Searching love’s veins not veneers

By Dilshan Boange

Angelina Jolie says in the film Playing By Heart, “Talking about love is like dancing about architecture.” The sheer nonsensicality in the scheme of the comparison propounded in that line speaks volumes. Love as a human emotion is possibly the most elusive feeling to define objectively. This salient truth was expressed by Udayasiri Wickremaratne in his latest creation Pem yuwalaka one kara thibe. (Wanted: a couple in love).

Sitting in the gentle darkness of the Tower Hall. I caught the argument that was finally meted out by the young lovers towards the end of the drama in a line spoken to the following effect Aadare therum karanna baeha, aadaraya karanna vitharai puluwan.” (You can’t explain love, you can only experience it).

In his latest play, ‘Pem yuwalak’ Wickremaratne offers a simple and uncomplicated storyline, which however represents a rather complex and onerous premise in respect of its theoretical aspects relating to the art of acting. What is the play about?

In a nutshell, the story’s premise is, how a film director embarks on a never before done venture in cinema, which is to cast an actual pair of young lovers who have never before ‘acted the role’ of ‘lovers’ in the hope of capturing for the silver screen ‘true love’ as can be shown by actual lovers in real life. It’s a weighty concept to say the least.

The arguments that can be directed at the conceptual basis of the story could be manifold and in relation to both film and theatre as forms of art where the acting, by the artistes, itself takes different moulds and is shaped by different factors to define two separate ‘forms of performance’.

Whatever the theorists and the critics may or may not be able to deduce from the nature of the work to the elevation or detriment of the play from a vantage of drama studies, ‘Pem yuwalak’ shows potential to produce a ‘new picture’ to the mainstream theatregoer in Sri Lanka.

The concept itself is fresh to the theatre scene and will surely attract the curiosity of theatre fans as to how the story unfolds. I could not help but wonder if this story’s concept was spurred by the wave of ‘reality shows’ that gripped Sri Lankan television since a few years ago, because the premise of the story suggests something of a ‘reality based show’ as the goal to be achieved as the film’s objective.

Conventional

Going into the aspects of stagecraft Wickremaratne has opted for something markedly conventional as compared to his previous works of theatre. Conventionality in form, coupled with the novelty of story concept for the stage, is a remark that can be made of Pem yuwalak, is a play suitable for the whole family, not smacking with smuttiness and veiled vulgarities. That is of course providing that you can tolerate the subject of modern day courtship between young lovers. There is in this sense as one who watches the play will note a very serious statement expressed by the playwright in Pem yuwalak.

The play makes an attempt to define courtship between young lovers of this digital age as something that must be within the bounds of public morality and decency. Thus what we are shown in the play is the image of lovers caught in the public eye. I shall go into a more analytical discussion on this subtopic with reference to the second scene in particular of the play further on in the article.

Boundaries

But before going into commenting on the aspects of performance what one must keep in mind is that Pem yuwalak shows how the playwright projects the boundaries along which ‘a deep and meaningful young love’ can be sketched out. In this regard the play represents a certain strong traditionalist outlook.

And it appears that the lovers scripted by Wickremaratne have been crafted to represent more an ideological mould suitable to his designs and politics as an artist than depicting what is likely to be more prevalent in this day and age.

There is in this sense a noticeable essence in the veins of the lovers as characters literarily contrived under the watchful gaze of a director with a set ideological design.

I do not make these remarks to denounce the playwright by any means, but more for the purpose of setting the common character of the couple as being a symbol of what the playwright asserts ‘ought to be prevalent’ today although not likely to be actually prevalent out there with the fast-paced digitally driven young generation. Wickremaratne thus it seems makes a very overt statement of values and what he perceives to be socially salutary.

The second scene in the play is the principal basis on which I state what designates the young lovers more as manifestations of the playwright’s designs that representations of that exists in present day reality. In that scene the man and young woman are shown in a private moment of conversation.

Their affection for each other is clearly stated and their relationship as young lovers is established. However, not once in the course of that scene do their dialogues present any endearing terms that are characteristic of young lovers when it comes to how they address each other.

Dialogues

The dialogues in that scene was bereft of terms like ‘baba’, ‘patiyo’ and other such mushy words typically spoken between sweethearts as what young lovers would bring into their ‘lovelorn dialect’ in Sri Lanka, especially when the two are by themselves.

The bodily contact shown between the two are to an absolute minimalism and highly conservative. It is as though the lovers state fidelity to an emotional bond of spiritual soundness to the extent of estranging physical contact from their relationship.

And this, is in a scene where they are purportedly together. But are they really alone? By their conduct it seems that they are somewhat chaperoned. And theoretically, one could argue that they are.

