KOල්Leක් ගැන තරින්දිට මුලින්ම කිව්වේ දිදුල ලු!ඩ්‍රාමා, රොමෑන්ස්, කොමර්ෂල් කැටගරියේ චිත්‍රපටයක් – අධ්‍යක්‍ෂ ඉසුරුමේක පවුලේ කතාවක් – හේමාල් කොල්ලො ගැන ඉතිං අමුතුවෙන් කියන්න දෙයක් නැහැනේ. කොල්ලො සෙට් එකක් සෙට් වුණාහම වෙන දේ දන්නවානේ. අන්තිමේ කොල්ලො කරන වැඩ හින්දා බැණුම් අහන්න වෙන්න…

Didula Lu first told Tharindi about Kolle! A film in the Drama, Romance, Commercial category – Director Isurumeka Family Story – Hemal

There is nothing strange to say about boys. You know what happens when a group of boys get together. In the end, the parents have to listen to the scolding for the work the boys do. But today we are not going to talk about such a boy. It is about Kolle who is trying to enter the cinema the day after tomorrow. The concept of this Kolle story first came to the mind of Didula Induwara, a popular actor and screenwriter in Sri Lanka these days.

Kolle can be described as a new film that revolves around the life of an elder brother who takes on the responsibilities of the family after losing his brother, and finds a balance between family and relationships.

KOLKELEK is currently being produced as a new film belonging to the family drama genre, adding a new experience to Sri Lankan cinema.

Popular actor Hemal Ranasinghe plays the lead role, while Tharindi Fernando, Sithara Punchihewa, Yasas Niwunhella, Shyam Fernando, Semini Iddamalgoda, Sangeetha Thadani, Chandana Wickramasinghe, and many veteran and newcomer actors including Sanath Gunathilaka, Umali Thilakaratne, Malkanthi Jayasinghe and Niranjani Shanmugaraja are contributing in guest roles.

KOLKELEK is being prepared to be a gift to cinema by a young Sri Lankan director, Isuru Gunathilaka, and the concept and screenplay are by Didula Induwara. Madhuni Alahakoon is the cinematographer and Thilina Boralessa is the music director. Kanchana Anuradhi, Supun Perera and Ridma Weerawardena are the singers, Charith Wickramathilake is the art director, Sawan Pavithra is the costume designer and Haroon Shaimin is the hair stylist.

Sujeewa Niwunhella is the executive producer of KOLek and it is produced by Luxuriate Productions.

The shooting of ‘KOLek’, which is getting ready to hit the theatres soon, is currently taking place in Lahi Lahiye, Madapatha Walauwa, Piliyandala. We also received a small invitation from the media coordinator, Upul Nishantha, to experience the shooting of ‘KOLek’, which is being set up in Madapatha Walauwa, Piliyandala, near Colombo. Going to watch the shooting of a film is a different experience, so we joined this journey.

We entered the middle of a solemn palace filled with fruits and resplendent with splendor. Even when we went there, filming had already begun in front of the lush garden. In front of the solemn palace are Shyam and Semini. Nearby, the camera director and her entourage are preparing the camera.

Camera… action…

The whispering heard here and there stopped and everyone became silent. We also felt like we were preparing for a scene.

Meanwhile, Tharindhi and Hemal were preparing for their next scene. During a short break, we were eager to get the information we needed.

First, I was invited to the film KOL Lek by the screenwriter Didula Induwara. He first told me, “Akka, there is a beautiful story to tell… let’s get involved.”

So I have worked with Didulath before. Then, after I read the script, director Isuru Gunathilaka further explained the story. With his explanation, I understood that Isuru is not just a person, but a very up-to-date director. So, I was very excited to get involved with the KOL Lek team. Now we are on the main set of KOL Lek. I am also working with the camera director Madhuni for the first time. She also has good talent,” said Tharindi, who joined the set of KOL Lek at the invitation of the scriptwriter.

Hemal Ranasinghe, who is joining in the lead role, had this idea about KOL Lek.

Choosing a script like this gave me confidence in the director. This is a family story. Although I have been getting family stories for a long time, I saw a difference in this script. I also saw that I had something to do. That is why I accepted it. The first experience I had with a five-month-old baby was a big challenge.

Since the film KOL is a live-action film, there is no dubbing. Director Isuru Gunathilaka, who was busy with the action-cut, talked about KOL very proudly. Because Isuru is the head of this KOL.

KOL is my second film. The concept as well as the screenplay are by actor Didula Induwara.

Didula told me about this plot about a year ago. We talked about it together and finally created a good screenplay suitable for today. Luxuriate Productions took over the production of this film. Nimal, Gratian and Dr. Chitra are working as producers. Sujeewa Niwunhella joins as executive producer. This is a drama, romance, and commercial category film. In terms of using modern technologies, we will change with the time we plan this production. Madhuni Alahakoon, the only female camera director in Sri Lanka, will join me in this project. She studied in London. I studied in Europe. That is why we were able to make KOLe in an orderly manner.

After the speech of director Isuru Gunathilaka, we also had the opportunity to exchange views with the production team.

Nimal Prasanna, an engineer by profession, joined this film as a producer because I love art very much. Even though I live abroad, I am someone who wants to see the progress of this country. I am confident that this will be a good creation.

Producers Dr. Chitra Dissanayake and Nimal invited us for this. At that time, I really had no intention of investing money in a film. Finally, the executive producer Sujeewa connected us with the director Isuru. After learning about the script of KOL Lek, we felt like getting involved in the project. This is a film that gives a good message to the society.

KOL Lek Executive Producer Sujeewa Niwunhella,

The director Isuru Gunathilaka and the camera director Madhuni Alahakoon first brought this proposal to me. Finally, when we watched the script, it was a different story. As a young director, Isuru is doing very well here. We have a very well-educated young team. This is my second film. I had previously shot Ritigala Jayasena and the Hidden City by veteran director Jayantha Chandrasiri in England. We also used the highest technology at that time. We used the same technology in Sri Lanka for the film KOL Lek.

It is also a special fact that the director of photography for the film KOL Lek, which is shot using modern technology, is a woman. While preparing for the next scene with a huge camera equipment, Madhuni approached Alahakoon with the idea of adding her experiences about KOL Lek to this story.

The shooting of the film KOL Lek is going on successfully so far. In particular, we have many senior artists for this project. I am getting a lot of support from them. The work is going very well due to the support received from the director and all the production departments.

Veteran actor Shyam Fernando is playing the role of Hemal's father, who plays the main character in KOL Lek.

“I am the father of the main character, that is, due to a certain tragedy that occurs in the Jayakody family, the character of Jayakody also undergoes changes along with the breakdowns and changes that occur in this family.

I joined this because I have faith in the director. New directors have come with an idea about cinema. It is because of my desire to work with such people that I accepted this job.

Semini Iddamalgoda also joined our conversation, adding a similar idea to Shyam’s idea.

KO Lek Isuru’s second film. The new directors are up-to-date with technology, so I am very interested in working with them.

For me, both the director and the script were the reasons for accepting this project. Today is the seventh day of shooting. I am working with a very cooperative and loving team. I think KO Lek will be a very beautiful work.

With that in mind, we came out of the set and walked into a ‘KO Lek’ hall built in Madapatha Walauwa Inside, soon to be viewed.

Dinesh WithanaPhotography – Upul Nishantha