of this nature being set up in Sri Lanka. Leave aside a gallery, setting up a film archive had been talked about for several decades but nothing has happened. The Light of Asia Foundation is determined to see that the film is preserved for many generations to see. The gallery is a bonus. There is plenty to see and admire. And Navin G welcomes anyone interested in coming over – see the film, take a stroll around the palace, visit the gallery and have an unforgettable experience. We did.