TV Times

TV Times

‘Bora Diya Pokun’ shines in the Netherlands
The film Bora Diya Pokuna- ‘Scent of the Lotus Pond’ produced by the National Film Cooperation under the project of financing amateur film directors represented in the competitive section of the 33rd International Rotterdam Film festival in the Netherlands.

The Rotterdam Film Festival deals only with the first and second directions of filmmakers. Bora Diya Pokuna had been nominated to qualify for the Best three amateur films of the year.

The film deals with love in an urban setting where the youth working in the garment industry meet with those in the forces. The film evaluates the socio-political aspects, the sexuality in marriage and love that affects humanity in the context of the Buddhist philosophy.

Bora Diya Pokuna is the maiden direction of young film maker Satyajith Maitipe who won the Sumathi award for Best Telefilm in 2000 and special Jury award at Sri Lankan Critic Award-2000 for his direction ‘Smarana Samapthi’.

Satyajith who also wrote the screenplay for the film states that he was influenced by the many characters in the Jathaka stories that he got to know as a child. ‘Vakkali Puththa’ who was enamoured by the Buddha and wanted to commit suicide, Ambapali the renounced courtesan in Waishshali in old India (Dambadiva) and many others who meeting the Buddha and listening to his discourse was converted from the complex sexuality that kept them in bondage.

Yet he says the story in Buddhist literature that greatly influenced him was dealt with a she-demon who fell in love with a humanbeing and Gothami in ‘Bora Diya Pokuna’ closely resembles this demon who when discovered dies of a broken heart and he says the socio-political theme too is based on Buddhist philosophy.

Kaushalya Fernando, award winning stage and TV actress and talented Dilani Abeywardena play the main female lead while Daminda de Silva, well-known rugby and basketball player who represents Sri Lanka is the male lead. This is Daminda’s first attempt at acting and Gayan Lakhman who joins him is another first.

The cast boasts of many veteran actors and actresses including Irangani Serasinghe, Dharmasiri Bandaranayake, Veena Jayakody, Priyanka Samaraweera, Chandani Seneviratne, Chandra Kaluarachchi, Leoni Kothalawela, Rohitha Karunaratne and child actress Pramudi Karunaratne.

The filming is done by Palitha Perera who won the Sumathi awards for camera on two occasions and this is his first attempt on the silver screen. Ravindra Guruge is the editor and the music director is Pradeep Ratnayake. Art director is Suneth Nandalal and G. Shivagurunadan, Ashoka Ariyaratne and Thilina Weerasinghe assisted in production.

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