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| Wednesday, 21 January 2004 |
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Sangeetha excels in dual roles by Prasad Abu Bakr 'Dhawala Kanya' an adaptation of Wilkie Collins' 'The woman in white' begins its series on Swarnawahini bringing to the fore an interplay of dual roles one could marvel about, played with contrasting clarity in a sensitive performance by actress Sangeetha Weeraratne. In his adaptation of this English novel into a teledrama for the viewing pleasure of local audiences Prof. Nimal Senanayake has made a successful attempt at retaining a large part of our colonial past which plays an integral scenario of the total plot which is also the reason for heightened romanticism in certain segments of narration. In the opening scenes Roger Seneviratne who plays Walter, a young artist is shown walking home in the suburbs of Colombo on the day before he embarks on a mission to Kandy to tutor two sisters of a aristocratic family. On this dark and dusky evening Walter meets a mysterious woman dressed in white who is mentally deranged named Anne, who has lost her way (one of the duals played by Sangeetha). He leads her on her way only to find out that she has just escaped from a mental asylum located in the vicinity.
The next day he arrives at the mansion in Kandy which is inhabited by the two sisters Marian played by Jayani Senanayake and Laura (the other of the dual played by Sangeetha) and their sick uncle Frederick played by Gnananga Gunawardena. The strange resemblance of Laura to the 'woman in white' whom he met the previous evening on a suburban street in Colombo on his way back home stuns Walter at the time of being introduced to Laura on his arrival at the mansion. In this saga which leads to intrigue and treachery a few heart warming romantic moments unfolds as Walter falls in love with Laura in the course of playing her mentor teaching her to paint. Marian who discovers the deep romance brewing between her sister and the visiting art master advises Walter to leave their home to avoid further complications, explaining that her sister is destined to marry Percy, played by Sriyantha Mendis. On marrying Percy, Laura accompanies her mature husband to reside in his palatial surroundings in Kalutara where a string of events transpire involving murder and mystery, hatched by Bosco played by actor W. Jayasiri, a close friend of Percy. Marian who incidentally comes to live with her sister and brother-in-law finds herself caught in the middle of a dangerous collision that is about to take place. Surprise It is only fair that a reasonable amount of surprise is afforded to the viewers in the process of introducing an exciting teledrama of this nature but it must be made clear that 'Dhawala Kanya' stands apart from many other productions that come home in multi-folds throughout the week. Directed by Anuruddha Jayasinghe, the drama that begins with classical overtures to it takes a rather entertaining turn which is almost comical in its second half. This may add largely to its home entertainment quality which might boost its popularity among its viewers. Prof. Senanayake's fascination with what he has read as an English novel is reflected in certain parts of his adaptation which he has passionately preserved. The parting of Walter from his beloved Laura is one such scene that is capable of touching any viewer's heartstrings. The dialogue "We abide by the rules to obey, with no questions asked, worse than slaves and servants who have the freedom to love as they wish" conveys Laura's plight under the aristocratic surroundings that she was brought-up. Sangeetha Weeraratne who comes out with astounding performances, once as the benevolent and timid Laura, with lowered eyes, a frail voice and that faraway look and next as the shrill voiced rather bubbly mentally imbalanced Helen (oh! what a performance). Style The other key players Roger Seneviratne (an actor with a certain sense of style in his many roles in the recent past), the versatile Sriyantha Mendis, Jayani Senanayake and W. Jayasiri, the hell-raiser both on stage and screen, and the rest of the cast have all contributed a large slice of their talent towards the overall success of 'Dhawala Kanya'. Some fine camera work by Ruwan Costa, music by Nawaratna Gamage and an elegant wardrobe suitably capturing the period of time by Mani Mendis make this rather differently narrated teledrama by a young director even more of an exciting experience. **** Back **** |
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