Ceylon Today Editorial

Lucky to be Channa and Upuli

Monday 26th October 2015

Never in the history of Sri Lankan medium of Art, had any popular artiste been paid a staggering amount of Rs 15 million: be it for a film, a choreographic act or a musical show.

To name popular legends, Gamini Fonseka was one who led the film industry as an actor, who performed alongside British and Indian artistes . However, Gamini Fonseka was never paid more than Rs 1.5 million. This sum charged by the late actor is published with confidence and authority. He was the highest paid actor in the history of the film industry.

In the music field, the late H. R. Jothipala and W.D. Amaradeva never ever dreamt of being a recipient of Rs 15 million. But popular dancers Channa and Upuli Wijewardene were fortunate to be paid that amount for that single dancing act they performed at the opening ceremony of the Hambantota Harbour on 18 November 2010.

This is not the only couple to receive staggering amounts of cash as payments sponsored by the State under the previous administration. The popular male singing duo, Bathiya Jayakody and Santhush Weeraman, were known to have made hay while the sun shone during the Rajapaksa regime. It was reported that the duo, Bathiya and Santhush, fondly known by their fans as BnS for what purpose we do not know, were paid staggering amounts of cash at State events organized such as the opening ceremony of the Arcade Independence Square, by the Rajapaksas'.

There are no doubt artistes such as Channa and Upuli and Bathiya and Santhush, lead the fields they are prominent in; choreography and music in their own way. However, one cannot deny the fact that the legends of Art in this country of the days gone by, have not earned bulks and bulks of money as the current generation of "Artistes" earn now. Whether or how these payments, evade taxes and tariffs go beyond our wildest imagination.

Then there are outright propaganda artistes such as Jackson Anthony and Iraj Weeraratne who supported the Rajapaksa family during their pinnacle of power. The fact they benefited both financially and otherwise, for this support is no State secret. This was also seen when the incumbent President Maithripala Sirisena contested in the 2015 Presidential Election. He had his own posse of propaganda popping artistes such as Jagath Manuwarna, Samanlee Fonseka and Indrachapa Liyanage. Their Aluth Parapura has now, however, become the Baala Parapura due to their actions.

The culture in the medium of Art has changed drastically. Today we witness soi disant "Superstar artistes" emerging through the electronic media, singing songs of yesteryear legends. In this third world region, there are no superstars in the medium of Art. When these self stylized "superstars" emerge through SMS and text message popularity, winning the young immature hearts of pre-pubescent girls, actual artistes are discarded into the annals of history.

This "superstar" menace has spread like a viral flu in the electronic media which has caused irreparable damage to the yesteryear songs, sung and owned by legends. These "superstars", despite their low level intelligence becomes media sensations overnight due to their actions. This was made obvious, by the recent television show which interviewed two such "superstars" who claimed that the capital of Sri Lanka is Kandy and Sri Lanka gained independenc in 1964. Oh, well.

This calls for the professions of the Intellectual Property Act to be brought into action effectively. Kith and the kin of the popular artistes of days of yore are forced to seek legal remedy to protect the intellectual property of their parents. Here again, the so called "superstars" are paid in a handsome manner by event organizers when they perform such songs at State sponsored events, while the kith and kin of the legends look to the skies with broken hearts.

If Cabinet approval is needed for public expenditure for such projects if beyond the limit of Rs 10 million, the question that remains unanswered is how Rs 15 million was paid to Channa and Upuli without Cabinet approval.

Sri Lanka, as a third world country, cannot afford to pay rates that were paid to world class artistes like Marlon Brando, Clint Eastwood, Elvis Presley, Jim Reeves or Englebert Humperdinck. Even they were not fortunate to be recipients of the staggering amount of Rs 15 million that Channa and Upuli received during the heydays of the Rajapaksa administration.

We are sure that those legendary artistes, who have now become dust in the wind, wish they lived during the tenure of the previous administration.