MILLIONAIRE LYRICS-WRITER DILAN SPEAKS

Lyrics-writer Dilan Gamage who wrote "Iwasaida manda", "Oba tharam dun wedana"

     Those days lyrics-writers were poor artistes. They got satisfaction by mesmerizing the fans with a new concept. It happens not because of a requirement of the lyrics-writer, but because of the potentiality of the lyrics itself.

     However, certain lyricists of the present day are millionaires.They work for a share of the ringing-tone. They are brave enough to make a song a hit and will all ends to achieve it.

    Millionaire lyricist Dilan Gamage of the new generation who even tried out his hand into a business of importing vehicles from Japan expressed his ideas to yesterday's Mawbima newspaper supplement and the ideas were somewhat of a controversial type.

    Ideas expressed by the new generation lyricist who has written many popular songs such as "Iwasaida manda" by Athula-Samitha, "Dun wedana" by Nirosha Virajini, "Oba tharam" by Thikshana Anuradha, "Me es diha balan" by Shihan, "Lang wela" by Noel Raj, "Wenwi den" by Chamika, "Dura yanna hithuwata" by Sashika and "Heenayak wage" by Surendra are as follows:

*Why do you have such an interest in making a song a hit which the singer nor the music director has?     
  My job is to write songs. Only when the songs I write becomes a hit that I prosper in the market. On the other hand I have a ringing-tone company of my own. If the song is not a hit, people won't enter it in their phones as a ringing-tone. I exert myself not only for my own prosperity .... everybody who is connected to the song are paid for. Do you know ..... by now I have given over 20 lakhs to Thikshana as a share of the ringing-tone?

*You write every song by tossing a limited number of words here and there .... isn't it? Why has the dictionary of lyricists become so small?
  Every lyricist has some words which he calls his own. That factor is common to Upul Shantha Sannasgala too. I know ..... what you're asking is why there are too many words like 'husma' and 'sihina' in my songs, isn't it? Those words are close to the people. Then, without breathing and without dreaming, people can't live.

*I'm asking, Dilan because I don't know .... things like the ticking of the pulse and the circulation of blood too are necessary for people to live, isn't it? In the future will words like that also come into songs?
 Inevitably it'll happen .... because there are songs even for the 'kehelmala' also no. But I won't fall into that level. I write songs for people to get a feeling. People living nowadays don't have time to keep listening to songs. The way to write is to use Sinhala words that people can understand .... without using 'mahaprana' which will make them stranded. People are stuck being unable to find time to find time to understand 'vyangartha'.

*Premakirthi is supposed to have written songs keeping the paper on top of the bonnet of the car ..... he has even written on bus tickets. But will Dilan ever do that?
 I'll never write like that. That is how each person makes up his own value. The person called Premakirthi is a super character. Premakirthi is one person .... I'm another. These days I take 35- 40 for a song. There are distinguished lyricists who write songs for 5,000 rupees. It is from the money we earn by writing songs that we bought cars, bought lands from Colombo and pump petrol for the car. I don't want to die like a beggar by writing songs just for a cigarette or by talking big to the media. Do you know .... when I came to Colombo and started working, my pay was 20,000 rupees .... but now there are days when I spend 20,000 rupees for a night!  
 
*Everybody who won awards at the Derana Music Video Awards ceremony said that the song Lame was not made for a payment. But when Dilan received the award, such a thing was not said because songs are made for money, isn't it?
Ei ... ei ... what are these questions that you're asking .... those put those things in the papers.

*Dilan .... before going on to the next question, I want your reply to this question.
 Okay ... it's like this. None of the earlier songs ...  asked the media to play by giving money. Only "Iwasaida manda" and Surendra's "Thamath munagesune nethath" songs I paid for and got it done. I paid money to Hiru and made "Iwasaida manda" a hit. Nobody can accuse me for any of my other songs.

*How many sms did you Dilan send to make "Iwasaida manda" song to become the most popular song?
 I don't have so much of a brain upset ... we also have a thing called self respect. But I told whom I know ... to send sms.

*What is that thing called a self-respect Dilan? Don't you feel ashamed to give money andmake the song a hit and ask those whom you know to send sms and later win an award?
  Now, the mistake is asking friends to send sms for our song? Then at election time posters are pasted saying "give me your preference". Only when we do something that everybody sees it as a big thing!

*Those who take nominations for elections have a pledge of promise. Dilan you show a similarity between you and them .... is it because you also have something like that?
 I don't keep a knife at someone's throat and ask them to send sms .... as such I'm not under obligation to give them anything. I take this opportunity to thank those who sent the sms.

*If ringing-tones are stopped from midnight today, how are you going to spend 20,000 for tomorrow's party?
 Actually I have already earned and finished from this job. I of course used my brain and managed to come up in 2 years. Not tomorrow night .... even if ringing-tones are stopped right now, it doesn't matter. The money I earned through this I invested to open a company to bring vehicles from Japan. Whatever it is, I have no idea of remaining with ringing-tones for a long time.
 
*What is the next step of the lyrics-writer who brings vehicles from Japan?
  The field of Arts is not something that maintains you .... it's very temporary. In another 25 years' time it won't be possible to find someone who knows me. That's why I'm trying to find something stable. There's no way to live by writing songs. Now see for instance ...actresses ... they come to the Field and after a short time start at least a salon because they know that there is no stability in the Arts.

*Only those who have no knowledge of the subject who do that Dilan. Ratna Sri Wijeysingha is still writing songs like a lion.
  Yes ... that of course is true .... but Professor Sunil Ariyaratna does films and teaches ... how many things ... apart from writing songs. We're also like that.

Dialogue -- Supun Ratnayaka