The revival of 'Gajaman'

When I was schooling, my friends and I used to read this comic; I grew up as a big fan of Gajaman

When we first created the 3D Gajaman, it was hard for Camillus Uncle to accept it

We are truly overwhelmed by the response to the film. We dont have words to express ourselves

Right now, there are lots of resources readily available online, but when we began this project in 2010, this was not the case

“There was a huge team of around 1,000 people behind this film, who worked tirelessly for ten years to make this a reality,” said Chanaka Perera, Director of Gajaman on the success of transforming a beloved comic strip into an animated film.  

Gajaman, based on the iconic 70s cartoon character by Camillus Perera, is Sri Lanka’s first animated film using motion capture technology.  

Directed by Chanaka Perera and co-produced by John Fonseka and Chamika Jinadasa, the Sinhala 3D film marks a technological advancement in Sri Lankan cinema and animation, and has been praised by viewers as “hilarious”, “brilliant” and “a must-see”. The film, which features well-known Sri Lankan names like Sunil Perera and comedians Chooti Malli and Podi Malli as dubbing artists, has become the highest-grossing movie in the history of Sri Lankan cinema.  

Camillus’ Gajaman was a household name in the seventies. When asked about his experience with adapting such an iconic character for the screen, the director said that when he was schooling, his friends and he used to read the comic. “I grew up as a big fan of Gajaman,” he said.  

“When I met Camillus Uncle, he was very open to the idea of a 3D Gajaman movie. However, we encountered an issue where we could not exactly lock in a 3D version of Gajaman because the original character is two-dimensional; everyone is used to the 2D version. When we first created the 3D Gajaman, it was hard for Camillus Uncle to accept it. But this is normal. I did some research on Tintin and the same thing happened when Spielberg wanted to adapt Tintin for the screen in a 3D form. The 2D to the 3D conversion of a character is tricky. We were finally able to convince him.  “Do whatever you want and take this thing forward” Camillus said to Chanaka Perera.  

Perera, having attended Swinburne University followed by two years of film school, has a background in 3D animation and filmmaking.  

“The whole journey of using motion capture was fascinating, mainly because it has never been done before in Sri Lanka. None of us had experience at the time, so we had to start from scratch. Right now, there are lots of resources readily available online, but when we began this project in 2010, this was not the case”, he shared.  

“We got down the motion capture technology to do this project, but during these 10 years, our production company did some commercials using motion capture for our corporate clients. So, we gained some experience with that, which helped with the whole process.”  

The animated comedy features political and social commentary, tempered with witty humour and a complementary soundtrack; it’s immensely current and widely relatable.  

“It’s very Sri Lankan”, the director said.  

Perera’s main aim when making the film was simple.  

“We wanted to produce a one hour and 40 minutes of pure entertainment”.  

The whirlwind of success the film has received is evidence that this intention has been realised.  

“In terms of the actual making of the film, I’d say 10 years is normal considering the resources that were available at the time and the fact that it was a novel experience for all of us,” Chanaka said commenting on the time the film required.  

“We did have some trouble with the release of the film. Gajaman was set to be released in 2018, but nearing the end of 2018 there was a constitutional coup, and the following years saw the Easter bombings, COVID and then the economic crisis. So, we felt that, since our initial release plans, now was the perfect time to release the movie. The public support the film is receiving despite the difficult times we are living in is truly touching”.  

“This is a big thing for Sri Lankan cinema. We are truly overwhelmed by the response to the film. We don’t have words to express ourselves”, the director shared.  

“I am so grateful to the entire team and we are all very grateful for the audiences who have made the film as successful as it is”.