87-951: Gangai Amaran (born 8 December 1947) is an Indian composer, playback singer, lyricist, actor, film director and a screenwriter in Tamil films . Gangai Amaran was born in Pannaipuram in Theni district , Tamil Nadu in December 1947, as the youngest son of Ramaswamy and Chinnathayi. He is the younger brother of noted music director Ilaiyaraaja and father of director and actor Venkat Prabhu and actor, composer and singer Premji Amaren . He had two more elder brothers, R. D. Bhaskar and Pavalar Varadharajan , both who died long back. Composers Karthik Raja , Yuvan Shankar Raja , singer Bhavatharini and costume designer Vasuki Bhaskar are his relations. His wife Manimegalai (Kala) died on 9 May 2021. Regarding his name, Gangai
174-937: A town or village to screen the films. The first of its kind was established in Madras , called "Edison's Grand Cinemamegaphone". This was due to the fact that electric carbons were used for motion picture projectors. Most of the films screened then were shorts made in the United States and Britain . In 1909, an Englishman, T. H. Huffton, founded Peninsular Film Services in Madras and produced some short films for local audiences. But soon, hour-long films, which narrated dramatic stories, then known as " drama films ", were imported. From 1912 onwards, feature films made in Bombay (now Mumbai ) were also screened in Madras. The era of short films had ended. The arrival of drama films firmly established cinema as
261-674: A career as the foremost screenplay writer in Sri Lanka. "Welikathara" was to become one of the 10 top films of Sri Lankan cinema. Nihalsingha's refreshingly fluid camera work was noted by this time. He combined the facets of Direction, Cinematography and Editing in "Welikathara" to create an epic in CinemaScope for the first time in Sri Lanka."Welikatara" was to become one of the "10 Best" films of Sri Lanka. An independent student production overseen by Ranjith Lal ( Nim Wallala ), songwriter Mahagama Sekera 's autobiographical effort ( Tun Man Handiya ),
348-582: A decent market. Tamil films have enjoyed consistent popularity among populations in South East Asia . Since Chandralekha , Muthu was the second Tamil film to be dubbed into Japanese (as Mutu: Odoru Maharaja ) and grossed a record $ 1.6 million in 1998. In 2010, Enthiran grossed a record $ 4 million in North America. Many Tamil-language films have premiered or have been selected as special presentations at various film festivals across
435-518: A few months. Once it was demonstrated as a commercial proposition, a Western entrepreneur, Warwick Major, built the first cinema theatre , the Electric Theatre, which still stands. It was a favourite haunt of the British community in Madras. The theatre was shut down after a few years. This building is now part of a post office complex on Anna Salai ( Mount Road ). The Lyric Theatre was also built in
522-422: A formula derived from South Indian cinema and didn't contribute to the development of artistic film. Most of his films featured the couple Rukmani Devi and Eddie Jayamanne (though never as lovers on screen) which allowed them to become the first stars of Sri Lankan cinema. Following the dawn of independence, Sri Lanka instituted restrictions on travel to and from India causing Nayagam to move his business into
609-583: A global presence, enjoying strong box office collections among Tamil-speaking audiences in Sri Lanka , Malaysia , and Singapore . Tamil films are also distributed throughout the Middle East , Oceania , Europe , North America , parts of Africa , and Japan . The industry also inspired independent filmmaking among Tamil diaspora populations in Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Singapore, and the West . M. Edwards first screened
696-420: A grand exhibition was organised in Madras . Its major attraction was the screening of short films accompanied by sound. A British company imported a Crone megaphone , made up of a film projector to which a gramophone with a disc containing prerecorded sound was linked, and both were run in unison, producing picture and sound simultaneously. However, there was no synched dialogue . Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu ,
783-542: A major romantic plot, for example, was a grievance to some. Popular film continued in the Indian mould. There was great interest in the cinema. The Sinhalese daily, " Lankadipa " launched the first film festival where "Deepasika" awards were given out. Though Rekava failed to influence popular cinema which continued to imitate Indian cinema, it did draw out the efforts of some small independent filmmakers who coalesced into units. The most important group in this period, Kurulu Rana,
870-480: A mere 7.2 million admissions. The SFC, a profitable institution till that time, began sliding into bankruptcy and had to be sustained by infusions of funds from the government. Titus Thotawatte and Lester James Peries were the most prominent artists during this period making artistic films. Thotawatte directed such films as Hara Lakshe , Sihasuna , Sagarika and Mangala which united technical skill with themes that appealed to mainstream audiences. Lester James Peries
