Facing challenges
[To face challenges]
* Discipline needed from early stage of
childhood
* Parents, teachers play vital role
* Films contribute towards inculcation of
minds
The word challenge has an intense meaning. In a broad generalization
a challenge can be imbued with a sense of difficulty and victory. It can
embrace threat, competition, discipline in favourable as well as in
worse situations.
A scene from the film Challenges. File photo |
In a war two groups challenge each other. In sports one team
challenges the opponents to win over. The general pattern in anything in
life continues with challenges on a routine basis.
To face up to challenges one needs to be disciplined primarily from a
very early stage of childhood. To this effect, parents and teachers play
a vital role in moulding the young to become responsible citizens.
Story line
Our daily lives are influenced by many factors. Apart from parents
and teachers, as main attributes to this effect, tele drama and motion
films play an equally important role towards inculcation of minds. In
case of the latter, the responsibility lays on the director of a film to
guide the audience like a captain maneuvering a ship safely thorough
rough ocean. In most cases producers of films are money orientated and
the director’s role in a production should make the operation
worthwhile.
A few days ago, I was privileged to be at the premiere show of a
Sunflower Production, ‘Challenges’, at the Savoy theatre. Inspired by a
‘full house’ of filmgoers (which is a rare scene these days at cinema
halls) impatiently I awaited the film to roll. Based on a story line,
dialogues and direction undertaken by versatile film producer and
director Udayakanatha Warnasuriya, the plot is based on a group of
youths’ endeavour to encounter challenges in life.
Concentrating on a father-son bond, Renuka’s father Asale Randunne, a
professor, gives advice to his handsome young son how to endure life’s
challenges and grow up to be a respectable, law-abiding civilian.
Youthful feelings of love begin to churn Renuka’s mind after seeing
pretty Sharanya. However, father becomes averse to object in this
instance when he himself takes a look at his own pubescent days. But the
only obstacle Renuka finds is Sharanya’s cousin Kishan’s admiration and
doing everything to win her heart. During this ‘love challenge’ there is
quite a bit of entertainment for the audience. Renuka finally comes out
of Kishan’s challenges but realises that there is much more to win over
life’s challenges than outshining Kishan.
Undisciplined character
Udayakanatha Warnasuriya |
In a director’s effort and responsibility to keep the audience
captivated throughout the entire film, Udayakantha has been quite
successful in garnishing it with some humour successfully. Once the
father is shown taking the young son on a motor ride when suddenly he
captures a person in a lorry spitting chewed beatle leaves (Bulath vita)
on to the road at a traffic light signal. Outraged with such
misdemeanour father jumps out of the car, despite son’s pleading not to
do so, approaches the offender to try and put some sense into the man’s
misconduct when the undisciplined character spits out again onto the
road, as a means of protest, gets off his vehicle and beats the father
viciously in public.
It is a typical scene, blended with humour, where several messages
are sent out to the audience focusing on the unruly nature of behaviour
prevalent in modern Sri Lankan society - ignorance or selfish attitudes
at its height! Udayakantha Warnasuriya is a versatile a celebrity where
he has shown his mettle from his very first attempt in compiling a plot,
writing dialogs and producing and directing Menik Ketayama, a teledrama
which became popular.
Ever since, his popularity has been sweeping across the film industry
like wind sweeping transversely over a grass patch on a whole range of
features with his stories, writing of scripts, direction and production.
In Challenges too, he has undertaken the responsibility of writing the
story, dialogues and direction. His success is due to the ability of
being able to live in characters he chooses to writ, on a variety of
personalities ranging from young to old, crooks to gentlemen, lovers to
entrepreneurs, underworld to hip-hop and in this particular film, both
father and son.
Family film
When I spoke with Udayakantha, after seeing the film, I learnt that
the main idea in Challenges has materialised through his own personal
experience in life with his paternal father, plus the bond he shares
with his young son, a kind of hereditary manifestation.
Getting dialogues to appease the audience in a film is a major
factor. In Challenges, Udayakantha’s ability to acquire young men’s
jargon can be seen as the most contributing factor. During his
escalating career as a film producer and director he has, in almost
every film, picked new faces to the cinema, groomed them and paved the
way to become ‘shiny’ stars in the silver screen. In Challenges too, he
introduces Sheshandri, a young girl to the cinema along with a host of
newcomers to team up with well known names such as Lucky Dias, Vasanthi
Chaturani, Sangeetha Weeraratne, Roshan Ranawaka and Pubudu Chaturanga.
Challenges has been filmed mostly around Colombo suburbs and in
Kukulegama holiday resort, Nuwara Eliya, Matale, Trincomalee and in the
East. In cinemascope screen with DTS sound system Uresha Ravihari, Nalin
Perera, Surendra Perera Bavi Prasan and Abisheka Wimalaweera’s playback
singing makes Challenges an entertaining family film where parents and
children can sit together and watch.
The moral behind Challenges is to disseminate a sound message to the
society, without making it to be a shaggy dog story while enhancing it
simultaneously with humour and entertainment. There is not a dull moment
during the show and it is certain to capture the audience in a
significant manner.
Udayakantha Warnasuriya appears to be a follower of world famous film
director Alfred Hitchcock. Those who are familiar with Udayakantha’s
face can spot him in a short appearance in the film (a new approach!)
emulating Alfred Hitchcock.
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