The premiere of ‘The Billionaire’, the first feature film by Los-Angeles based actor, independent filmmaker and classical singer Gehan Cooray sheds light on this topic of being Asexual. The movie is an updated, adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s 1930’s play ‘The Millionairess’.

Shot on location in Ontario, Canada, the movie features a stellar cast alongside Gehan including seven-time Emmy Award-winning actress Heather Tom from The Bold and the Beautiful, Jordan Belfi from the hit TV series Entourage, David Santos, known for his work in the Power Rangers TV franchise and Randy Wayne from The Dukes of Hazzard.  The movie which is almost 2 hours long features humour, music and deep conservations that are quite thought-provoking. Gehan’s attempt to highlight asexual relationships cater to a niche audience but anyone who appreciates and is open to such conversations will find the movie interesting. Here’s what a few guests had to share at the recently concluded red carpet premiere of ‘The Billionaire’.

Rochelle - “I enjoyed the movie and it was nice to see him coming up with a novel concept.”

Savitri - “The movie itself was very different. Not what I expected but I loved it. Gehan’s performance was refreshing and the cast was very good in their own ways. The scenery was amazing. The story developed smoothly, there were interesting dialogues and I loved Gehan’s singing.”

Rukshan - “Gehan is a great singer and to see him doing acting and directing is absolutely marvellous. It’s a difficult movie with all the conversations and it’s not an easy movie to hold the audience together. I loved the scene where he was talking to the doctor and when he started to sing the opera, the doctor was in tears. It was quite emotional.”

Ramola - “I really enjoyed the film because it was different. I didn’t know what to expect but I think Gehan has been very brave to come out with an idea that is not traditionally featured in films. I congratulate him on that. I have known him since he was quite young because he did singing exams at the time and it is great that he has not just kept to his singing but he has become an actor and a film producer as well. ”

Menaka - “It’s very nice, I liked the setting and the whole concept was nice. The message was brought out nicely with a little bit of humour. I also like old-fashioned movies. The scenery and the acting were great and I didn’t feel the two hours passing.”

Jehan - “I thought the idea was quite nice and the performances of some of the actors were really good. He’s very candid about what it is. It’s a talkie and you got to be interested in dialogues. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. I thought there were few unresolved questions about how he played the character – on the one side he has this moral righteousness that he talks of and on the other, he is like he cannot take on the volume of the world. He can be very brutal about that. He’s trying to reconcile the two facets of the same person. But overall, it was a very decent movie and provoked a lot of questions. It was indeed a good evening of theatre.”

Chandran - "I’m a fan of Gehan’s and he’s my friend. He has a passion for movies which I admire. He has made an unusual movie and it is not for everyone. It’s certainly for a niche market and he has addressed the issues quite frankly and with class. I believe it’s a movie that should have been made and I’m glad he made it.”

Soundarie - “It was a very niche and an intelligent movie. It was very intense so if your mind tends to get distracted you may lose focus. I’m so proud of him and it’s a good movie for those who would appreciate movies like this.”