957-466: A multilingual directed by H. M. Reddy was released on 31 October 1931, less than seven months after India's first talking motion picture Alam Ara . Tamil cinema has been noted for its advanced narratives and diverse films, with several productions in the 1990s and early 2000s cutting across ethnic and linguistic barriers. Such films include Roja (1992), Indian (1996), Pokkiri (2007), Enthiran (2010). Tamil cinema has since produced some of
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#17328876619811044-410: A non obstructive documentary-esque manner. The main plot revolved around a young boy named Sena who becomes touted as a miracle worker after he is said to cure the blindness of his friend Anula. Though some viewed the plot as a bit naive due to the filmmakers being from the city and the attribution of superstition belief in an exaggerated manner to village folk, it was a critical success and was shown at
1131-622: A permanent cinema house in Madras—Gaiety, in 1914, the first cinema house in Madras to be built by an Indian. He soon added two more, Crown Theatre in Mint and Globe (later called Roxy) in Purasawalkam . Swamikannu Vincent, who had built one of the first cinema halls of South India in Coimbatore , introduced the concept of "Tent Cinema" in which a tent was erected on a stretch of open land close to
1218-555: A popular entertainment form. More cinema houses came up in the city. Fascinated by this new entertainment form, an automobile dealer in the Thousand Lights area of Madras, R. Nataraja Mudaliyar , decided to venture into film production. After a few days' training in Pune with the cinematographer Stewart Smith, the official cinematographer of Lord Curzon 's 1903 Durbar, he started a film production concern in 1916. The man who truly laid
1305-576: A selection of silent films at the Victoria Public Hall in Madras in 1897 during the British Raj . The selected films all featured non-fictional subjects; they were mostly photographed records of day-to-day events. The film scholar Stephen Hughes points out that within a few years there were regular ticketed shows in a hall in Pophams Broadway, started by one Mrs. Klug, but this lasted only for
1392-460: A standard deviation of ±10 lakh tickets during 2011–16. The Chennai film industry produced the first nationally distributed film across India in 1948 with Chandralekha . They have one of the widest overseas distribution, with large audience turnout from the Tamil diaspora . They are distributed to various parts of Asia, Africa, Western Europe, North America and Oceania. Many successful Tamil films have been remade by other film industries. It
1479-572: A studio, the first in south India, was set up in Madras at 10 Millers Road, Kilpauk. He called it the India Film Company. Rangavadivelu, an actor from Suguna Vilasa Sabha, a theatre company then, was hired to train the actors. Thirty-five days later, the first feature film made in south India, The Extermination of Keechakan / Keechakavatham , based on an episode from the Mahabharata , was released produced and directed by R. Nataraja, who established
1566-413: A stylized but faithful observance of village life. Other major films of this period include the debut directorial efforts of Obeysekera ( Vesgatho ) and Nihalsinghe landmark film, ( Welikathara ). "Welikathara" was Tissa Abeysekara's first screenplay; he was billed as "Additional Dialolgue Writer" up to that time. Nihalsingha's recognition of Tissa Abeysekara's superlative writings skills launched him on
1653-682: A successful photographer , took over the equipment after the exhibition and set up a tent cinema near the Madras High Court . With this equipment, he screened the short films Pearl Fish and Raja's Casket in the Victoria Public Hall. When this proved successful, he screened the films in a tent set up in Esplanade. These tent events were the true precursors of the cinema shows. Naidu travelled with this unit to Burma (now Myanmar ) and Sri Lanka , and when he had gathered enough money, he put up
1740-524: A truly Sinhalese character in contrast with the female roles of popular films modeled after Indian actresses. It was a critical success within Sri Lanka and was praised for its realistic portrayal of Sinhalese village life. The group followed up with the thematically similar Sikuru Tharuwa in 1963. At this time, the Government Film Unit productions were making their mark, particularly, Pragnasoma Hettiarchi's "Makers, Material and Motiffs" which won
1827-554: Is Dharmasena Pathiraja who examined the tensions of city youth in such works as Bambaru Awith and Ahas Gauwa . Artist and poet Mahagama Sekera's sole film Thun Man Handiya is also an important film in Sri Lankan cinema, released in 1970. Sumitra Peries , also struck out during the 1970s and she made films until 2023 with work that looked at the conflicting roles of women in society. Her works include Gehenu Lamai , Sakman Maluwa , Vaishnavee and Ganga Addara . Over
