Kalana Gunasekara

Background

Kalu Arachchige Kalana Jayanath Gunasekara known as Kalana Gunasekara is a Sri Lankan actor in stage drama, teledrama and cinema, a director and a scriptwriter. He Studied at the Piliyandala Primary School and the Piliyandala Central College. He is married to Gayathri Heenatigala also affiliated to the media industry. Kalana Gunasekara acted in many films and teledramas that gained popularity including Koombiyo (කූඹියෝ), Podu (පොදු), Thriloka (ත්‍රිලෝකා), Night Rider, Gini Avi Saha Gini Keli (ගිනි අවි සහ ගිනිකෙළි), Viyasiduru (වියසිදුරු), Motor bicycle, Wedi Nowadina Lamai (වෙඩි නොවදින ළමයි), Ikka (ඉක්කා), and Soosthi (සූස්ති).

He received the Best Actor Award twice at the National Youth Awards, Best Supporting Actor twice at the Signis Awards and once at the Raigam Tele awards and the Sumathi Awards, Best Promising Actor at the Sumathi Awards and the Best Director award at the State Drama Festival. In April 2022, he supported the Aragalaya (a series of mass public protests against the government of Sri Lanka) with his performing art. In the lead up to the Sri Lankan Presidency Election 2024, he declared his support to the ‘Jathika Jana Balavegaya’ / National People's Power (NPP) led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake. NPP is a coalition formed by several political parties and movements including its main party, the JVP, the main left-wing political party in Sri Lanka.

Image 1: Kalana Gunasekara. Source: Facebook

Tobacco Related Activity

Promoting tobacco smoking in his acting

Gunasekara played a supporting role in the ‘Podu Season 2’ tele series. The promotional trailer of ‘Podu season 2’, published at the end of ‘Podu season 1’, contained a smoking scene of Kalana Gunasekera, though it was not shown in the actual series. Casting of the Podu tele series was by Gayathri Heenatigala, Gunasekara’s wife, an employee of TV Derana. Additionally, the following teledramas, films, short films, and web series contained scenes in which Kalana Gunasekara portrayed tobacco smoking. Gallery:

• Gallery
• 

  Image 2: Excerpt from ‘Podu’ tele drama

• 

  Image 3: Excerpt from ‘Akshi’ tele drama

• 

  Image 4: Excerpt from the trailer of ‘Ikka’ movie

• 

  Image 5: Excerpt from the movie ‘Viyasiduru’

• 

  Image 6: Excerpt from the trailer of the movie ‘Night Rider’

• 

  Image 7: Excerpt from the trailer of ‘Marine Drive’ movie

• 

  Image 8: Excerpt from the trailer of ‘Eka Langa Kotu’ movie

• 

  Image 9: Excerpt from the short film ‘Fly in the Jar’

• 

  Image 10: Excerpt from the short film ‘Api Dan Koheda Yanne?’

Implications

Multiple research studies have shown that exposure to portrayal of tobacco products or their use in television and in movies is associated with initiation of smoking among viewers, especially among adolescents and youth, and sustenance of smoking among current smokers.A large body of evidence suggests that tobacco industry is known to have commissioned celebrities to promote tobacco and related products in media and through entertainment activities.

National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act No 27 of 2006 is the main legal framework for tobacco and alcohol control in Sri Lanka. Section 35 of the NATA Act prohibits tobacco and alcohol advertisements and promotion in media including ‘the internet’. NATA Act defines tobacco advertisements as, “any writing, still or moving picture, sign, symbol or distinctive colours or other visual image or any audible message or any combination of the aforesaid that promotes or is intended to promote – smoking, the purchase or use of a tobacco product, a trade mark registered in respect of a tobacco product or articles that include tobacco products, a brand name associated with a tobacco product, the name of the manufacturer of a tobacco product.” Thus, portrayal of tobacco products and their use has a negative effect on tobacco control measures in the country and violates the NATA Act.

TobaccoUnmasked Resources

• National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA) Act

The local language translations