• Vasanthi Chathurani on her silver screen absence

In 1976, Vasantha Doreen Peterson was still in her shimmering teen years of life, when Sri Lankan film icons Dr. Sumithra Peries and Dr. Lester James Peries found this doe-eyed girl to be gifted with a flair for acting. She later became an icon herself in the Sri Lankan film industry, transforming into the versatile, naturally talented actress Vasanthi Chathurani.

“I still find it extraordinary to believe I received permission to act in a film, considering the strict, disciplined, and traditional upbringing I was in,” said Vasanthi in reminiscence.

At the age of 16, she becomes Kusum in ‘Gehanu Lamai’ and by 19, she gets the complex role of the mentally-ill girl Nirmala Atapattu in the blockbuster movie ‘Ganga Addara’. And thus, she becomes a heart-throb of Sri Lankan film fans.

With a deep-rooted beginning, Vasanthi ventured into the film industry as she was showered with many roles that suited her naturally charming, simple, innocent look. As she entered into marriage a few years later, which almost paused her progress in performing art, Vasanthi returned yet again, warmly welcomed by her fans and film enthusiasts. She continued to be the heart-throb of the people, reaching her career’s pinnacle and beyond, both in artistic and commercial films, and the television as well.

Extraordinarily, Vasanthi went missing again from the silver screen, and after nearly 15 years, she returned recently with a new film, ‘Sililare’, which just started its production. “It is only that I didn’t appear in films in those 15 years, but I managed to do a lot for the industry, as an attempt by me to elevate its quality,” she said.

Vasanthi Chathurani joined The Daily Morning Brunch amidst many happenings of the ‘muhurath’ ceremony of her latest film, sharing her experiences and expectations based on her life-long lessons gathered in becoming the shimmering actress today in her sixties that emerged from the 15-year-old girl discovered by Dr. Sumithra Peries and Dr. Lester James Peries.

Following are excerpts from the interview:

You were not seen on the silver screen for almost one-and-half decades. Why the missing-in-action? Were you not happy with the films you received?

I would say, I was merely not seen in films, but was quite active. I might have found the opportunities I encountered not fitting for many reasons, but mainly I was more involved with teledrama production.

The main concern during this time was teledrama production. I dedicated my time producing eight teledramas. That was a contribution I was yearning to gift the industry.

Anyway, I did not receive new films, sometimes I didn’t follow new films. Maybe, new films may not have characters suitable for me.

I’m not in the habit of following up on films for new characters. If I get offered a new character, I will accept it and dedicate myself to the project.

Your first steps into the acting world were blessed, flourishing into a versatile, award-winning actress under the guidance of the two icons of the Sri Lankan film industry. How would you see this in reminiscence?

I strongly believe it’s my luck; I don’t know how to explain that in another way. It was magical, even now it feels extraordinary when remembering that era. My destiny changed. I still find it extraordinary to believe I received permission to act in a film, considering the strict, disciplined, and traditional upbringing I was in – both in school and family.

Today, the current generation lives in a drastically changed world with so many opportunities. Today, it’s the parents who eagerly want to push their children into performance arts such as acting and singing. It was totally different during our time. We had to put a significant effort to climb up the field.

Acting is not a profession one can acquire over time. The talent needs to be embedded in the personality. If the talent exists, it can be trained, groomed, and polished to excellence.

The opportunity I encountered at the beginning of my career was sheer luck. Nothing else.

Over the years in the industry, you established standards for the acting profession amidst a male-dominant environment. How did you stride so gracefully along the path?

The experience and guidance from Dr. Sumithra Peries and Dr. Lester James Peries shifted my character to another level. It is the discipline, dedication, and patience I learnt from them that I cherish and practice still, even at this juncture in my career.

From the inception, I learnt to be dedicated to the work I got assigned to – the discipline to adhere to the chain-of-command during film shooting; being focused amidst any chaos you may encounter. I think all these lessons I learnt from my gurus – Dr. Sumithra Pieris and Dr. Lester James Peries – and absorbing those into myself helped me to tread this long journey in the industry.

What is your point of view about the professional standards of actors/performers?

You see, when we were novices to the field, we were guided to be genuinely dedicated to the work; no distractions allowed. And I adopted these good behaviours into my professional life. Today, things are a bit more complicated. It’s rare to find dedication and commitment in the profession. The final decision is based on money – the cost; quality of the product does not get its due position. If the cost is too high of a character, it will be eliminated from the script the next day.

Even today, I do not accept a project without a complete script. I insist that I need to know the character. But today, if you see how the industry runs, films or teledramas are shot with the script only being available at the beginning of that day. Day-to-day scripts won’t work. It deteriorates the quality of the art.

Yes, it’s understandable that today, there are far more financial constraints than the past. But, we must ensure the quality of the product. There is no excuse for that. It is professionalism. The entire crew has to maintain their standards.

If I am the director, I can guide the crew according to the principles I adhere to. But, when I’m an actor, it is not suitable for me to correct others. That is interfering with the director’s sphere. With my seniority, I am able to suggest to the director to correct certain unprofessional practices during the film production. The new directors, being very humble, would accept my suggestion. Still, it’s not my call on the film set. I won’t do it. The hierarchy is established for a reason.

Today, the newcomers are always with the smartphone – taking selfies, recordings for social media, etc. This should not happen while working in the film location. It is a lack of discipline and professionalism. I don’t blame them. Although we are actors, we are also part of this society. Therefore, whatever the setbacks we see in the present society gets reflected in the industry too. That is the reality.

If the quality is drifting down, how can it be reinstated?

For us, there were professional directors at that time to learn the standards of the profession through mentoring and guidance; we observed and learnt. We had Dr. Lester James Peries, Dr. Sumithra Peries, Dharmasena Pathiraja, Vasantha Obeysekera, and many others. We were confident about the reliability of their knowledge. They truly directed the crew.

When I was working with Dr. Sumithra Peries and Dr. Lester James Peries, I observed how they documented every single detail of the film. It was not just the script. They described each and every position of the film crew – from the director, to assistant directors, producers, line production, art director, cinematographer, assistants, etc. I could see the broadness of their knowledge and dedication. They were the mentors who never stopped educating themselves, broadening their knowledge with new technologies. That model shaped us.

Today, who is there to extend similar guidance? I feel that the present generation lacks the space to learn and grow. Looking through the monitor and ordering action-cut is not the trade. The cast needs to be suitable. They need a quality script. There should be proper dialogue delivery. If these technicalities do not fit in, we do not get a good end product. We also do not create a set of professionals.

And the present generation must understand, no matter how popular and experienced you are, once you get a character, you are always new to that character. You must enter it afresh. “I’m popular”, “I have acted in many” – that is not relevant here.

The sudden popularity the new generation receives through the television media is the damage. More than films, through television an artist can get instant fame. This can misguide the new generation. This is somewhat restricted in the film industry due to the time it takes to create. The present generation seems to have no option, but to accept whatever happens now as the correct path.