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Kala Korner - by Dee Cee

Another masterpiece takes wing
We went to see 'Samanala Thatu' with our grand daughter, who is 11. She enjoyed the film very much. So did we. It was nice to see heaps of children with their parents watching the film attentively. How nice when one can sit through a film with the family without worrying too much as to what the next scene would be!

Somaratne Dissanayake and wife Renuka (she is the producer) have hit on the right formula for films which cater to children and adults alike. It was not so long ago that everyone found 'Sooriya Arana' an extremely entertaining family film. It won due recognition at the Presidential Awards 2004 when it carried away nine awards. As for me, I was disappointed that Somaratne did not get the best director's award. And now the director continues in the same vein. A totally different theme, 'Samanala Thatu' is also a social commentary raising several issues affecting people's lives.

We boast of a 90 odd per cent literacy rate. We insist on children going to school. We shout against child labour. 'Samanala Thatu' questions how feasible, and practical these are. The story is about a family – a father, mother, son and a physically handicapped daughter. As street performers they struggle to live. The Child Protection Authority 'arrests' the boy and he is questioned. He is asked what his 'vaasagama'is. He is confused. He is asked what his 'lipinaya' is. He doesn't understand.

Where do you get your letters, he is questioned. We don't get letters, he answers. Where do you live? Under the 'nuga gaha', is the answer. That's the reality which we should understand. The boy doesn't want to be in a Children's Home - he bolts. When he is again caught working at a site, they insist he should not work. It's child labour they say. He should be in a school. But what is the reality? The family has to survive. The father is sick. The boy understands his responsibility. How will going to school help, asks the mother, quite rightly.

Then there is the issue of earning quick money by the suggestion that the boy's young mother should sell her body. She resists the efforts of the 'madam' (played convincingly by Chandra Kaluarachchi) to lure her that way. She prefers the hard life under the 'nuga' tree and being loyal to the husband and the family. She is satisfied with the little bread she shares with the family with a saucer of 'parippu' to which she adds water to cater to the four of them. The boy, Dasun Madhushanka turns out yet another award winning performance. The mischievous little one in 'Sooriya Arana' does one better in 'Samanala Thatu'. His is the pivotal role. And he plays it so well.

He is put through a grueling task - speeding through traffic on his mountain bike, fleeing from a 'sudda' in a hotel, performing as an acrobat in the father's street show, escaping from the children's home, carrying concrete at the work site, drawing water to help the hotel cook and so on. He has matured fast and is on his way to become a talented actor.

Suminda Sirisena has been one of my favourite actors, particularly on the small screen. He is a disciplined actor who excels in whatever role he plays. Duleeka Marapana, an award winner on stage, acts superbly. So does Jayalath Manoratne who is a treat to watch, even though his is not a major role.

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