Swara (Seven Notes):

Analysing human psyche with a message for humanity

Deviating a bit from the series of articles on seminal ideas on postmodernism, this week’s column is dedicated to “Swara” (“Seven Notes”) The Original Title Journey of Hope is a film with a message.

The film won the Green Rose Award Special Mention at the Fifth Jaipur International Film Festival in India from January 30 to February 2. Of the 217 entries, 90 films were selected for the festival and movies were put into three categories namely Red Rose, Yellow Rose and Green Rose. Feature films with a global message were shown under the Green Rose.

The film is woven around the character of Narmada, an internationally famed Sri Lankan professional music composer and a symphony conductor. Highly-sought after Narmada’s life is a success story from every conceivable perspective. However, an accidental discovery of her being HIV positive has virtually re-configured her life for good, compelling her to embark on a heroic journey against social stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. To her utter disgust, she discovers that she has been cheated by her husband (Rohan). The journey leads Narmada to discover fellow travellers in a community of HIV positives who have overcome social stigma and who lead profitable lives. Ultimately Narmada wins back her rights through a legal battle helped by her beautiful lawyer daughter, Nimanthi (Sachini Ayendra Mahipala) who defeats multimillionaire entrepreneur Justin Weerakoon.

Apart from spreading a vital message against the social stigma associated with HIV/AIDS, the film “Swara” (“Seven Notes”) explores gray areas in contemporary Sri Lankan society through powerful characters such as super model Vihara (Anusha) who had a miserable childhood. Vihara bears a child (Anjali) out of an extra-marital relationship with Narmada’s husband Rohan. Anjali who is blind but has prodigious talents in music, symbolises innocent generation of victims of the circumstances.

Padma (Damitha), a Migrant worker (Housemaid) deceived by her employment agent and was sexually exploited in the Middle East, returns home with HIV/AIDs , to confront effectively the social stigma by becoming a community leader. She helps out HIV positives to lead a meaningful life through her foundation. She educates the young men and women on HIV/AIDS and STD.

Joe– Beach Boy - MSM and Transgender (Danu Innasitamby) reveals different aspects of the city’s night life. The film effectively deals with a myriad of socio-economic issues such as abject poverty, the sorry plight of Sri Lankan migrant workers (particularly women), ignorance of HIV/AIDS and STD, child abuse and adverse impact of globalisation particularly on vulnerable sections of the population such as women and children.

The cast includes Nita Fernando, Sachini Ayendra Mahipala, Anusha Rajapakse, Danu Innasitamby, Damitha Abeyrathna, Diluni Mallawaarchi, W.Jayasiri, Buddika Jayaratne and Sriyantha Mendis. Nita Fernando, actress / producer / activist, director Living with Hope Foundation and Manohan Nanayakkara, co-producer, Asia Digital Entertainment. Yolanda Weerasinghe wrote the story and screenplay She is also the executive producer and costume designer.

Wider social matrix

One of the salient features of the film is its ability to depict a wider and complex social matrix with its diverse global influences at work. For instance, an important arena that the film touches through the peripheral characters such as those of Vihara, Joe– Beach Boy - MSM and Transgender (Danu Innasitamby) and Padma (Damitha), is the sub-culture associated with asymmetrical urbanisation and the segments of semi-skilled or rather unskilled population who lives at the fringes of material prosperity.

Vihara (Anusha), a female dancer at nightclubs in the metropolis, symbolises the segments of young men and women who often come from either rural or semi-urban socio-economic backdrop. Significantly, the filmmaker has hinted out on different occasions that Vihara is a drug-addict whose objectives of life seem to be confined to seeking transient carnal pleasure, naturally, through drugs and having casual sex with men.

Following a long-term extra-marital love affair with Rohan, Narmada’s husband, Vihara brought forth a daughter, Anjali who is born blind and infected with HIV/AIDs. Vihara’s background takes the viewers through ghetto –like slum dwellings where the vices flourish alongside the crushing poverty. It is obvious from depicting the socio-economic backdrop of Vihara that the filmmaker convincingly justifies Vihara’s character and her typical behaviour as Rohan’s lover.

Migrant workers

Through the character of Padma, the film briefly deals with issues associated with Sri Lankan migrant workers whose remittances still contribute a significant portion of net foreign exchange to the national coffers. What is obvious is that often migrant workers are exploited by foreign employment agencies in Sri Lanka and their employers in the Middle Eastern countries. Often they would fall victim to sexual exploitation and work under harsh working conditions as domestic workers.

The filmmaker has, in a way, has succeeded in dealing with myriad of socio-economic issues through well-crafted characters such as Padma and her fellow community of HIV positives. Joe– Beach Boy - MSM and Transgender (Danu Innasitamby) reveals different aspects of city’s night life. Apart from dealing with marginal segments of the population such as MSM and Transgender, the filmmaker draws the attention of the viewers to the negative socio-economic consequences of ill-managed tourism industry. Under the cover of tourism, paedophiles would come in seeking boys and teenagers and Joe’s miserable childhood amply demonstrates that he had been sexual exploited by foreigners and then, the locals in the community.

Although depicted by way of a side story, the childhood of the beach boy Joe, MSM and transgender is an important category that the global HIV response has often failed to address the specific issues faced by men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender communities.

What is important to note is the filmmaker’s ability to discuss diverse socio-economic issues with the central story of Narmada’s life. The film skilfully analyses the complex character of Narmada and her state of mind, particularly, following her infection of HIV. Swara (Seven Notes) is one of the best contemporary Sinhala feature films which has effectively surpassed the boundaries of traditional genres of films such as commercial cinema. Among other things, the film is noted for its excellent production quality and the artistic merits in terms of character development.

A significant aspect of the film is that it has effectively bridged the gap between commercial and artistic cinema.

What is obvious is that a film with a universal message effectively encoded in the storyline, is destined to be a commercially successful movie, elevating the contemporary Sri Lankan cinema to international standards. It is a family movie which imparts a pertinent message, particularly, for the teenagers who are eager to claim their individualities as full-fledged citizens of the nation.