The East is Calling
By Susitha R. Fernando
'Neganahira Weralen Asena' or 'The East is Calling'
is undoubtedly a call for those teledrama viewers who had given
up the culture of watching miniplays due to their hackneyed and
melodramatic themes or Indian imported long dragging low quality
soaps.
This 13-episode teledrama marks the return of
controversy ridden film and miniplay director Ashoka Handagama after
several years. Woven around a group of tsunami survivors the miniplay
is a clear and classic reflection of the problem that our whole
society is engulfed in. 'The East is Calling' is nothing but a true
reflection of us and the very problem that we have created by dividing
ourselves.
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'Neganahira Weralen' gets it realistic authenticity
due to the ground work and preparation which are both innovative
and absorbing. The script was a result of collection of true life
experiences of a group of tsunami survivors. Ending an extensive
workshop in Colombo they hit upon their idea how the story should
be presented to the local audience. The script was a challenge successfully
faced by the participants and the facilities. The challenge was
to present an experience that brought bereavement and tragedy in
its wake. Thus 'Neganahira Weralen Asena' portrays a powerful and
high standard of aesthetic value and a thematically strong universal
message.
The miniplay opens with a group of young ones
from Colombo on a picnic to a beach in Amapara in the Eastern Province.
The deadly waves rush in at an unexpected moment leaving only two
survivors, a young doctor and DV cam maniac who had come to the
town to buy food and drinks on the Poya day. The scene where the
decision is made as to who should go to the market and who should
be in the beach was we later realized a decision between life and
death and is a classic portrayal of uncertainty or the insecurity
that we are all faced with. One might call it fate or Karma yet
this could have been a story of a survivor and a victim of the deadly
waves on that boxing day, 2004 artistically caught by the director.
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Director Ashoka Handagama
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Displaced from their homes and loved ones, the
three ethnic groups Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslims finally come together
in a temple, sharing each others tears, grief and losses. But this
does not last for long. Uncertainties lead to suspicion which in
turn erupts in violence. In such a backdrop can anything positive
or constructive be developed, questions the director who hints at
the very question that all of us are asking. What then is the outcome
of the disaster? The drama thus portrays human nature at its best
and its worst.
'Neganahira Weralen Asena' directed by Ashoka Handagama
is played by W. Jayasiri, Jagath Chamila, M. Kalaichelvan, P. Shanthi,
Lal Kularatne, N. Raheem Shahid, Raja Ganeshan, Malcolm Machado.
Mohamed Rauf, Gayani Gishanthika, Sanjaya Senanayake, Rebecca Nirmalee,
Rukmal Nirosh, Prageeth Ratnayake and Thesara Jayawardena.
Produced by Young Asia Television Production,
'Neganahira Weralen Asena', starting from November 17 is telecast
on every Friday at 9 pm on Derana television.
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