'Silent honour' sends powerful message
Ruwini Jayawardana
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FROM VICTIM TO REALIZATION: Nita Fernando with child actor
Sasindi Senanayake in a scene towards the end of the film
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CINEMA: A life of paradise turns into a living nightmare but the
protagonist survives till the end, learning from past mistakes and
summons up the courage to face reality. That itself is enough to sum up
Nisala Gira (Silent Honour), Thanuj Anawaratne's latest cinematic
creation all set to take on the wide screen of Regal cinemas islandwide.
The story relates the experience of a woman, Radha, an Asian high
society politician's wife. She lives a life of bliss, spending most of
her time with her son, Arjuna, whom she adores with all her heart. She
has a kind mother-in-law and all the luxuries of aristocratic life at
hand.
If there is a shortcoming in her life it is the fact that her
husband, Saliya, leads a hectic schedule and hardly has time to spend
with his family but Radha, being an understanding wife, accepts this and
devotes all her time to Arjuna, who has the ambition of becoming a
famous concert pianist.
Life seems perfect. Maybe too perfect. That is when fate decides to
intervene. Arjuna is brutally taken from her clutches as he meets with a
tragic accident. Radha's world, upheld on the pillars of her devotion
for her son, crumbles before her eyes. The moon which lit up her life
had descended and she is left in total darkness.
Though time passes by slowly instead of recovering, Radha plunges
deeper and deeper into darkness. She lives in a daze, constantly
listening for the sound of the piano which happen to be the favourite
pastime of her late son.
Though a part of her subconscious seems to urge her to get on with
her life (these presented in the form of Arjuna asking his mother why
she is not smiling and enjoying life) Radha's loneliness demands her to
remain stubbornly with the ghost of the past.
Bliss turns to mirage
What had been bliss turns out to be a mirage. Saliya has no time to
comfort his wife even at a period which she needs him most. Neglected
and drained of happiness, Radha's only solace is to lose herself drowned
deep in drugs. Not only does she become the victim of drugs but she is
soon used as a pawn by the underworld drug kings.
This connection ultimately leads her to prison. There she meets
characters like Poddi, Asela, Kudu Amma and Nandita, different
personalities but those who had shared similar experiences. Surrounded
by the prison walls Radha's journey towards realisation begins.
At one point Nisala Gira is an attack on the aristocratic class.
Saliya the powerful politician speaks of banning drugs and of protecting
children but ironically he could not prevent his son from being murdered
and his wife from becoming addicted to drugs.
Rather it was he himself who allows the family doctor to give Radha
anti-depression pills while turning a deaf ear to his mother's pleas to
spend more time with her. It is his neglect of her even in a moment of
deep crisis which encourages her to throw herself to the mercy of drugs.
The protest against drugs comes from the upper class but so does the
import of drugs. It is Cynthia Nelson, a close friend of Saliya and
Radha, her daughter Nicola and an alliance drug peddler, Marko Richards
Casanova all of those belonging to the aristocratic class who spearhead
this illegal trade. They pretend to be concerned about Radha's welfare
with the intention of using her status as a cover of making their deals
with the drug traders.
When Saliya discovers that his wife has gone against the underworld
drug kings, not only is it a matter of great humiliation and a threat
against his own survival in politics.
Aristocratic society
The movie is based in jail and the aristocratic society. Thus we are
given comparisons of the life of both backgrounds. While the aristocrat
enjoys entertainment provided by dancers, the jailed men had to provide
their own entertainment.
While Saliya and his mother enjoy a hearty meal in a well furnished
dining room, a pregnant Radha had to sit by a gutter and eat a tasteless
plateful of rice with a few curries, a far cry from the meals she had
been used to.
Though characters like Poddie and Asela appear to be the big shots
among the other women in jail, they too possess humane qualities and
breakdown with depression at certain instances. Though these women have
gone against the law, they too are in need of kindness and love. The
tough act is an image they created for survival in the environment.
In this atmosphere of suffering and misery a gleam of humour is
brought out through Kudu Amma, an individual who had got so used to
prison life that it had almost become a second home to her. Her
encounters with Poddie and Asela add to the comic element of the story
but it is sad to note that though these characters bring a refreshing
change to the film's monotonous scenes, they are limited to the
background and are not developed.
The viewers are provided with a glimpse of Asela's past, but her
story on how she came to be an inhabitant of prison remains a mystery.
The only clear fact given is that she is a daughter of a well-to-do
family.
Flashbacks
Radha's story flows through a sequence of flashbacks and scenes from
the present. Since most of the details are provided in the beginning of
the tale, hardly any suspense remains.
However, this film brings forth a very powerful message which is much
suited for the contemporary society; Say no to drugs. We are shown a
bleak tale of a woman who seemed to have had everything and with one
false move, one moment of experimenting with drugs was enough for her to
become an addict.
She loses everything that she holds dear to her as a result of this
social canker. This is the reality of your plight if you fall a victim
to the drug mafia, the story seems to point out.
Another fact that had caught the attention of the viewers is that
Radha's daughter, Devindi, born in prison is considered as a 'little
criminal without a crime'. This shows us the injustice of the prevailing
system.
One character which stands out powerfully through Nisala Girais
Nandita, the beautiful and young woman who had been trained as a pawn by
her drug addict father. In a scene of quarrel, Nandita accidentally
kills her opponent and without legal proceedings she is sentenced to
death. The role is skilfully played by Nimmi Harasgama.
Nisala Gira is produced together with the National Film Development
Fund, Sri Lanka, by leading actress Nita Fernando who also portrays the
moving role of Radha's character. The script is penned by Yolanda
Weerasinghe and Thanuj Anawaratne.
It introduces child actor Pansilu Senanayake and child actress
Sasindi Senanayake to the silver screen.
Though Fernando's role is not quite up to the standard of that she
portrayed in Pavuru Walalu(Walls within), her character in Nisala Gira
schools its audience on the negative effects of falling victim to drugs
and urges parents to keep a close eye on their children and to recognise
the symptoms of a drug addict. |
