World premiere for ‘Gaadi’ in Busan
‘Gaadi’ (Children of the Sun), the latest feature film by the internationally acclaimed filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage, will have its world premiere at Asia’s renowned Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in South Korea, on 8th October 2019. Over 300 films, representing 85 countries will be screened at BIFF during this festival.
Talented Dinara Punchihewa as the heroine of ‘Gaadi’
The film has a stellar cast comprising Ravindra Randeniya, Shyam Fernando, Irangani Serasinghe, Kalana Gunasekara, Damayanthi Fonseka, Mohamed Adamaly, Ananda Kumara Unnahe, Nethali Nanayakkara, Mervyn Croon, Thusitha Laknath, Rangabuddha and Dishni Rajapaksa.
GAADI is a period drama based on a series of events unfolded in the early 19th century, during the last days of the Kandyan Kingdom. Slated to be Prasanna’s first work of history and titled as a “historical road film”, ‘Gaadi’ is set in 1814 Kandy during the dark days of a rebellion by Sinhala nobles against the Tamil king. The film describes on a law that required women whose husbands were missing to walk to a river and make one of the two choices on offer. One, they could jump into the water in a sacrificial ritual. Two, they could marry one of the scavengers waiting across the river.’
‘Gaadi’ revolves around a young girl, who decides to wed a low caste young man instead of giving up her life and the film is to narrate her journey to save her life and dignity.
“Stripped from nobility and forcibly married to an outcast by the monarchy, a noble woman fights to keep her dignity by rejecting to succumb to her destiny,” wrote Prasanna summarising his script based on folklore and historical events during this time.
Bridging the huge Bollywood cinema and Sri Lankan cinema ‘ Gaadi’ is co-produced by Mumbai based Jar Pictures, an Indian motion picture production company which is known for its independent filmmaking. The company earlier produced ‘Liar’s Dice’, India’s official Entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the 87th Academy Awards.
‘Film Island’, H.D. Premasiri and Prasanna Vithanage Productions are the local producers of ‘Gaadi’.
Director Prasanna Vithanage at the set
Behind this project also are the Indian film industry stalwarts such as Rajeev Ravi who will join the team as the cinematographer, A. Sreekar Prasad as the editor and Tapas Nayak as the sound designer, enhancing the core team, the statement noted.
The film will debut the talented Dinara Punchihewa as the heroine starring besides the equally talented Sajitha Anuththara.
GAADI has also received numerous invitations to be screened at a series of reputed international Film Festivals worldwide, after its world premiere at the 24th Busan International Film Festival. Sri Lankan audiences will soon have an opportunity to experience this exotic period drama when it opens in local theaters nationwide in early next year.
