Nalan’s ‘Nenala’ shows issues of middle class SILs
View(s):‘Nenala’ or ‘Sisters-in-law’(SIL), an entertaining teledrama directed by seasoned tele-director Nalan Mendis to the script of Sunanda Silva is now being telecast at 8.30 pm from Monday to Thursday on National Rupavahini.
Produced by Buddhika Lokuliyana and Hiruni Ranasinghe, the teledrama stars Lionel Wickrema, Ramya Wanigasekara, Janaka Kumbukge, Yashoda Wimaladharma, Wasantha Kumarasiri, Geetha Kanthia Jayakody, Roshan Pilapitiya, Ruwangi Rathnayake, Wasanthi Ranwala, Nilwala Vishwamali, Asanga Perera, Nirdha Uyanhewa, Dilusha Wijesinghe, Pujani Bhagya, Damayanthia Fonseka, Gamini Aponsu, Sanjaya Wedarachchi, Isham Samusdeen, Anton Coorey, Kumara Wanduressa, Jagath Epaladeniya and Prithi Wijesinghe.
Nalan Mendis is well-known for his teleplays made around issues on family relationships. His ‘Doo Daruwo’ telecast in 1990s was one of the top rated teledramas watched by many TV viewers. Some of his other directions include ‘Nedayo’, ‘Sathpurawesiyo’, ‘Senehewanthayo’, ‘Doowaru’, ‘Anganawo’ and ‘Muhunupotha’.
‘Nenala’ revolves around a group of middleclass sisters-in-law and their battle to maintain certain social standards while competing with each other. With the joining of sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law to the family, brothers and sisters face new issues.
Coming from Southern Sri Lanka Ishanis Silva had been a leading businessman. With no proper sound education, he had started his life as a lorry driver and he gets married to Elizabeth whose mother had run a wayside eatery. Ishanis who often visit the eatery gets friendly with Elizabeth and they get married. Ishanis has worked hard to achieve whatever he had possessed and with the wealth he together with his family members reach an upper level in the social strata.
Ramyalatha, the eldest daughter of Ishanis is married to Weerasena who worked as Ishanis clerk handling his accounts. Jayatissa, Ishanis’ son believes that Jayatissa ruined his father’s business in order to get married to his sister. Over this issue, there is a longstanding enmity between the two brothers-in-law and their families. Even though he didn’t attend university Jayatissa is smart like his father and he is capable of handling father’s business. He has got married to Sarojini, a girl from a wealthy family.
Mahanama is the third child of Ishanis and he has got married to a daughter of a mason who had come to repair the house. His wife Charitha competes with her sister-in-law Sarojini and most of the money sent by Mahanama who works in Italy, is spent to showoff and compete with her sister-in-law.
‘Nenala’ continues with these interesting and hilarious incidents and characters whom we often come acrossin our society.