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#17328876619811914-475: Is a fledgling industry that has struggled to find a footing since its inauguration in 1947 with Kadawunu Poronduwa produced by S. M. Nayagam of Chitra Kala Movietone. Sri Lankan films are usually made in Sinhala and Tamil , the dominant languages of the country. During the first decade, most films were made in neighboring Southern India and closely followed the conventions of Indian cinema . Studio shooting
2001-754: Is estimated by the Manorama Yearbook 2000 (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films. It is not uncommon to see movies that feature dialogue studded with English words and phrases, or even whole sentences. Some movies are also simultaneously made in two or three languages (either using subtitles or several soundtracks). Chennai's film composers have popularised their highly unique, syncretic style of film music across
2088-490: Is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Tamil language , the main spoken language in the state of Tamil Nadu . It is nicknamed Kollywood , a portmanteau of the names Kodambakkam , a neighbourhood in Chennai , and Hollywood . The first Tamil silent film , Keechaka Vadham , was directed by R. Nataraja Mudaliar in 1918. The first Tamil talking feature film , Kalidas ,
2175-479: The Cannes International Film Festival drawing praise from foreign critics. It is widely considered in Sri Lanka to be the birth of true Sinhalese cinema. Audiences at the time were unresponsive however and the film was a box office failure. They were unaccustomed to the documentary-like nature of the film and its avoidance of common melodramatic features common in cinema of the time. The lack of
2262-786: The Central Board of Film Certification alone were eligible for tax exemption and those with an "A" certificate could not fit into this category. There are three major roles in the Tamil film value chain viz producer, distributor and exhibitor. The distributor purchases theatrical distribution rights from the producer for exhibiting the film in a defined territory. The distributor performs enhanced functions such as: There are three popular approaches to transfer of distribution rights via distribution contracts: There are four popular approaches to transfer of exhibition rights via exhibition contracts: Film studios in Chennai are bound by legislation, such as
2349-412: The Madras audience. The legendary Otraivadai drama theatre had been built in 1872 itself in Mint. Many drama halls had come up in the city where short silent films were screened in the afternoon and plays were enacted in the night. The scene changed in 1934 when Madras got its first sound studio. By this time, all the cinema houses in Madras had been wired for sound. Narayanan, who had been active during
2436-687: The Second Boer War . It was a short film that documented the British victory in the Boer War, the burial of Queen Victoria and the coronation of Edward VII . More English screenings followed and attracted British settlers and Anglicized Sinhalese. Cinema in Sri Lanka became a public affair due to the efforts of Warwick Major, an Englishman who developed "bioscope" showings. These were films screened out in open areas and makeshift tents. The first permanent theaters were built by Madan Theaters in 1903. The company showed Indian films and achieved success, prompting
2523-403: The Tamil -language only. This is in accordance with Government Order 72 passed on 22 July 2006. The first film to be released after the new Order was Unakkum Enakkum . The original title had been Something Something Unakkum Ennakkum , a half-English and a half-Tamil title. In July 2011, strict norms on entertainment tax were passed which stated that films which were given a "U" certificate by
2610-483: The film projector and silent films from the Frenchman Du Pont and set up a business as film exhibitor . Soon, he tied up with Pathé , a well-known pioneering film-producing company, and imported projectors . This helped new cinema houses to sprout across the presidency . In later years, he produced talkies and also built a cinema in Coimbatore . To celebrate the event of King George V 's visit in 1909,
2697-508: The 1970s, several talents came to the forefront, while commercial cinema continued to lift storylines and plots from Indian films . These include Dr. D.B. Nihalsingha with "Weilkatara"- Sri Lanka's first film in Cinemascope wide screen in 1972, and Vasantha Obeysekera who followed up his well-received debut Ves Gatho with a slew of successful films culminating with Palangetiyo in 1979. Another major director who stepped forward during this time
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2784-828: The Ceylon Theaters group to fund his film. Faced with a more daunting task of putting together the film from scratch, the Ashokamala project began filming in Coimbatore about two months after the production of Kadawunu Poronduwa had initiated. Naygam's film would win out screening at the Mylan Theater on January 21, 1947. Ashokamala was screened three months later in April 1947 at the Elphinstone Theater. Both films were popular with audiences but derided by critics who found them to be derivative of South Indian cinema. Following
