Reviving Sri Lankan Tamil cinema after 40 years

Almost an eon ago, the growth of Tamil cinema in Sri Lanka was considered on par with the Tamil film industry. However, there was a slump in making Sri Lankan Tamil movies owing to various issues and influences in the island nation. Now, King Ratnam, a well-known name in the Lankan Tamil movie circuit, is attempting to break the jinx and bring the lost glory back to Lankan Tamil cinema.

After 40 years, Komaali Kings, a Sri Lankan feature-length Tamil film made with an all-Sri Lankan cast and crew is being hailed as an important milestone in the rebirth of Sri Lankan Tamil film industry. The film is to hit the theatres globally.

Spilling the beans on the film, King Ratnam tells us, “Though a Sri Lankan Tamil movie, it is a family entertainer which will be enjoyed by Tamils of all age groups throughout the world. It has a dash of all commercial elements like comedy, romance, action, thrill, suspense, good songs and production values that will engage the audiences from start to finish.  I want to prove we are no less in our creativity and the film sets the benchmark high and sends a strong message to those who doubt our capabilities and artistry of our filmmaker and artistes.”

Just like how Tamil films are set in different parts of Tamil Nadu like Madurai, Tirunelvell and has the dialects of those areas, KK incorporates the 5 different slangs of Tamil being spoken in various parts of Sri Lanka like Yaaazhpaanam, Maddak Kalappu (Batticaloa), Malayagam, and Colombo. The star announcer, famous actor and radio commentator B. H. Abdul Hameedh has helped coordinate this landmark movie.

At a time when even small budget Tamil films are finding it difficult to get theatres for their release, Komaali Kings which has story, screenplay and direction by King Ratnam (grandson of famed stage and film actor Ratnam) besides him playing the lead is likely to get around 100 screens in Tamil Nadu.

Quiz him on that and he responds, “Given a good content, the audiences are ready to lap it. I am talking to big business players in Tamil cinema and trying to get as many screens as possible.”

Source: Deccan Chronicle