It was somewhere in mid March, 1989. We were standing in the queue at the Majestic theatre in Bambalapitiya, for the “matinee” show. It was the afternoon 3.30 show. The last show of the day at 9.30 pm that we were used to, was no more. The beastly outbreak of armed violence led by the JVP after the 1987 July Indo-Lanka Accord, had killed off night life completely. Buses seldom ran into ghostly nights frozen still.
Then the Majestic cinema hall was an old, lonely building, behind a short wall with two gates on either side, on the Galle Road front. It had a large empty space for the few cars that come, on the side of Station Road. The few CTB buses that plied to Layard's Broadway on route 104, begins and ends its circuitous run, down Station Road near the railway station.
While Vincent and Pushpa stayed back for the ticket counter to open, I walked towards the pavement kiosk near the station to buy a fag that often had a few bus conductors and drivers. They were talking of the war and the Indian Peace Keeping Force, doing the fighting. It had turned into a national calamity, savagely felt in most part of the Sinhala society too. I lit a fag and walked back to the cinema hall.
There wasn't much of a crowd. The gallery seats right in front, were almost empty. The more popular (rupees) “one – ten” seats were a little full and where we were, there was hardly a dozen, when the lights dimmed out. Wouldn't know how many there were, in the balcony.
The film was one about the Vietnam war, titled “Platoon”. I read a small write up a few days before in the Ceylon Daily News (CDN) and just one line in it, sort of flattered me to see the film. Vincent and Pushpa were cajoled into seeing it by me. The CDN brief on “Platoon” said, some critics thought it better than “Apocalypse Now”, then a Cannes Palme d'Or award winning, Academy Award nominated film on Vietnam war, that I too enjoyed seriously.
Coming out from the hall after 120 minutes, I peeped into some of the “show cards” displayed in the lobby. Pushpa Ramlani asked me what I thought of the film. From her beaming smile, I knew she had loved the film. I told Vincent, I would do a cover story of it. Vincent Kurumbapitiya was then the editor of “"Vivarana"” periodical, a Sinhala socio political monthly magazine. We were around one plus half year old by then and “"Vivarana"” was easily the most popular periodical along with the “Ravaya” magazine. The difference between “"Vivarana"” and the other Sinhala periodicals was that it stood out as a very “anti war” magazine, discussing most things under the sun on a democratic platform.
Pushpa, a mainstay in the editorial as its Deputy, agreed we should write a piece on Platoon and Vincent, an ex JVP, first generation activist of the '71 era, felt there was much to write about it. The decision was thus made while we waited for our return journey, at the bus stop. The decision was on condition, we get a few good photos to go along with the cover story. Or else, we go with the already decided cover story.
I sat through mid night trying to write the “cover story”. It wasn't easy. Not because I did not have a political interpretation to the film, but because I had no information about the Director, about the production, about the cast and the basic information about its release and post release achievements. The question I kept out of my mind during the night was, from where I could snatch a few still photos of the film.
I did a rough sketch for the cover story, scratching out, rewriting, throwing away whole sheets of paper from time to time. Yet I knew it wasn't complete for a “cover story” in "Vivarana", unless I had other information on the film. I had to leave some blanks, to be filled before next evening to meet the print schedule.
I went to sleep in a world that had no frequencies modulated (FM) for radio channels. The SLBC and 02 state owned TV channels beamed out for any diversity and plurality in media. There were no mobile phones either. No desktops, we knew of. That also meant we've not heard of internet, 'hotmails' and 'gmails' and knew nothing about “surfing” or “browsing” the “net”. No “Getty Images” and no “downloads” too. We were plain old world journalists in the print media, with pen in pocket.
Waking up in the morning I knew I had a hectic day, despite a half slept night. My first trip was to the Majestic theatre. There I met its Manager, to convince him of the need to have a few colour “show cards” for my story. He wasn't convinced, but was plainly amused.
“We won't be running this show for long.....it has little attraction.....” He told me with a slight grin and then asked, “What's this magazine ?”
He doesn't look the type that reads, I thought. Yet I played a “leech de nuisance” and he parted with 02 extra copies of 02 show cards and two or three post card sized stills from the film. That was definitely more than what I thought I could scrounge from the film hall.
I was told by Vincent that Pushpa was scouting for some background material from some one she knew. One who collected material on 'Western' films. Meanwhile I went to the British Council library to thumb through some film magazines. I found a small colour piece that made misfortunes of Oliver Stone in filming Platoon, quite interesting to read. Oliver Stone was the Director, but that story had nothing for me to learn about Stone. Instead learnt the film was an Academy Award winner, released on 19 December, 1986.
No buses plying along Duplication Road and as usual, no money for three-wheelers, I walked to “Thummulla Junction” to board a “one-three-eight” bus to Nugegoda. It was late afternoon and Pushpa had arrived with 03 photo copy pages on “Platoon” that provided a “wealth” of information. I wrote a hurried “insert” on Oliver Stone, based on what I could gather from those 03 pages. The insert had 118 words in all. The best was that it had a 2G photo of Stone along with his wife, carrying his new born baby. Obviously they were b & W, being photo copies.
Eight and a half hand written pages trashed during a slow moving night and the cover story written all over again with a better “insight” into the film by next morning, I was happy I beat the deadline too. All the handwritten manuscripts had to go to the printer a week ahead. Vincent had to provide a hand sketched dummy lay out too, for them to have it printed on time. For a magazine that was sold at rupees seven a copy and was content full without commercial ads, four colour web offset printing was beyond a dream.
Almost a week after the 1989 April issue of "Vivarana" hit the paper stands, I ran into the 'goateed', bespectacled trade union leader of the Central Bank, Thulsiri Andradee, a routine Marxist, heading a little Trotskyite faction in Colombo.
“Thank you.....” he told me, with a hearty smile. “ I would have missed 'Platoon'....if not for your review....That was a radical piece in a Sinhala magazine, about a very good English film.....nice one” he explained himself and his pleasure in seeing the film.
A little proud but somewhat surprised too, I asked him whether the film is still running.
“They have extended......your magazine had come just in time......I told our comrades also.....to read your review and see the film” said Andradee.
We then parted, Andradee going for a meeting of trade unions at the “Guru medura” and me ? Where did I go, happy no doubt and proud too ?
Kusal Perera
17 March, 2010.
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