Clean comedy: Sikura Hathey
Pillai, a Tamil youth loses his parents, his livelihood as well as his house in the 30-year long ethnic conflict. But his story takes a different turn when he eventually falls in love with a rich girl raised in a hostel. From this point on, there is a touch of humour to Sajeewa Malmalaarachchige’s drama, Sikura Hathey, which will be staged at the Namel Malini Punchi Theatre, Borella, on October 11, at 3.30 p.m. and 6.30 pm.
According to its director Sajeewa, in contemporary comedy, at times, there are words with double meaning or crude remarks unsuitable for children. “This might gradually lead to audiences rejecting comedy in the future. Although Sikura Hathey falls in the genre of a comedy, there will not be any such references in my play,” he stresses.
First staged in 2012 at the YMBA, the play was staged 62 times around the country including in outstation areas such as Badulla, Bandarawela, Galle, Kandy and Moneragala With the promise to give the audience a different kind of a theatre experience, Sajeewa says, Sikura Hathey, the seventh drama he has directed, will have innovative stage props to ‘wow’ the viewers.
An artiste who has made a contribution to the field for 30 years in his capacity as a teledrama/ film actor, script writer, director and producer, Sajeewa says it was his school, St. Mary’s College Dehiwela, that opened up the opportunity for him to enter into the industry first. “I acted in many of the school dramas and productions. In 1984, I entered the mainstream drama through Deshapaluwa and Uthurey Rahula Himi. Since then I have acted in about 65 stage dramas, 50 teledramas and 27 films playing both main and supportive roles,” he recalls.
He played the female role of ‘Rupika’ in a film directed by Herbert Ranjith Peiris which earned him much popularity. His drama Maya Doratuwa which he directed received seven awards at the National Youth Awards in 1996 while Rathu Ruwal, an Albanian play he directed and acted in earned him the Jury’s Award for the role of Wehib at the State Drama Festival in 2000.
Having taken a break for 12 years due to the issues he faced as an artiste producing and sustaining his work, with a revival in the demand for the comedies in 2012, he once again decided to follow his passion –Sikura Hathey being the outcome of that.
The cast of Sikura Hathey includes Sajeewa himself with Sanoja Bibile, Anusha Dissanayake, Ajith Lokuge, Damayantha Perera, Dimuthu Chinthaka, Jagath Muthukumarana, Prasanna Fonseka, Damayantha Perera, Channa Kularatne, Kumari Senaratne, Anju Narmada, Premjayantha Kapuge and Chinthaka Pathirana.
Tickets for the show can be obtained at the Punchi Theatre. For more information, please call 07234443076.