Kusa Paba spells positive trend towards a better cinema

By Amal HEWAVISSENTI

Prof. Sunil Ariyarathna's 'Kusa Paba' has the potential to fire the imagination of an entire generation of audience inspired by popular cinema. There is also fresh argument over 'Kusa Paba's' pronounced changes from the original 'Kusa Jathakaya' and the director's decision to impregnate it with popular elements.

Earlier, King Parakramabahu II was similarly confronted with a chorus of criticism when he composed Kav Silumina Maha Kavya'deviating in some aspects, from the Jathaka story in Jathakattakatha'. Carefully removing the religious themes from the story, the king popularised the story and his poem which recounted extravagant pleasures and luxuries in royal palaces and gardens.

Here, the director seems to have found it difficult to reconcile apparently opposing perspectives of religious ideals and popular demand. The reason is that certain incidents in original Jataka story push the bounds of probability a bit far at times and the director has been more concerned with giving credibility to the scenes in his film.

However, the original Jataka story presents a slightly ponderous dissection of religious life through an interesting story (told in 'Banakatha style). And the story became highly popular among the majority of Sri Lankans. But Kav Silumina, based on the same, was written not to entertain the common people but for the contemporary intellectual elite of Sri Lanka.

Then the director of 'Kusa Paba' seems to have been trapped in the dilemma whether to make a film on Kav Silumina (which appeals to the elite) or to make a genuine film on Kusa Jataka (with alterations however).

Thus, he selected Kusa Jatakaya removing its improbable events and bringing tremendous infusions of popular elements into it (such as dance and music).

Prof. Sunil Ariyarathna's subtitle to the movie is Pansiya Panas Jataka Poten (from the book of 550 Jataka tales). As Jackson Anthony fittingly comments "What is inferior in quality is quickly popularised and publicised. We can never take what is best easily to the public without marketing it.

Therefore our chief target should be to popularise the best and give publicity to the best. What we market should be the best - not the worst.."

The director's own obsessions with 'Pabawati' are to be noted (Kusa's bemoanings) in his compilation of songs "Arundathi". By all counts, Prof. Sunil Ariyarathna has been specially taken up with the 'Pabawati' portrayed by Kav Silumina writer becomes the 'Pabawati' in Jataka story, as he claims is an arrogant and less humane princess. On the other hand, 'Pabavati' in Kav Silumina possesses a certain seductive rawness, sensitivity and passion weakened by no other influence.

Tissa Abeysekara's excellent script has channelled the lifeblood for the film. Tissa Abeysekara who had been impressed with the cinematic works by Shantiram has injected glamorous poetic and romantic quality into the film.

Towards the end of the film, the director deviates considerably from the original plot of Jataka story. He removes the improbable events in the original story to keep the film sharply in line with the expectations of the modern audience. For instance, in the Jataka story, Kusa bears a strong current of malice towards Pabavati while he remains a virtual recluse in his desperate pursuit of her love. And the Jataka story illustrates how Kusa catapults cowdung on Pabavati while she is being escorted to the garden. On another occasion, the headstrong recklessness of Kusa makes him spit directly on Pabavati's face.

The director has appropriately removed the scenes from the film because such action towards Pabavati is an offence to any modern sense of justice. Above all, the spirit of Bodhisatva is reincarnated in the body of Prince Kusa. The arrogant, disdainful Pabavati in Kusa Jataka has been transformed into a sensitive, passionate and soft hearted Pabavati (Pooja Uma Shankar) in the movie. The sadistic Kusa in Kusa Jataka and Kav Silumina has been deftly painted to be a more humane man (Jackson Anthony) on the canvas of Kusa Paba. Both Kusa and Pabavati have been portrayed more human in the movie rather than literally following the details of Kusa Jataka and Kav Silumina. Jackson Anthony, the great dramatic actor merits high praise for doing justice to the universal human in Kusa while Pooja Umashankar guarantees the survival of the film in popular trend.

Tale in brief

Prince Kusa, born to king Okkaka (Ravindra Randeniya) and queen Silavati (Veena Jayakodi) is doomed to be a man of facial disfigurement. When he comes of age, his parents discuss arrangements of a marriage for him but Kusa is too obsessed with his funny appearance to think of a love of a princess. Kusa insists that he wants to become a recluse in the forest.

On persistent requests by his parents, Kusa moulds a gold statue of his ideal lady and promises to marry a lady who resembles the statue.Queen Silavati manages, through multiple tricks to have Pabavati, the daughter of king Madu married to Kusa. Though ugly Kusa remains unseen to her during the daytime, Pabavati ultimately discovers the truth and returns to her parents. After harsh acts of mortification and heroism, Kusa wins back Pabavati. (He saves Pabavati from seven provincial kings who have laid siege to her father's kingdom and attempt to capture her).

Lapses

The director has had certain inadequacies of concentration in protraying Kusa's disfigurement and specially in designing the make up for Kudee (the hunch backed attendant to Pabavati played by Chandani Senevirathne) furthermore the film fails to recreate convincingly the atmosphere of ancient India and social customs.

The film maker could have drawn much from ancient sources in his presentation of watersports, ceremonies, wars, jubilant crowd and events in a typical palace.

Here the director becomes too caught up in his presentation of popular dances, songs and music to deal adequately with the obscure aspects of Kusa's character.

Thus, the pathos of the original Jataka tale is rarely offset in the film because the music, dances and songs seem to eclipse the central themes of the story.

The film promotes the aesthetic more strongly than it represents the intensity of the tragedy in which Kusa touches the hearts of the audience in his relentless sufferings for Pabavati's love. Pooja's acting ensures the popularity of Kusa Paba.

The intrinsic calibre of Jackson Anthony, could have been better polished by a convincing make up. Chandana Wickramasinhe's choreography deserves focus as far as the popular trend, again, is concerned.

However, Kusa Paba is a positive trend towards better cinema which should guarantee appeal to both intellectual and non intellectual audience.

Buddhist literature abounds in best tales for film makers.