Remarkable cinematic creation of symbols and images
Dr Senarath Tennakoon
Sanjaya Leelaratne's 'Selvem' can be looked upon as a film made up of
a series of symbols and images pertaining to the just finished civil war
in the north of this country. One series depicts the horrid brutalities
and inhuman destruction caused by the war.
Apart from the human destruction of lives in a manner not secondary
to that of a Fascist regime in power, the shattered social and physical
infrastructure that remained after the war has been caught exclusively
by the camera to present a poignant memory. Brutal killings and wanton
destruction are overwhelmingly sodden right from the beginning of the
film. Many of these scenes form the setting of the film and help to
advance the plot. These are sharp concrete incidents.
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A scene
from ‘Selvam’ |
The plot is woven around Selvem whose parents have been murdered by
the rebels. Selvem (Abishek Ravi Shanker) lives with his old grandfather
(Joe Abeywickrama) and later after grandfather's death, with the school
teacher mother (Malini Fonseka). He calls the school teacher "Teacher
Amma". Another series of images show the incidents at school and teacher
amma's home. The film also shows the intimate relationship of the
community with the army personnel, the religious organizations and the
school as well as the business community.
Yet another series of symbols and images reveal a love relationship
between a Tamil young man and a Sinhala girl. Despite social differences
this love matures and ends up in a wedding, and an army officer has to
give up his connection with the girl in favour of social amity. Perhaps,
the most powerful series of images is that linking Selvem's wish for
meeting Mahinda Raja (The Sri Lankan President).
Apart from the veteran characters like Joe Abeywickrama, Malini
Fonseka and Jayani Senanayake mention must be made of the central
character Abishek Ravi Shankar who plays the role of Selvem. He is a
child with potential and promise. He is perceptive to the changes and
challenges he faces and sees in the society, school and home. Although
it is interesting to have included a child Buddhist priest (Podi Nama)
into the film, the relevance is rather redundant. Nandaraja Sivum as the
head master plays a significant role in the film. He is a typical head
master interested in the discipline of the school where Selvem attends.
In the structure of the film, although a narrative style is observed,
the director has deliberately avoided details of the war and rather
objectively describes the settings and the actions of the characters,
leaving aside emotional plethora. In such a context the audience feels
that the film is not one of advertising the current political milieu.
Although the main theme appears to be the war, the film has extended the
end of war to human settlement activities, love affairs, education,
culture and politics. The establishment of social harmony through
symbols and images towards the end of the film is quite explicitly
expressed.
The free and wide open high roads where people and vehicles move
without obstruction, the smiling and cheering people in happy
conversation and the thriving business enterprises express symbolic
values of freedom. The symbolic value of the film has been heightened by
the selective use of scenes from the northern environment, changes in
the seasons. One would remember the sudden storm with furious
lightening, thunder and torrential rain that paved way for a fresh love
deal between an army young man and a pretty girl. The transitory nature
of this encounter is depicted symbolically by the colourful umbrella of
the girl that gets flown off by the currents of rainy wind. The
undertones created by the natural imagery impart the film a more
sensitive realism lying deep in the context and the plot, beneath the
superficial glamorous scenes.
The use of Sinhala and Tamil by some characters and the shifting
codes in communication, cause no difficulty in the appeal to audience
emotion and reason. The dialogues remain the most powerful and versatile
mode of communication in this film.
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