Veteran film director Somarathne Dissanayake, who was at one point a staunch supporter of the government, threatened to topple the present regime if it did not remove the Chairman of the National Film Corporation. 

"I have more than 5 million fans. I will put forward this mater before them. Supporting the government does not necessarily mean that maintaining stoic silence over its wrongful deeds. If the government acts in this manner, the people will certainly be disappointed with the government. Our fans will also join the disgruntled masses to topple this government. We cannot do anything about it. The people will kick out not only the Chairman of the film corporation, but also the government," Dissanayake had said in an interview with a vernacular newspaper. 

He also charged that the present government has not implemented their proposals which were aimed at uplifting the standards of the film industry. 

"I have urged the President to remove the present Chairman of the National Film Corporation. Two people who are closer to the President than me, namely Malini Fonseka and Ravindra Randeniya, have made the same request. But no action has been taken against the Chairman. This is detrimental to the entire industry," Dissanayake had said. 

He also pledged to refrain from making films as long as the present Chairman of the National Film Corporation remains in office. "He imposes unnecessary barriers on the industry.. He discourages film makers from making huge investments. His arbitrary decisions hinders the progress of the film industry of Sri Lanka," the film maker said. 

Ashoka Serasinghe, who is also known to be a staunch supporter of the UPFA government, presently serves as the Chairman of the National Film Corporation.