2871-656: The Cinematography Film Rules of 1948, the Cinematography Act of 1952, and the Copyright Act of 1957. In Tamil Nadu , cinema ticket prices are regulated by the government . Single screen theatres may charge a maximum of ₹ 50, while theatres with more than three screens may charge a maximum of ₹ 120 per ticket. Cinema of Sri Lanka Sri Lankan cinema encompasses the Sri Lankan film industry . It
2958-511: The Gold Medal at Venice International Film Festival in 1952. Hettiarchi was to repeat this feat again in 1972 with "Centenary of Ceylon Tea". In 1963, Lester James Peries with the help of producer Anton Wickremasinghe made and released Gamperaliya based on a novel by critically acclaimed writer Martin Wickramasinghe . Starring Punya Heendeniya , Henry Jayasena and Gamini Fonseka . It
3045-604: The Golden Head of Palanque at the Eighth World Review of Film Festivals held in Acapulco, Mexico. The success of Gamperaliya changed the course of Sri Lankan cinema significantly. Following its release, many films attempted to adapt the realistic style of the film and took up location shooting previously shunned. Seneviratne again emerged in this period with a script about village life titled Parasathu Mal . This time he had
3132-555: The Government Film Unit to produce what they hoped would be a truly Sinhalese film that would revolutionize Sri Lankan cinema. In all facets of the creation of Rekava , the trio strayed from tradition shooting completely outside of the studio, creating an original story with no basis in literary or historical material and utilizing a mostly inexperienced cast (with a few exceptions i.e. D. R. Nanayakkara ). The story paid great attention to Sinhalese village life, giving equal time to marriage traditions, village customs and folk beliefs in
3219-503: The India Film Company Limited. Despite a century of increasing box office takings, Tamil cinema remains informal. Nevertheless, there are few exceptions like Modern Theatres, Gemini Studios , AVM and Sri Thenandal Films that survived beyond 100 productions. In 2017, opposing the dual taxation of GST (28%) and entertainment tax (30%), Tamilnadu Theatre Owners Association announced indefinite closure of all cinemas in
3306-601: The Mount Road area. This venue boasted a variety of events, including plays in English, Western classical music concerts, and ballroom dances . Silent films were also screened as an additional attraction. Swamikannu Vincent , a railway draftsman from Tiruchirapalli , became a travelling exhibitor in 1905. He showed short movies in a tent in Esplanade , near the present Parry's Corner, using carbide jet-burners for projection. He bought
3393-485: The State Film Corporation by Act no 47 of 1971, charged with the promotion of national film and giving and making available a wide variety of films to the public. The State Film Corporation (SFC) established a unique credit scheme for film production. Loans were given on the basis of a script evaluation and those taking part with credit given on the collateral of the negatives. This was at a time when bank lending
3480-520: The cinemas was established by a system of inspection and checks on equipment. The cost of imported film was reduced by 75% because of the monopoly buying by the SFC: the same number of Tamil films continued, albeit at greatly reduced prices. The result of the measures was that the film admissions which were 30 million in 1972 grew to 74.4 million by 1979. The domestic film screen time share grew from 20% to 58%. The number of cinemas grew to 365 by 1978 –
3567-543: The constructed nature of their work so that the realistic narrative was wholly dominant, Indian filmmakers made no attempt to conceal the fact that what was shown on the screen was a creation, an illusion, a fiction. However, they demonstrated how this creation intersected with people's day-to-day lives in complex ways. By the end of the 1930s, the State of Madras legislature passed the Entertainment Tax Act 1939 . In 1916,
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3654-463: The crew was cameraman Sumitta Amarsinghe who had trained with the GFU and was adept at outdoor shooting. The film would be a critical and popular success. Serendib Productions responded to the artistic mood in the air in 1965 with Saravita starring a comedic actor, Joe Abeywickrema , for the first time in Sri Lankan cinema. It dealt with slum life and the criminal element within it and was awarded most of
3741-737: The development of theaters by the rival Olympia. In 1925 Rajakeeya Wickremaya (English: Royal Adventure ) became the first film to be made in Sri Lanka. Dr. N.M. Perera played the lead in the film which was shown in India and Singapore . However, this film reels got burnt before they were shown in Sri Lanka. In 1933 the film Paliganeema was screened in Colombo. During the 1920s and 1930s films with American stars like Charlie Chaplin , Greta Garbo , John Barrymore , Rudolph Valentino , and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. were popular in Sri Lanka. The Sheik and The Thief of Bagdad were especially popular. in 1932,
