Arts

An opinion:

Saradiel of Uthuwankanda

by Ranga Chandrarathne

It is unfathomable, the director's attempt at idolising Saradiel as a historical figure. What exactly were the noble characteristics of Saradiel to be emulated in posterity, particularly by the children?

What I gathered through the interviews with actors and the crew including Roshan Ravindra was that the project was intended at elevating Saradiel to the status of a national hero, a cynical endeavour.

It is also doubtful whether the director could draw parallels with the historical contexts in which Saradiel launched a one man's struggle against the British Raj. The Director would have been successful if he could make the theme relevant to any contemporary conflicts that are internal in nature and applicable to the present.

This offering therefore is a futile exercise appealing only to the tribalistic sentiments of the masses and is against the very basic principles and norms of art. Undoubtedly, the history or rather written history or historical evidence is there for us to discover the past blunders, and to rectify them without allowing them to recur in the future.

We, as a nation, after achieving independence, have no major achievements. The insurgency, the counter-insurgency strategies, state terrorism in the 1980s and early 1990s and the war, made this resplendent island of ours a cultural desert. It is ineffective to dwell on the past glories therefore without educating society or finding solutions.

A work of art of the present day, whether it is based on a historical figure or incident that occurred in history, should enlighten us on some aspects of societal tribulations and be relevant to us in the wider context.

As Saradiel had earlier been the subject matter of a film, this might not be an original creation based on the historical figure. In contrast, Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code" is based on historical evidence but shed light on hitherto unseen aspect of a work of art. At this juncture I'm reminded of Sudu Sevanali which is a solemn effort by the Senior Professor Sunil Ariyaratne which is designed to draw parallels between the exploitation through colonialism and neo-colonialism.

The teledrama "Nagenahira Weralen Asena" by Asoka Handagama, addresses a myriad of issues society deals with, and is a commendable timely effort. Our artistes should focus their attention on firm value-based creations which are not easily penetrable by soulless alien ideas.

They should compel a bit of soul-searching, and critical scrutiny for every action. They should provide scope for open-minded arguments and should annihilate biases of religion, race, caste, region and the vote-bank.

This gives an opportunity for expression of opinion, fair judgment, honesty and peace of mind which contributes to the advancement of culture. The producer, Independent Television Network (ITN) which presents some of the best creations before the nation, should have kept this in mind especially when they chose a location where the suicidal rate is very high.

According to the villagers, on the day prior to the day we journalists stepped into the Saradiel film location, three people went into the jungle and committed suicide.

Instead of wasting a colossal sum of money on the production, it would have been worthwhile to spend a fraction of the money on uplifting the standard of living in this impoverished community.

Artistes should not be oblivious to the community they worked in. A value-based work of art is the propelling force for refinement. Any other artistic creation has no concept of loyalty, duty, honour, patriotism, sacrifice, self-respect or dignity. It may seem a pipe-dream but a steadfast adherence to value based work may induce policy makers to hear what they do not always like to hear.

Think about us

This is not a traditional play which consists a beginning, middle or an end. Almost all the characters relate the real life stories based on personal experiences. While one presents his story in Sinhala, another presents his story in Tamil.

Most of their stories are not strange to you. Sometimes the characters will speak to you and you will be asked of your responses over their problems. When they relate their stories, they follow the realistic rules. While one speaks about how he felt at the death of his mother or father, someone else can dance or laugh, in the other corner of the stage. Very simply, while one is in a happy mood, the other is in a completely opposite mood.

The most attractive feature of the play which runs throughout the drama, is the character who does not respond to any of the events. He has no special responsibility or communication with anyone else.

The play is brought to you by M. Safeer and Udeni Alwis It will be staged at the BMICH on Sep. 18, at 7.00 p.m. and at the Tower Hall Theatre on Sep. 20 at 7.00 p.m..