First Sri Lankan Hollywood film to be screened worldwide

 

Veteran filmmaker Chandran Rutnam’s much hyped movie ‘A Common Man’ featuring Oscar award winner Ben Kinglsey and Ben Cross will be released worldwide this month.

Chandran Rutnam told Daily Mirror Impulse that he hoped to release three copies of the psychological thriller in Sri Lanka too.

Rutnam has taken the concept from an Indian movie (A Wednesday) and transformed it into a highly suspenseful thriller.

 

 

Besides the two Bens, the film produced by Manohan Nanayakkara on behalf of Asia Digital Entertainment also features a talented star cast including Jerome de Silva, Ashan Dias, Numaya Siriwardena, Patrick Rutnam, Frederick-James Lobato, Wilson Gunaratne, Wilmon Sirimanne, Sando Harris, Dushyantha Weeraman, Mohammed Adamally and others. Ramesh Vinayakam has composed the music while Chjandana Jayasinghe has handled the cinematography and James Rutnam the editing.

Kingsley's character is a man pushed to his limits and he eventually resorts to violent means. The film's tagline is also as good as a synopsis – "Five bombs in the city. The clock is ticking". It is more difficult to tell though, who the creators' sympathies are supposed to lie with – the loose cannon or the ruthless cop? The audience will find their allegiance swinging from one to the other.

 

 

“In fact when I first met Manohan with this proposal, he liked it and expressed willingness to play the key role, but after he suddenly fell ill some time later I asked him how we were going to get about. He asked me whom I had in mind. I said if I had the luxury of choosing I would prefer Ben Kinglsy to do it. Without any hestitation he asked me to go ahead and get ben Kinglsey. I was stunned. Then I worked on it,” said Chandran recalling the birth of the Common Man.

(See full interview with Chandran Rutnam next Monday)

 

 

 

Role of a producer From a small notion, idea or concept, producer see something great, some thing noble, something worthy of the months and years of struggle that will turn it into a film. The producer will nurture it, defend it, and surround it with people who share the same vision. From this, something spectacular can evolve that may amaze the world. To make a film, someone has to start with a vision and the elements to pull it off. Having as idea is not good enough, if you have no knowledge, enthusiasm, commitment and the resources to do it. The resources alone do not make producer. The vision, the creation of a concept fulfilling the requirements of, selecting a story, a director, the actors, sets locations and crew are of vital importance. That’s the role of a producer. Is this creative? Yes it is, simply because it germinates from the idea, or desire to put together a team to implement the idea and create a completed film. The final product reflects the creativity and hard work of the producer, director and the entire group of creative talent. The producer is the sentinel at the intersection of art and commerce. The person that is prepared to take the gamble on a creative hunch and drive it forward to the screen. There is a 100 year heritage of vision and hard work by producers. The rights of the producer must be protected and treated with the same respect as other credits in the motion picture business. The “producer credit” is not something you negotiate. It is something you earn. - Chandran Rutnam

 

 

By Ramesh Uvais