3828-406: The dialog was recorded on the spot. This was because the film was shot on 16mm, using an Auricon sound-on-film camera which recorded the sound on the 16mm film optically, unlike in the case of where the sound was recorded on a Kinevox 35mm magnetic recorder . The film was later 'blown-up' to 35mm and was screened in Colombo in 1950. Though " Rekava " was acclaimed by local and international critics,
3915-572: The early cinema were the cultural influences of the country. The Tamil -language was the medium in which many plays and stories were written since the ages as early as the Cholas . They were highly stylised and nature of the spectacle was one which could attract the people. Along with this, music and dance were one of the main entertainment sources. There is a strong Indian tradition of narrating mythology, history, fairy tales and so on through song and dance. Whereas Hollywood filmmakers strove to conceal
4002-476: The few filmmakers interested in pursuing a truly indigenous art form in these early years, Sirisena Wimalaweera was the most prominent. In his work, Wimalaweera researched Sri Lankan history when depicting historical characters like King Asoka , who oversaw the introduction of Buddhism to the island and Saradiel, a Robin Hood-like character. K. Gunaratnam was another major producer in this period breaking into
4089-445: The film failed to find an audience in the country and was a box office failure. Films continued to follow formulaic storylines borrowed from India up through the early 1960s despite such efforts as Sandesaya and Kurulu Bedda . In 1964, Lester James Peries again contributed to the development of Sri Lankan cinema with Gamperaliya which was the first Sinhala film to feature no songs and like Rekava shot completely outside
4176-428: The film with Prema Tharangaya (1953) and Ahankara Sthree (1954). Due to the low quality of the studio (Nayagam resisted buying high tech equipment), these films failed to match the standards of Bollywood imports. They were also highly formulaic based extensively on South Indian cinema (the technicians were all from India) featuring a combination of exaggerated melodrama, lowbrow comedy, scuffles and dance numbers. Of
4263-553: The first Tamil film to win the National Film Award for Best Feature Film , the feat was repeated by Kanchivaram in 2007. Tamil films enjoy significant patronage in neighbouring Indian states like Kerala , Karnataka , Andhra Pradesh , Maharashtra , Gujarat and New Delhi . In Kerala and Karnataka the films are directly released in Tamil but in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh they are generally dubbed into Telugu where they have
4350-582: The first sound film to be screened was shown at the Regal Cinema, titled "The Dream." By the 1930s Indian films started to surpass English films in popularity. Bilwa Mangal set an early record for Sri Lankan box office earnings. The beginnings of cinema's spread was seen when the Indian Madan circuit established Elphinstone cinema in Colombo as a part of his extensive cinema chain in Asia. Empire cinema, which became
4437-480: The foundations of Tamil cinema was A. Narayanan. After a few years in film distribution, he set up a production company in Madras, the General Pictures Corporation, popularly known as GPC. Beginning with The Faithful Wife / Dharmapathini (1929), GPC made about 24 feature films. GPC functioned as a film school and its alumni included names such as Sundara Rao Nadkarni and Jiten Banerji. The studio of GPC
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#17328876619814524-562: The globe, such as Mani Ratnam 's Kannathil Muthamittal (2002), Vasanthabalan 's Veyyil (2006) and Ameer Sultan 's Paruthiveeran (2007). Kanchivaram (2009) was selected to be premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival . Tamil films have been a part of films submitted by India for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language on eight occasions, next only to Hindi. Mani Ratnam's Nayakan (1987)
4611-498: The highest number. By 2010, this number was down to 147. This was the best evidence that the system prior to the SFC was not market-oriented and that the demand was suppressed. It required the SFC to cater to the suppressed and pent-up demand, resulting in an unprecedented surge in yearly admissions within seven years. After 1979, the Chairman of the SFC, Anton Wicremesinghe, reversed all
4698-538: The highly successful Karagattakaran (1989). Themmangu Paattukaran was his last film as a director while Poonjolai which would have been the acting debut of his son Venkat Prabhu remains unreleased. Now he is working with Clusters media college. Gangai Amaran also took a plunge in politics by joining BJP and also contested in RK Nagar constituency. Apart from that, he also served as a member of Central Board of Film Certification. Tamil Cinema Tamil cinema
