In light of the incredibly unfortunate passing of veteran actress Hyacinth Wijeratne, the occupational hazards encountered by artists during production have been brought to the attention of the general public.
The late Hyacinth Wijeratne was reportedly shooting for a television soap opera in Nuwara Eliya when she met with a fatal accident at Lindula, Nuwara Eliya while she was returning to Colombo. She succumbed to her severe injuries and passed away on 30 July 2021 at the age of 75. According to Police Media Spokesman Senior Deputy Inspector General (SDIG) of Police Ajith Rohana, the driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and the van had run off the road and plunged off a precipice. The driver of the van has been arrested following the accident and will be produced before the Nuwara Eliya Magistrate.
Addressing the loss of a fellow colleague, veteran actress Angela Seneviratne expressed the following: “People do not realise the life-threatening risks artistes take to complete an undertaking in a film or drama. Production managers mindlessly send artists in vehicles driven by exhausted men, who are unfamiliar with the roads and carelessly speed, in the dead of night. We lost Hyacinth akka because the driver fell asleep and drove off a precipice. The production manager is totally at fault.”
Speaking with Seneviratne about her statement, she shared with us that production managers, in their race to complete projects within a certain time scope and under a certain budget would “pack us like poultry” to a single vehicle and set the artists and all other parties off to shoots “with total disregard for the time we will be spending on the road, and we have withstood all of this because of our love for the industry and to do justice for the work we have taken on”.
She pointed out that this is a hazard that is spreading like wildfire across the industry, and has become a general practice. She pointed out how famous film actress and singer Rukmani Devi also died in a tragic motor accident when returning after a musical show in Matara.
Seneviratne said that health and safety in these shoots are “absolutely nil”, adding that in television serial shoots: “If someone is on the brink of drowning, then the production staff will jump into the water to try and save you, but beyond that there are no precautions in place.” She said that of course there have been positive experiences as well, particularly in the case of Gamini Fonseka’s war films, when due to the use of excessive explosives and pyrotechnics, he had on-set experts from the military to monitor the situation.
However, she shared that the majority of the experiences are such that actors are often subjected to risky situations. Speaking to a number of actors, actresses, directors, and producers from the local industry, they all collectively echoed her exact thoughts – there is a call for rules and regulations to guarantee the safety of artists and crew, and to encourage production not to cut corners in the name of making a profit.
Actress and producer Chathurika Jayamani Peiris shared that much like what Seneviratne has stated, artists often have to travel daily during production, and they do face a big risk, particularly when it comes to transport services. “There is no insurance allocated for these shoots, and an incredibly limited budget allocated from the television channels to complete each episode,” she said. “Most of the time we cannot blame the producers because they are trying to work within the budget and time constraints they have been given,” she noted, adding also that in her experience as a producer, she actually incurred a loss as she took precautions to ensure the safety and comfort of her crew.
“When we were shooting in Ranminithenna, I used four vehicles, two to travel within the destination, and another two to pick up and drop off to Colombo.” She said that this is necessary to ensure that the drivers are not exhausted when they are travelling and the crew and actors are comfortable enough to work.
She said, just to give an idea of how much of a budgeting constraint producers are working with, in 1990 a serial episode would have been allocated Rs. 200,000 and in 2021 it is Rs. 150,000. In 20 years, things have only gotten worse.
Actress Nita Fernando also shared her thoughts on the matter, stating that Hyacinth Wijeratne’s death is a grave loss and that if you look at how the accident came to be, it is simply because of a lack of regulations. “Maybe there should be a rule that says that you will not transport people in the middle of the night during production,” she said, adding that often the reason why these things happen is in order to cut down on production costs. They will utilise one driver and one vehicle to cut down on costs, and take the maximum use of it, to the point that the driver has not had an opportunity to rest, to take a quick nap.
“They are exhausted while driving down unfamiliar terrains, so such accidents can be expected, and it is incredibly unfortunate. Precautions must be taken,” she said. She shared that because of these occupational hazards she has taken precautions herself by using her own vehicle, despite the personal expense, to ensure her own safety. But not all can do this and they shouldn’t have to have such concerns for their safety when they sign on for a project.
It would appear that artists who are in a position to take their safety into their own hands instead of relying on the production to ensure their safety, have done so, which is a troubling position to be in and a rather disconcerting precedent to set.
Actor Roshan Ranawana stated that things like acceptable accommodation, transport, and meals have become part of his contract, simply due to these shortcuts that productions take in order to cut down on cost. He shared that he has had some bad experiences, and being a vegetarian himself, it is necessary for himself to make those specific requests in order to create an acceptable work environment, and for the most part because he asks, his needs have been met. “It is important to make these demands at the negotiation stage, and if senior artists set this standard, that is when it would create an environment where newcomers can also feel comfortable enough to make these requests,” he said, adding that it is not a request of luxury, it is simply a matter of decent conditions. He added that there have been occasions where he has lost work because of such requests, but said that we must not risk ourselves for the sake of the craft.
We also reached out to filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage to get his perspective on the matter, and he stated that this is indeed a very real issue; it is important to encourage production not to cut corners in this manner: “Immediately after shooting, actors and crew are piled on to a limited number of vehicles and are transported back to Colombo to save on accommodation costs.”
While transporting people at night to save on accommodation costs is one aspect, they also demand a lot from a limited number of drivers, who are not allowed to have the required amount of rest before they hit the road again. Often they have to race back to Colombo for another pick up. “It is advisable if production can work with a fleet of vehicles, or perhaps have a relief driver in case of night shoots, so that they can take shifts,” said Vithanage. He added that many of the television channels have limited vehicles, the majority of which are not in perfect condition, so there is a grave potential for accidents to occur.
Health and safety hazards appear to be a widespread concern in film and television production, and the majority of the industry are of the opinion that change needs to happen, with many of them reiterating the sorry state of the industry as it is in the present day and the downward slow it is currently on. Hyacinth Wijeratne’s untimely passing has shed some light on a pressing concern plaguing the entertainment industry, and hopefully, change will not come too late.
