Akasa Kusum set for August release

Ruwini Jayawardana

Prasanna Vithanage’s newest movie, Akasha Kusum (Flowers in the Sky) which made headlines even before its release in local theatres is looking for an August release at the CEL circuit. The first day’s profit of the movie will be donated to the NFC’s Pensioner’s Fund.

The film which clinched a number of prestigious awards like the netpac award at the Granada Cines Del Sur Film Festival in Spain, the Jury special mention at the Vesoul Asian Film Festival and the Silver Peacock award for Malini Fonseka at the 39th Indian Film Festival, launched its website www.akasakusum.com recently.

Akasa Kusum is directed by Prasanna Vithanage who had also made several noteworthy creations beginning with Sisila Gini Gani in 1992. Anantha Rathriya (Dark Night of the Soul), Pawru Walalu (Walls Within), Purahanda Kaluwara (Death on a Full Moon Day) and Ira Madiyama (August Sun) are some of his past creations. He had also been a part of Uberto Pasolini’s Machan, the movie which won international acclaim. Vithanage’s latest movie centers on Sandya Rani, an aging movie star who had once been the most sought after actress in the glamour scene.

Having had her share of glitz, she had adapted to a quieter lifestyle. Her incomes comes through renting a room in her home to film and television starlets of the present generation.

Popular young film actress, Shalika, rents the room to carry on a secret affair with a young actor. When her husband discovers this, all hell breaks loose.

The scandal and publicity it generates forces Sandya into the spotlight.

She is once again lured into the limelight and there she discovers that she has to come to terms with the demons of her past.

Gifted actress Malini Fonseka takes on the lead role of Sandya Rani. The other characters are portrayed by Nimmi Harasgama.

Dilhani Ekanayake, Samanalee Fonseka, Kaushalya Fernando and Jayani Senanayake. Interestingly all the lead characters of Akasa Kusum are female.Vithanage had also included footages from Malini’s past films in some of the scenes to portray Sandya Rani’s early era as a film star.

Speaking at the web launch Vithanage stated that finding facts about films on the web had become popular. He said that he hopes to make his films available through the web for movie buffs. Akasa Kusum too will join the rest of his films after its release in Sri Lanka. An international film distributing company had already agreed to take the movie to several countries around the globe. However the company would not distribute the movie in Sri Lanka or India as the film team will look to the matter.

“I am confident that the movie will be popularized globally through the internet, DVD format and through the mini screen. I have a personal reason as well as an official reason to make Akasa Kusum. When Malini was ill several years back I had nothing to offer her but the hope of doing a film.

I am happy if the movie became one of the reasons for her to triumph over her battle with death,” Vithanage noted.

He also stressed on the fact that he is a director who had learnt through experience. He had seen the incidents taking place in the celebrity scene and had absorbed some of these incidents to his movie.

“Akasa Kusum is a tribute to yesteryear actresses like Rukmani Devi, Sandya Kumari and Vijitha Mallika. We should not forget them for they have done immense service to the industry,” he stressed adding that women expose their emotions more vividly than men.

“The best location on earth is the face but the emotional changes should be captured well on lens. Director of photography M.D. Mahindapala had done an exceptional job,” he added.