4785-493: The island to cut costs. He purchased land outside of Kandana and built the Sri Murugan Navakala studios (later known as the S. P. M. studios) which would for a time be the most developed studio in the country. His first production was Banda Nagarayata Pamine (1952) which was successful among local audiences. It was the first locally produced Sinhalese film though in technique it still remained South Indian. Nayagam followed
4872-451: The longest functioning cinema in Sri Lanka was established in 1915 and continued to function till 2003 when it was demolished to make way for a commercial building in Colombo. South Indian producer S. M. Nayagam played an important role in the development of the first Sri Lankan film. In 1945, Nayagam founded a company named Chitrakala Movietone and constructed a studio in Madurai, India for
4959-503: The maiden production of Piyasiri Gunaratne ( Mokade Une ) and Sugathapala Senerath Yapa's Hanthane Kathawa which introduced the to-be-matinee-idol Vijaya Kumaratunga. Apart from that, the movie Soorayangeth Sooraya (English Title:-The River of Love) is a landmark film for the Sri Lankan(Helawood) cinema where a trend of Thriller, Action and Musical films emerged. These commercial movies, although foreign transliterations, discuss
5046-475: The measures of the SFC, giving unlimited loans to "anyone to direct films". Some hundreds of films were made by those who had no knowledge of film making. The result was that so many were produced that there was a waiting list of films awaiting release to the cinemas of 5 years, by 1982. The audiences responded to shoddy films by staying away. Admissions began declining alarmingly. Yearly admissions, which peaked in 1979 at 79.4 million, are now (2009) down to
5133-514: The most commercially successful actors, directors and films of Indian cinema. By the end of the 1930s, the legislature of the State of Madras passed the Entertainment Tax Act of 1939. Madras (now Chennai), then became a secondary hub for Hindi cinema , other South Indian film industries, as well as for Sri Lankan cinema . Over the last quarter of the 20th century, Tamil films established
5220-443: The national awards that year for film. Titus Thotawatte who had broken away from Lester James Peries after Sandesaya directed Chandiya the same year avoiding overt crudities prevalent in the action genre made within the country. G. D. L. Perera with his Kala Pela Society headed in a radically different way in this period dealing with rural life with his first film "Sama". Siri Gunasinghe 's Sath Samudura released in 1966
5307-407: The next few decades, artists such as Tissa Abeysekara , Chandran Rutnam , Dr. D.B. Nihalsingha, Udayakantha Warnasooriya, H.D.Premaratne , Ashoka Handagama , Prasanna Vithanage , Vimukthi Jayasundara , Anomaa Rajakaruna and Inoka Sathyangani have attempted to breathe new life into the industry. Nihalsingha was an accomplished cinematographer as well as an editor, so his films had an input that
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#17328876619815394-444: The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic , Adaraneeya Prarthana has emerged as one of the highest-grossing films of 2022. A 1997 government committee identified the following 13 films as the best of the first 50 years of Sri Lankan cinema: 1901 marked the introduction of film to Sri Lanka (then called Ceylon) when a film was shown for the first time in the country at a private screening for the British governor West Ridgeway and prisoners of
5481-535: The problems of poverty, blind law, injustice & love. Hence, critics are in a zoom lens against these movies. In 1971, a socialist government which sought to overcome the dominance of screen time in Sri Lanka by Tamil and Hindi films came to power in the country. Foreign film domination had resulted in domestically produced films being relegated to 20% of the screen time while foreign films occupied 80% (60% Tamil, 10% Hindi, 10% English). The government which won power had promised to redress this imbalance. It established
5568-498: The purpose of making a Sinhalese film. After considering several options, he decided to build the film around the historical love story of Saliya and Asokamala and held a contest to find a suitable screenplay; the winner was budding artist Shanthi Kumar. Due to disagreements however, this project fell through and Nayagam broke a deal with dramatist B. A. W. Jayamanne to film his popular play Kadawunu Poronduwa . Kumar determined to film his script left Nayagam's company and convinced
5655-414: The results of the conflict between the military and Tamil Tigers in the north. Director Asoka Handagama especially drawn criticism for pursuing such material in his work. In the recent years, high-budget films like Aloko Udapadi , Aba (film) and Maharaja Gemunu based on Sinhalese epic historical stories have gained huge success. Furthermore, following the drastic impact on the film industry by
