Chandran Rutnam
| Chandran Rutnam | |
|---|---|
 Rutnam in 2008 | |
| Born |
Chandran Rutnam Ceylon |
| Nationality | Sri Lankan |
| Occupation | Film director, producer, screenwriter, entrepreneur |
| Known for | Filmmaking |
| Title |
President and CEO of Asian Film Locations Services Ex-Chairman of Lionair Chairman of Asian Aviation Centre |
| Religion | Christian |
| Children | James, Daniel, Evelyn, Chanel, Danara |
| Website |
Asian Film Locations Services Asian Aviation Centre |
Chandran Rutnam is a Sri Lankan film maker and entrepreneur. [1][2]
Rutnam has hosted numerous Hollywood films for their location shoots in Sri Lanka and Malaysia.[1][2]
He was the Line Producer/Production Supervisor on several international productions including the Sri Lankan location shoot of Paramount Pictures' Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) and Indochine (1992).[1][2]
Steven Spielberg once referred to Rutnam as "Our most valued friend in the Far East".[2][3][4][5]
Rutnam has had the distinction of working with Sir David Lean, Sir Carol Reed, John Boorman, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Regis Wargnier.[1]
Rutnam wrote the screenplay, produced, directed and edited the film The Road from Elephant Pass, which was a Finalist Award Winner at the New York International Television and Film Awards in 2011.[3][4]
He wrote the adapted screenplay and produced and directed, A Common Man with Academy Award Winner Sir Ben Kingsley and Ben Cross. The film was nominated for the four main awards at the Madrid International Film Festival in 2013. The film won the Best Picture, Best Director and the Best Actor Awards in that year.[1][6]
Family
Rutnam was born to a Tamil father Dr. James T. Rutnam and a Sinhala mother Evelyn Wijeratne, who gave him all his yearning for freedom and adventure. He has lived in Los Angeles, California for 38 years and is now residing in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He is a brother of Jayam Rutnam, the founder of the Sri Lanka America Association of Southern California (SLAASC).[1]
Biography
Lover of Motion Pictures
Rutnam was a school boy when David Lean arrived in Sri Lanka to shoot his Second World War epic, The Bridge on the River Kwai. The film crew hired a house that belonged to his parents for the shooting.[3][4] Due to this exposure, to the consternation of his parents, he dropped out of school and went to London to pursue his dream of a career in films. He later moved to the United States and attended the film school at the University of Southern California and the San Fernando Valley College of Law. While working in Hollywood studios, Rutnam's break in selling Sri Lankan locations to international filmmakers came when he managed to convince John Derek, director of Tarzan the Apeman, to shoot the film starring his wife Bo Derek, in Sri Lanka rather than Africa.[3][4][5]
Enthusiast of Aviation
Rutnam dreamt of conquering the aviation field and masterminded Asian Aviation Centre and Lionair. Lionair was established in October 1993 and started its operations on 24 October 1994. Lionair suspended its domestic services when an Antonov An-24 aircraft went missing shortly after it took off from Jaffna in 1998, but resumed services in October 2002.[7]
Rutnam stated, "I was the sort of guy who would go to an airport and watch the planes taking off. I remember as a kid, I went to the Colombo port and watched the ships coming and going out. I do not know whether it was wanderlust or freedom of movement. I do not know which one it was. Some years ago a friend of mine and I decided that we should have an airline." [8]
Film career
Tarzan, the Ape Man
- The movie, Tarzan and the Ape Man starring Bo Derek as Jane was shot at Udawatte Kelle, Kandy.
Ghosts Can't Do It
- He also took Bo and John Derek to beaches in Bentota to film Ghosts Can't Do It. There is a carving on a stone in Bentota, which says "Great Scot Loves You" – a message from late John to Bo.
Mother Teresa
- Rutnam and his team brought the Geraldine Chaplin starring Mother Teresa: In the Name of God's Poor to Sri Lanka and built Calcutta in Colombo and a little bit of Oslo at a warehouse in Kelaniya.
Adara Kathawa
- Rutnam also brought to life a love story between a Tamil boy and a Sinhalese girl in Adara Kathawa (Love Story in Sinhalese) based on the story of his parents. This was prior to the commencement of the Sri Lankan civil war in 1983.
Poronduwa
Janelaya
The Road from Elephant Pass
- He wrote and directed the The Road from Elephant Pass (2009) which won several awards.[3][4]
A Common Man
- He directed A Common Man, a psychological thriller film starring Oscar Award winner Ben Kingsley and Ben Cross and released by the Myriad Pictures worldwide.
According To Mathew
- He is directing the film According to Mathew starring Jacqueline Fernandez and Alston Koch.
Prince of Malacca
- Rutnam is set to executive produce Prince of Malacca, an action-thriller film with Southeast Asian historical events.[9][10]
Filmography
Theatrical releases
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Sarasaviya Award | Best Camera | Witness to a Killing – Janelaya | Won |
| 1999 | Presidential Awards | Best Picture | Pilgrimage - Theertha Yathra | Won |
| 2011 | New York International Television and Film Awards | Best Film | The Road from Elephant Pass | Won (Finalist Award) |
| 2013 | Madrid International Film Festival | Best Director | A Common Man | Won |
| Delhi International Film Festival | Best Film | Sri Siddhartha Gauthama | Won | |
Gallery
William Holden and Chandran Rutnam while shooting The Bridge on the River Kwai
George Lucas and Chandran Rutnam
Chandran Rutnam with John Derek and Bo Derek
Harrison Ford and Chandran Rutnam on the set of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom which was shot in Hantana, Sri Lanka in 1983
Steven Spielberg and Chandran Rutnam on location in Sri Lanka during the filming of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Anton Wickremasinghe, Chandran Rutnam (center) and Alfred Hitchcock at the Academy Awards in Los Angeles.
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "RUTNAM: like in the movies". Daily News. September 25, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 "Breaking the artificial barriers". Sunday Observer. February 11, 2007. Retrieved April 2, 2015.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Dream locales in Lanka". Nirupama Subramaniam. Retrieved February 4, 2008.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Moving movie man dreams on". Bandula Jayasekara. Retrieved February 4, 2008.
- 1 2 "Hollywood gets Tsunami plea". BBC. January 19, 2005. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
- ↑ "Lankans' film wins three awards". The Island. July 8, 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- ↑ Flight International 5–11 April 2005
- ↑ "Demand for local pilots increasing". The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd. August 31, 2009. Archived from the original on October 19, 2012. Retrieved 2011-04-29.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Prince of Malacca, a detective sci-fi & fantasy film, is to be directed by Chandran Rutnam". PR Inside. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
- ↑ "'Prince of Malacca': Reborn to avert tragedy". Wijeya Newspapers Ltd. 2015-07-17. Retrieved 2015-07-17.
- 1 2 Sashi, Rathi (October 5, 2012). "Chandran Rutnam set to direct "Prince of Malacca" is about a Wall Street hedge fund billionaire and his activities". PR Inside. Retrieved October 5, 2012.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chandran Rutnam. |
- Chandran Rutnam at the Internet Movie Database
- Uththareethara Chandran Rutnam (One Hour Documentary Video)