‘Thale’: The first teledrama cameraman says bid adieu

Sri Lanka’s first teledrama cameraman and cinematographer of a large number of box-office hit movies of yesteryear, M. W. Hemapala passed away last week.

Hemapala who is popularly and fondly known as ‘Thale’ handled the camera of ‘Dimuthu Muthu’ Sri Lanka’s first teledrama directed by D. B. Nihalsinghe.

He also cinematographed over 150 films including Nihalsinghe’s ‘Sath Samuduru’, Sudath Maskoralage ‘Para Walalu’, Titus Totwatte’s ‘Hara Lakshe’, ‘Maruwa Samaga Wase’, ‘Hathdinnak Tharu’and ‘Baduth Ekka Horu’.

Following the success of ‘Dimuthu Muthu’ he also handled camera for a number of teledramas including ‘Rekha’, ‘Sulanga’ and ‘Kalu Sudu’. The first colour film cinematographed by Hemapala was Dharmasri Wickremesinghe’s

‘Gimhane Gee Nade’, for which he won the Best Presidential Camera Award in 1986.

He also won the award for the Best Cinematographer for D. B. Nihalsinghe’s film ‘Keli Madala’ in 1991.

He joined Swarnavahin as chief and first cameraman and served for nearly 11 years.

Born in Pilana, Galle in

1941 and studied at Thakshila Vidyalala Pilana, Hemapala was 81 years at the time of his demise.