5742-618: The scene with the technically skilled Sujatha made at the state of the art Modern Theaters studio in Salem, India . It was highly successful and influenced popular cinema over the following decade. It was revolutionary in its high production values and incorporation of North Indian cinema into the accepted South Indian model. Still, it failed to capture the true nature of Sinhalese life or create anything uniquely Sri Lankan. In 1956 documentary filmmaker Lester James Peries and his fellow film technicians William Blake and Titus Thotawatte broke away from
5829-574: The silent era, founded Srinivasa Cinetone in which his wife worked as the sound recordist. Srinivasa Kalyanam (1934), directed by Narayanan, was the first sound film (talkie) produced in Madras. The second sound studio to come up in Madras was Vel Pictures, started by M. D. Rajan on Eldams Road in the Dunmore bungalow, which belonged to the Raja of Pithapuram . Before long, more sound studios came up. Thirty-six talkies were made in Madras in 1935. The main impacts of
5916-432: The soundtrack being released. Hence, Oru Vidukathai Oru Thodarkathai became his first film as composer to be released. Along with his brother Ilaiyaraja, Gangai Amaran started his career as a composer and composed for many successful films such as Mouna Geethangal and Vazhvey Maayam (1983). Apart from composing, Amaran made his directorial debut with Kozhi Koovuthu (1982) and went on to direct many films including
6003-418: The state from 3 July 2017. The strike has been called off and the cinemas will be playing the movies starting Friday 7 July 2017. Government has formed a committee to decide on the existence of state's 30% entertainment tax. It was reported that, per day business loss during the strike was around ₹ 20 crores. Annual admissions in Chennai multiplexes and single screens averaged 1.1 crore tickets with
6090-652: The studio. The camera work of William Blake garnered massive praise for portraying Sinhalese culture in a realistic manner and was hailed by critics and audiences alike. The producer Anton Wicremasinghe was awarded the Silver Peacock at the New Delhi International Film Festival for Gamperaliya . Following this breakthrough, several artistic Sinhala films were made in the late 1960s, including Sath Samudura by professor Siri Gunasinghe , supported by cinematography by Dr. D. B. Nihalsinghe . During
6177-718: The success of Kadawunu Poronduwa, B. A. W. Jayamanne produced a string of popular movies based on his plays. These were Peralena Iranama , Kapati Arakshakaya , Weradunu Kurumanama (1948), Hadisi Vinischaya (1950, first film directed by Jayamanne; he handled the post on all his subsequent films), Sangavunu Pilithura (1951), Umathu Wishwasaya (1952), Kele Handa (1953), Iranganie (1954), Mathabedaya (1954), Daiva Wipakaya (1956), Wanaliya (1958), Hadisi Vivahaya (1959), Kawata Andare (1960), Jeewithe Pujawa (1961), Mangalika (1963) and Magul Poruwa (1967; completed after his death by another director). Jayamanne mostly adhered to
6264-418: The support of the wealthy producer Chitra Balasooriya who would not fall prey to financial difficulties encountered by Amaratunga. Balasooriya was deeply interested in creating an artistic film in the vein of Gamperaliya and enlisted Lester's wife Sumithra Peries as technical director and gave the budding actor Gamini Fonseka a chance to direct. Fonseka had served in a similar capacity on Rekawa . Also among
6351-509: The world. Quite often, Tamil movies feature Madras Tamil , a colloquial version of Tamil spoken in Chennai . Keechaka Vadham (1918) was the first silent film made in South India . Kalidas (1931) was the first Tamil talkie film made in 1931. Kalava (1932) was the first full-length talkie made entirely in Tamil. Nandanar (1935) was the first film for American film director Ellis R. Dungan . Balayogini released in 1937
6438-492: Was a transliterations of the Hindi or Tamil original. The credit scheme ensured original screen writing for the first time and stories which were copies of Hindi and Tamil were not entitled to receive loans. Thus a professional film production industry was established. The SFC instituted a film distribution system through which all films produced in the country were ensured exhibition according to system of precedence. Quality control of
6525-697: Was a turning point in Sri Lankan cinema doing away with all formulaic elements (songs, dance, comic relief and fights) present in popular cinema and achieving commercial success. It proved the viability of artistic cinema in the country and gave Sri Lankan cinema a before absent sense of prestige when Producer Anton Wicremasinghe was awarded the Golden Peacock Award and the Critics' Prize at the Third International Film Festival held in New Delhi and
6612-698: Was another international success for Peries' winning the Silver Lion of St. Mark award at the Venice International Film Festival and being selected one of the outstanding films of the year, receiving a Diploma, at the London Film Festival . His subsequent works of the period were also critical successes ( Desa Nisa and Madol Duwa ). Dharmasena Pathiraja , who had worked on Yapa's Hanthane Kathawa , emerged with his debut directorial effort, Ahas Gauwa , in 1974. It served to capture
