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‘Wanabime Sirakaruwo’: A tale of a brave Boer

Kapila Kumara Kalinga has just completed his first teledrama ‘Wanabime Sirakaruwo’ (The Prisoners of the Wild).

Location shooting in Yala Game Sanctuary, Matugama, Balapitiya and Ambalangoda found its way to the Bogambara Prison in Kandy. In this final episode Roger Seneviratne, Lionel Wickrema and Chandrasoma Binduhewa complete their roles effectively.

Scripted by Kapila himself ‘Wanabime Sirakaruwo’ narrates the life story of Engel Brecht, the first Warden of the Yala Wild Life Sanctuary in 1908. A Boer from South Africa he is brought to Ceylon as a prisoner, of the British. His fellow prisoners are sent back once they affirm the oath of allegiance to the British. Yet Brecht thinking it is unpatriotic, opts to remain in Ceylon as prisoner.

Brecht becomes a close associate of Leonard Woolf the Assistant Government Agent of Hambantota. He marries a Sinhala woman.

A scene from ‘Wanabime Sirakaruwo’ (The Prisoners of the Wild)

Brecht' life shows humane qualities that are laudable. Once again he becomes a prisoner while he was the Warden of Yala.

Roger Seneviratne plays the lead as Engel Brechts while Surangi Ruwanmalee plays his wife. Jayalath Manoratne, Nilanthi Wijesinghe, Rebecca Nirmalee, Nilmini Buwaneka, Suraman Perera, Chandrasoma Binduhewa, Lionel Wickrema, Gamini Ambalangoda, G. H. Perera, Vinnie Weththasinghe, Somasiri Kolambage and number of amateur actors comprised the cast.

Chandana Jayasinghe directed the camera, Wasantha Vittachchi make up, Wanagatha Sirakaruwo was produced by Sunil Wickrema for Nesuki Media.

The 24 episodes teledrama is scheduled to be telecast on Swarnavahini soon.

Kapila : Director for different themes

"'Wanabime Sirakaruwo' is an effort to do something different to the hackneyed theme of middle class family problems dished out in our teledramas" said Kapila Kumara Kalinga, who is doing his maiden direction.

"The life of Engle Brecht is very interesting. Several years ago I came to know about his life story and started to study about him.

It was said that some of his relatives were still living in the Hambantota area. Writings of Leonard Woolf and Desmond White have referaence to him but his full life story was written by Wijesinghe Bellangala. The miniplay was greatly influenced by his book".

Kapila, who is also a well-known lyricist entered the teledrama scene writing a script for Dayaratne Ratagedara's award winning miniplay 'De Kethi Muwahatha'.

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