• In conversation with Chandran Rutnam

The ability to tell a story is arguably one of the traits that makes us most human. Humanity’s way of telling stories has evolved greatly over the millenia, from the first fireside chats of early man to cave paintings, to art and music and the written word, to photography and then to film and digital media. 

From all these mediums of storytelling, film tends to capture the attention quite heavily as it is an audio-visual sensory experience. But what makes a good film? Well, a lot of things – a good story, talented actors, and exemplary production, to name a few. But ultimately, a huge part of what defines a film is its director, the person who is largely responsible for how all the varied moving parts of a film production come together to create that final finished product. 

The Directors Guild of Sri Lanka recently honoured one of Sri Lanka’s most prolific directors, Chandran Rutnam, with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Chandran is, of course, a Lankan film legend who has been working in film literally since he was a child. Following this newest accolade, The Sunday Morning Brunch caught up with Chandran for a quick chat on the award, his journey in film, and his hopes for the future of Lankan film. 

“I was surprised, but it is always nice to be recognised,” Chandran said of the award, adding that incidentally, he was one of the founding members of the Directors Guild of Sri Lanka, along with Udayakantha Warnasuriya, Prasanna Vithanage, and the late Sumitra Peries. Speaking of the awards itself, Chandran also noted that it had been very well organised and enjoyable and he had been happy to see young directors developing within the guild and putting on events of this nature. 

His journey in film

Chandran’s first foray into film came in 1957 when he assisted the crew of ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’. “I was the ‘stand-by truck man’ – the man who stood by the director anticipating all his needs. I stood next to David Lean and that was an education in and of itself. It got me hooked,” Chandran recalled of his very first experience on a film set. 

His interest in film long predated ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ however, first beginning when he was boarded at S. Thomas’ College, Gurutalawa, where Headteacher R.L. Hayman would bring his projector to show films to the students boarded at the school. “All of a sudden, there was magic on the screen and I started going to Mr. Hayman and learnt how to thread the projector and gradually got more and more interested in film and realised I would like to produce something like what I was seeing on the screen. I then worked on ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ and then worked on films in England.” 

Chandran then wrote his first film script at 17, but couldn’t secure funding to produce it. He worked in the industry for about 15 years before going on to direct and produce his first film ‘Adara Kathawa’ starring Menik Kurukulasuriya, a film based on his parents’ own love story.

“It was sent through South India for a festival and I was in the audience when it played and I got a standing ovation,” Chandran recalled of the response to ‘Adara Kathawa’. “It was a great thrill. Those are things that cannot be repeated in life, that kind of first-time thrill.” 

In his many decades in film, Chandran shared that up until recently, he had always been behind the camera, save for a cameo in ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’ where he played a dead body. However, over the last couple of years, he has been acting in a couple of local projects, which are set to be released soon.

From the 1950s to today, film has evolved greatly, both locally and globally. The way we tell stories and how we make movies has changed. So, Brunch asked Chandran for his thoughts on how film has evolved over his career. 

One of the biggest ways that film has evolved is in its technology, not just in terms of actual production abilities, but also in terms of opportunities, as Chandran shared: “Technology has created an opportunity for anybody who has a passion for it to get into the business. In the old days, nobody could get into it if they had no way or means to get funding. When you talk about the directors of other decades, you can only mention five or six names. There are so many other people whose talents we will never know about because they never had the opportunity. There’s so much good talent we never got to recognise.” 

Driving Lankan film further 

The technology of today, however, has greatly levelled the playing field and allowed anyone with a passion for film to be able to make short films that showcase their talent with just their phones alone and that they can show to somebody and get their talent recognised. Expanding on this opportunity and making it even more impactful for young blood is something Chandran is very keen to do. 

In fact, Chandran has started a short film competition that allows young school-going filmmakers just that opportunity. The Chandran Rutnam Short Film Competition (which concludes on 8 April) sees students from schools all over the island competing to share their ideas and get exposure to the Lankan film industry. It also serves to show young people the breadth of the film industry and the many roles within it.

“People don’t recognise the potential of film as an industry,” Chandran explained. “They only want to be actors or directors. But there’s so much more than that in the film industry. How about being an art director? Working in animation? Sound? Props? Wardrobe and costume design? There are so many professions in the industry that people just don’t realise exist.” 

Chandran is also in the process of inaugurating the Asian Film Academy, a school for young filmmakers to learn the craft and go out into the industry. “I was a lucky guy. I was able to go abroad and get exposure. I lived in Hollywood for four decades,” Chandran said. “Now I’ve come back and I have to share my knowledge with the people in Sri Lanka. Otherwise, all the things I’ve done will be of no value. I’m determined to share my knowledge and make it available for the young filmmakers and to afford them every opportunity possible.” 

The Asian Film Academy will be a full-fledged film school and with Chandran’s years of experience in the global film industry and the connections he has built over the years, he hopes to bring in foreign filmmakers and directors to conduct masterclasses for students of the academy. Through the academy, Chandran hopes to not just build the skills of potential filmmakers, but also to breed interest in film as an industry and filmmaking as a career. 

The future of Lankan film

“Story, story, story, that’s where it all starts,” Chandran said when asked about where he sees the future of Lankan film heading. “If you don’t have a good story, the best actors and cameramen in the world can’t help you. It must have international appeal.”

That’s not to say that Lankan filmmakers couldn’t tell Lankan stories, Chandran clarified; language and nationality have nothing to do with it. The story just needs to be good and something that can be shown to the world and for Lankan film to truly thrive in the future, it is vital for filmmakers to make films that can be exhibited throughout the world. 

“We have to bring our cinema to the world and that is quite possible now because of technology. We have the market, but if we can’t come up with a good story, then nothing can be done,” Chandran said.

Illustrating how technology had made breaking into film easier, Chandran recounted that decades ago, a can of roll stock (film) used to cost Rs. 25,000 for 4,000 feet. “It was beyond our reach to afford and nobody would help. Now you don’t need all that. You have your phone, you can use small cameras and put something together to show your talent to someone who wants to promote the country’s youth or filmmaking. 

“I’m very excited because the future is now and I am amazed by the amount of talent Sri Lanka has. Our youngsters have so much talent and now is the time to build on that talent. My last word of advice to all filmmakers is to have your dream and work towards it.”