The director though not standing by their side on the boards has stamped his directorial gaze upon them. Wickremaratne in this scene becomes the all seeing eye in the subconscious of the characters onstage; unseen to players, yet regulating the characters, even in their moment of ‘privacy’ as the audience is meant to believe.

The presence of the playwright the voice of the director though not perhaps detectable to the layman viewer, is visible to the critic. It is thus the script and the direction that has made the characters of the lovers –Vishwasa and Prarthana-more to appear ‘literarily contrived’ as they develop their performance.

I’m not saying that Wickremaratne should make his actors smooch and caress each other to bring to life convincingly on stage two young lovers of the present generation. It is after all the prerogative of the artiste to decide to what ends his creation serves.

Courtship

The truth about boys and girls in a ‘relationship’ is that any courtship has its physical side, in varying extents depending of course on the persons. But Vishwasa and Prarthana are not introduced as boyfriend and girlfriend on their very first outing as a couple.

And so it is rather noticeable that their characters’ conduct in the story show they are ‘engineered’ as two ‘very well behaved children’, even when all alone.

The conservatism that Vishwasa and Prarthana portray and assert in their depiction of their love for the camera gains momentum most where they categorically refuse to do a French kiss for the camera protesting that it is contrary to their sense of morality and values.

The two rather strong willed youngsters do in fact decide to walk out of the production over this matter. Wickremaratne thus asserts the moral crusade his play carries to society of today.

Do not sell out for fame or fortune by sacrificing what you hold to be values that uphold the decency and sobriety of your character and self respect. Any work of art, ultimately seeks to engage with society, of which the artist too is a part. And every artist is finally compelled by society to accept a certain degree of moral responsibility for what has been created. It was a statement made by the traditionalist right-winger in Wickremaratne as evinced by the play.

Can real love be acted to the camera? This is the central investigation made in the course of the story. The director in the story declares towards the end that the success of the film as a true depiction of lovers is because it was not acted out by actors. “Rangapem nathi loke ananthai aadare.” says the film director jubilantly as his work draws to a successful completion.

The line can be trslanated to English as –Love is boundless in a world where it is not acted.

Acting is not real life; therefore true love cannot be acted, as an argument that is logical. But one can ask how practically achievable is this proposition if ever applied to the cinema, or even theatre for that matter? These perhaps are potent arguments that could be brought up as critical points to question the gaps between the theory and its application in ‘Pem yuwalak’. In all fairness to the playwright one must note however that he does not make any claims in the narrative of the play that his work of theatre is an actual exercise of the theory sought to be practically achieved by the characters in the story.

‘Pem yuwalak’ also gives insights about the politics behind the camera between the people who bring a work of cinema to life and how bigwigs survive on the wits of their minions.

The relationship between the director and the cameraman Bandara as shown in ‘Pem yuwalaka’ is a classic example which provides much food for thought.

How marketing cinema at times is based on slogans and catchy titles more than the substance of a story is also brought out through the duo of the Director and the Cameraman. When Bandara coins catchy titles how the director gets caught up in a whirlwind of excitement as to how it would be a box office hit are notable factors.

“The miss call kiss of a Dracula!” declares the director as a title he has conceived, and Bandara says that a striking title as that even overhauls the need for a film script!

In respect of individual roles of the players, Hemantha Iriyagama who plays the producer delivered a captivating, comedic performance. Amiththa Weerasinghe playing the director showed clear fluxes to the thrust in his focus as an artiste onstage.

He was best when he was acting out the role of the ‘Director onset’ and conducting screen tests. When interacting with the Producer there was something of a detectable lackadaisicalness from the actor to bring out the character. The reluctance with which the director puts up with the producer was not convincingly voiced as that of the director’s own mindset but more of an internally exhausted actor.

Pradeep Aragama delivered a commendable performance as the cameraman Bandara, and although not central roles, the characters of the production assistants played by Kusal Maduranga and Rohitha Jayakody were certainly noteworthy for the alacrity they added to the pace of the play’s performance in their scene of searching for a waterfall. Between the lovers Vishwasa and Prarthana played by Sudharshana Bandara and Theruni Ashansa, I would say the young lady portrayed her role with more effectiveness, while the young man betrayed some weariness within at times as a player onstage.

The cast of Pem yuwalak, apart from the aforesaid actors, includes Thushari Gunaratne, Ishara Wickramasena, Chamari Nisansala, Thilan Wijesinghe, Seneviratne Rodrigo, and Vasantha Vittachchi, with music direction by Lalith Wickremaratne.

The performance that I saw has room for improvement in certain respects while stating that it is a show that will surely be appreciated by many theatregoers as a play for the whole family dealing with a novel topic which delivers at the end a strong message as to what love between a young man and a young woman must meaningfully lead to – which is stated as, a fruitful family life found on true love.