Jayalal Rohana speaks about Mega tele-illness

Though fair-skinned ones are taken for teledramas ....
when the skin grows aged .... they are discarded
-Jayalal Rohana

Mr. Jayalal Rohana, prominent artiste and teacher of Acting revealed his ideas when Gossip Lanka inquired about his ideas about the present-day use of the media and the Arts.

*Don't you have criticism about actors-actresses of Sri Lanka?
  According to what  believe .... those who can be called actors-actresses are just a handful in Sri Lanka. Those who act in teledramas and films are all not actors-actresses. The majority are those who just appear to the audience. Just appearing like that and presenting themselves in acting are two different things. When some day a thing called standard comes into force, a few actors and actresses will emerge. At present, there area few artistes who have been discovered as if by instinct. I respect them. Those who are highlighted mostly are only those who just appear.

*Then aren't thee professional actors-actresses in Sri Lanka?
  There are no professional actors-actresses in Sri Lanka. How can you call a professional actor? They should go to an institute to study acting, sign a book, serve for a specified period of time and receive a salary for the services rendered. Where is there a place like that in Sri Lanka? There are national dance troupes, national music group and groups representing security forces. Where are there national drama groups?  If something like that comes into operation .... I don't know what and what will happen. So how can they become professional actors-actresses? It is true that when the skin is fair they are absorbed into teledramas. Though they are taken, when the skin becomes ageing, they are discarded. Only just a few who then remain as those portraying character roles. They too are not professionals. If there is a level like that ... then it's good. There is .... in other places around the world; but not in Sri Lanka.

*Does this happen because of Mega dramas?
  This thing called mega is only a business which is not even 5 cents worth. It's only a system created by a certain group of individuals to maintain their existence.

*But then people say it's good .... and there is a rating also.
  Who says so? Those things are told by people  in 'patta' channels. Where did the public say such a thing? How can one prove that they say such a thing? The public are not buffaloes. Don't insult the public. People in our country ask well for things of quality. When meeting us, they say that they don't watch teledramas. Most people in towns including Colombo are now used to watching satellite channels.Most people don't watch the local rupavahini. They have dropped it. Now see .... news .... one is different from the other. That happens because of personal  prejudice. It is what the owner of the channel wishes that news is shown. So will that be watched?

*Then is rating wrong?
  It's good for frogs in the well who are just confined to the house alone and who normally don't know about the world. The rating story can be told in any way that is wanted. Who is it who checked about it? Like popular actors are chosen by vote .. the final general voting takes pace in the same way. The public are not foolish enough to accept it that way.It is those very same people who accept it. The mass media should be moralistic. Ethics is necessary. The rupavahini was launched in 1980. Still the mass media is preparing the Code of Ethics. In the end who is going to answer to this? Once again the super-structure.

*Not only the teledrama .... even the cinema is on the decline, isn't it?
  Yes .... when anyone can act anytime .... that happens. It has come about like this. When a competent actor who has shown his prowess is invited ....he adds and presents something more relevant to the character-role in relation to the acting-script.For that he asks for some extra money from the producer. The producer then shows some backwardness in paying that money. when that happens .... he looks for those who had come for a low fee. From somewhere he picks a white-skinned girl and boy and does the job. I am saying this with experience. No acting of a qualitative nature is then required. So, for a low fee a few meaningless dialogues are given and the time of the people is thus wasted. Acting artistes can't do that. In a large number of countries there are places where a systematic training is given within an educational environment for acting artistes. After the training, an identity card is provided by those institutions themselves. When they go for acting after such training, that identity card is asked for before the acting stint is given. Then some quality is observed in such people where their acting is concerned. Therefore, in a country where there is drama and films, when development takes place on a business level, a certain criterion is required. It must be a habit that in order to value a standard, individuals who have a training in academic activity be made to participate. On such a day .... drama or films may not decline.

*Isn't it through the media that this is possible?
  Most people participate in this as a form of employment. In most countries around the world a good payment is made to media researches and media personnel .... especially where the electronic media is concerned. In Sri Lanka of course only a meagre sum of money is paid for such work. It is those with a poor knowledge who are recruited for such a low-paid job. Just like the vicious circle of poverty,  with low salary, low qualifications .... the production that is released too is invariably low in quality. Because of this, it is the mass media that the public take as an example. As such, opportunities afforded to a person to arm himself with knowledge and make use of it is less. Who are those owners of the electronic media? What is their vision? Due thought should be given to that aspect. In a society where anyone has a chance of doing anything without a meaning ... such a society definitely goes down the precipice. Except for just a handful, all our mass media have fallen to that level. We should focus our attention on this administration. Not to enforce conditions on this arbitrary administration. Some standard of criterion is necessary. It is the same with websites .... particularly about some responses given. When looking at the ideas conveyed by the writer .... his social level. In short .... I can tell you what he's eating at home. This is a half-boiled culture. It's coming to an end. The electronic media is fast falling down. So .... an intelligent dialogue is essentially warranted soon, in this connection.

*Then is it the administrators who are responsible for this?
  The shortest answer is the administrators. It is for this reason that there is a group or party who looks after us. This can't be answered based on the topic of the Arts. The Arts is never in a super-structure. Those people can govern us .... but should be able to take action. Rules that are established cannot be changed according to the whims and fancies of the administrators.

*Is it right for those involved in the Arts to indulge in Politics?
  If there are 4 political parties in a country .... that artiste has the affection of all the political parties. If one selects one out of the four .... three are lost to him. Everybody thinks, 'why can't I win?' People work in a personal manner. However much he acts well, people sling mud at him by taking his political party into account. It happens everywhere round the world. The artiste should be in a position superior to that of Politics and function from that point. What I have to say is .... not to demean the Arts by mortgaging life itself by trying to get that which he has not got .... based on personal requirements.

*There's a fashion these days to spend a large sum of money and do a creation, isn't it?
  Like the woodapple that the elephant swallowed .... the shell is there .... nothing inside. Why has such a thing happened? That is because of the strategy used to pay income taxes. I challenge, if there is anyone .... I'll do a creation from a three-quarter of the millions said to be expended. people don't like truth. They're covered with a cloak of falsity. When we say those things .... we are isolated. We can't be made to fall down like that easily. The young people have a mentality that a large sum of money has to be spent on the wedding day. They invite a big crowd .... and then fall into debt right round and give a small piece of cake like a cube of soup .... thinking of saving money. Is there any use of getting married by doing a dirty thing like that? I discovered a new taste .... Bharatha Muniwaraya discovered 'nava nalu rasaya' .... and from Sri Lanka I discovered 'kunu rasaya'.

*Now it has become a novel trend of actors-actresses celebrating birthdays in a strange manner, don't they?
  Definitely true. That also changes from time to time. Can make this breed well. All of a sudden get into a sarong .... take a straw basket and let's go on the road .... chewing betel. About 20 of us must go. The next generation who sees this start chewing betel .... will carry straw baskets. That thing which had no value.... goes up.

*You are not taken for teledramas, aren't you?
  Not that I am not taken .... I don't go! There are seven or eight half-written scripts which are being shown. Only 2 of the hundred parts of the drama have been written. So, how can we agree to do a role? Can any man with a taste go for acting in these things? These dialogues are not said even by dogs! Only in one good one that I act. There should be an example for people in their life from the role one portrays.

*So what are you doing these days?
 As usual I teach drama and acting to A/L students. In the same way I am getting ready to conduct practical workshops in connection with drama and acting of A/L children. I am also getting ready to launch a new political comedy stage drama .... I and Rodney Warnakula. We are presently training for that purpose. In a few days' time will let you know about it.

The video of that discussion, from BELOW