6699-436: Was considered to be first children's film of South India. It is estimated by the Manorama Yearbook 2000 (a popular almanac) that over 5,000 Tamil films were produced in the 20th century. Tamil films have also been dubbed into other languages, thus reaching a much wider audience. There has been a growing presence of English in dialogue and songs in Chennai films. In 1991, Marupakkam directed by K.S. Sethu Madhavan , became
6786-507: Was handled by D. B. Nihalsinghe. Both would go on to be major filmmakers on their own. GDL Perera's "Sama" was followed by a film on contemporary city settings in Dahasak Sithuvili . GDL joined up with the D.B. Nihalsingha's famously fluid hand-held camera work of the "Sath Samudura" fame, utilizing subjective camera and a sepiatone filter for the first time in Sri Lankan cinema. Perera and his group had first come to fame with Saama ,
6873-688: Was housed in the Chellapalli bungalow on Thiruvottiyur High Road in Madras. This company, which produced the most Tamil silent films, had branches in Colombo , Rangoon and Singapore . The Ways of Vishnu / Vishnu Leela , which R. Prakasa made in 1932, was the last silent film produced in Madras. The silent era of south Indian cinema has not been documented well. When the talkies appeared, film producers had to travel to Bombay or Calcutta to make films. Most films of this early period were celluloid versions of well-known stage plays. Company dramas were popular among
6960-545: Was included in Time magazine's "All-TIME" 100 best movies list. Average annual film output in Tamil film industry peaked in 1985. The Tamil film market accounts for approximately 0.1% of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the state of Tamil Nadu . For the purpose of entertainment taxes, returns have to be filed by the exhibitors weekly (usually each Tuesday). The Government of Tamil Nadu made provisions for an entertainment tax exemption for Tamil films having titles in words from
7047-458: Was led by screenwriter P. K. D. Seneviratne, producer John Amaratunga and actress Punya Heendeniya . Amaratunga in his pursuit to follow up Rekava , came across Seneviratne's radio drama Kurulubedde and enlisted him to adapt it into a film. Though it maintained certain formulaic elements, the film was free of overt Indian influence and contained various elements of Sinhalese culture. Actress Punya Heendeniya broke ground in her role portraying
7134-432: Was more successful in his work in this period, creating some of his most important work despite the restrictions instituted by the government. Peries' Nidhanaya , released in 1972, is considered his masterpiece and was adjusted the best Sri Lankan film of the first 50 years in 1997 by a government board. It was praised for its skillful direction by Peries' and the inspired acting by Gamini and Malini Fonseka . It
7221-524: Was special and brought a viewpoint to all of them, most of which focused on exploited women. Vithanage's film Purahanda Kaluwara is widely considered one of the best movies made in Sri Lanka as is Jayasundara's Sulanga Enu Pinisa which won the coveted Camera d'Or for best first film at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival . During the Sri Lankan Civil War , several films began to tackle gritty subjects such as family relationships, abortion, and
7308-483: Was taken from a magazine of the same name which he read during his childhood, while Amaran is derived from a pseudonym Amar Singh, which he wanted to adopt for himself when he aimed to be a lyricist. He has had his personal differences with his elder brother Ilayaraja where he mentioned about many controversial issues with him in his career. Amaran revealed that his debut film as a composer for Malargalile Oru Malligai starring Malaysia Vasudevan remained unreleased despite
7395-448: Was the biggest critical success in the wake of Gamperaliya . The film was praised for its realistic portrayal of a fishing community and acting from a cast that included Denawaka Hamine , Edmund Wijesinghe and Cyril Wickremage. Also drawing acclaim were Gunasinghe's novel film techniques such as his extensive use of close-ups. Working close with Gunasinghe on the script and the direction was Vasantha Obeysekera . The editing and photography
7482-448: Was the norm, with Indian style sets erected in film studios . It is widely believed that Rekava , made in 1956 by pioneer director Lester James Peries , was the first Sinhala film to be shot completely out of studio, however, it was the film " Gambada Sundari ", starring Kingsley Jayasekera and Sheela Peiris in 1950, which was the first film shot outside studios instead. It was also the first Sri Lankan film where, like in " Rekava ",
7569-403: Was very conventional and such a 'collateral' was unheard of in the banking industry. The directors and main technicians had to have prior training to obtain loans via a system of registration. Prior to these measures, films produced domestically were transliterations of Tamil and Hindi films, to the extent that there was no credit for screenplay. The only credit was for dialogues as the "screenplay"
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