Film Review:

Samanala Thatu - a Subtle Social Slash

RECENTLY I read somewhere that Somarathne Dissanayake likes to work with children and look at life as a child. This statement is touching and meaningful. Children think differently, and act innocently. Their world is a fantasy. What they do is honest and does it sincerely and with feeling.

When children become adults it is a different world. It is sometimes cruel, inhuman, corrupt, inconsiderate, unjust, holistically selfish, abusive of children, and totally a heaven for exploitation. This is what I sensed in Somaratne's Samanala Thatu.

It is a film of relevance, a film artistically nimble-witted and minded, a film driven for a message, and in totality a film that exposes a universal social dilemma of inhumanity and injustice.

I see the extent of Somaratne's depth and maturity of thought in cinematic narrative through this film. It is much more dexterous than his previous films and a film that should not be missed for its dynamic quality, message and life it depicts.

Final bell rings. Hustle-bustle of the audience stops. Darkness reigns. Samanala Thatu opens its wings on the screen with a bang of a dingdong of a rattle drum raised by a hand of a limping jester whom we come to view in succession as if he is announcing the world the plight of the like beggars of him, the poor, and the have-nots of the world.

It's very symbolic and meaningful I thought as the film progressed. It is this message of the ignominy, the injustices, and the exploitation that surrounds their life as a whole we witness in the film.

The film maker uses Sotthi Martin (Suminda Sirisena) and his family, wife Butti (Duulika Marapana), the unripe two children, the eldest, a boy (Dunindu Madhusanka) and the other a limbless girl (Dinundu Ariyatillake) lied and seated in a pull-able hand cart, a family symbolizing sufferance.

They are a gypsy family going from place to place for their survival having the permanent abode under a banyan tree in a park - One day they are in front of the main gate of the General Hospital and another day at railway station - the wife playing a "dolak" drum, her husband dancing, the son a kid, imitating and following his father's circularly formed dance, and the girl singing. Their life goes on begging, but providing a service of the temporary entertainment.

In this scenario, Somarathne deals two cores, a social and a personal. By the social, he deals with the state of the society and by the personal he compacts with the innocent - the children.

By the social core Somarathne slashes the society step by step in a very subtle manner which I opine highly relevant in today's degenerated, degraded, decadent society.

Apparently nothing is done by the society and poses the question as to who is responsible for this societal dilemma. Is it the society or is it the custodians of that society to be blamed. He hints at no body, blames no one, but us, the society itself as a whole.

Somarathne does not provide answers to this, nor does he show that he intends to do so or suggest what could be done to remedy it.

Let the people think seriously of their obligation towards their unfortunate fellow human beings. In my opinion this may be the first time an artist pleads with his larger audience to be humanely benevolent to the lesser fortunate through the process of his art form.

That is why Somarathne becomes a serious artist, a serious film maker of a different genre. He is certainly as I feel a "cinema-verite."

Samanala Thatu runs on two levels - the social core and the personal core. Social by the exposition of the unparalleled stratums of society divided into, the poor and the rich.

Personal by the depiction of the adults' enduring struggle in the societal framework, and within that the longings of the children and their actions. Both move the audience.

The film ends with the son taking over the father's role as the bread winner of the family, indicating that such succession is the only inheritance that such are endowed with, and finally it very clearly and indicatively symbolizes by the limbless girl in the film, that social structure is so tuned to be inhuman in today's society, what remains for the future is only a limbless young generation to suffer without care or compassion.

- Namel Weeramuni.

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Lakshman to focus on the forgotten lot

CHILDREN were a forgotten lot, specially from our main art and culture arena for a considerable period of time. There are isolated attempts by several individuals to address the issue within their capacities, but were unable to match the demand.

This phenomena was common to literature, drama, music, art, cinema and also teledramas. However, with the new trend set by many television channels, it seems more attention is being paid to addressing this issue to a greater extent. Among such efforts was Lakshman Wijesekera's teledrama series, 'Dangayanta Pamanai.'

Lakshman, a veteran musician, an actor and a singer has selected teledrama as his favourite medium to focus on children.

"This has been my longstanding dream to make a creation for children. I think I have managed to capture their playful childhood, the unspoilt feelings and usual struggle between the rich and the poor," says Lakshman.

The story which depicts the feelings and the lifestyles of two friends of a poor and a rich family reminds the famous children's story 'Ambayahaluwo' but takes a totally different story line.

"Our children need the attention of adults in many streams including films and teledramas. At least we the adults should dedicate some of our time to think about them and do something for their entertainment," he says.

"It is up to the viewers to judge about my production, but I can be happy that I have done something for the children of this country," he says.

Rohana Weerasinghe's music has done justice to the production, but still could have been better, considering the extra ordinary capabilities of the renowned maestro. The efforts of veteran artistes, likes of Lakshman, to think of children and their interest is highly commendable.

"I think I may not go out of the world of children. There will be more to be seen," said Lakshman leaving some future hopes that he would move into a mega exercise addressing the interests of the children.

- Ranga Kalansooriya.