Features
Kings and infidels, cops and gangsters
By Uditha Devapriya
“Étonne-moi!” – Sergei Diaghilev to Jean Cocteau
“There’s nothing here that astonishes me.” – A friend on seeing Nombara 17
The Sinhala cinema has made a fetish out of two genres: the historical epic and the crime thriller. These have been among the biggest box-office draws from the last 75 years. They have often been combined with other genres: the historical epic with the romantic drama (Sandesaya, Veera Puran Appu, Maharaja Gemunu), the crime or gangster thriller with the buddy cop (Nombara 17, Magodi Godai). They have featured the same casts and have been directed by the same director. They have always resonated with popular audiences, though not so with critics and reviewers. And they have always been recycled.
Once you identify the basic themes and motifs associated with these genres, it becomes easy to deconstruct the typical historical epic and gangster thriller. To be sure, directors have imposed endless variations on these works. No two films are the same. Nevertheless, the basic outlines mirror each other. This is why Sunil Ariyaratne’s Vijayaba Kollaya (2019) seems eerily similar to Sandesaya (1960), and why there’s little to distinguish between those 1980s gangster thrillers that paired Vijaya Kumaratunga with Sanath Gunatilake.
The general trend in both these genres today is to play it safe. That usually means using the same cast and the same crew. In the early days, this was not much of a priority. Sinhala film directors, like the Jayamanne brothers, worked with something that passed for a repertoire of actors. They used the same actors, like Rukmani Devi and Eddie Jayamanne, often in the same kind of role. With the expansion of the studio system, producers shifted to hunting for fresh talent, mostly through the press. It was at this point that the likes of Gamini Fonseka, Mallika Pilapitiya, Kanthi Gunatunga, and Punya Heedeniya emerged.
The industry faced a renaissance between 1965 and 1977. After 1977 everything changed. The underlying, dominant ethic was no longer artistic merit; it was profit. That necessitated a paradigm shift in not just the type of films made, but also the way in which they were to be made. The early restrictions, such as the requirement that one had to make a short film before one could obtain financing for a feature film, were abolished. This gave much greater freedom to the studios and individual producers like Sunil Soma Peiris. But it also compelled them to focus on a narrow range of genres, themes, and issues. The actors who made their way to the top during these years found frequently themselves cast in the same genres, the same kind of film. Among them were Vijaya Kumaratunga, Sanath Gunatilake, Freddie Silva, Sabeetha Perera, Robin Fernando, and Wilson Karu.
The Indian film has been granted the honorary moniker of masala cinema. If this is so, the Sinhala film can be termed as achcharu cinema. I am not being tongue-in-cheek here: the truth is that most Sinhala films tend to be so confused about their intentions that they freely go hither and thither, unmindful and unaware of the direction they want to take. We can often predict the ending: in Nombara 17 (1989), for instance, we know, before the hero does, about the identity of his two lost brothers. The Sinhala film has few virtues, but many vices. Among its vices is its inability to surprise us. Even the least informed spectator can guess what the characters take seemingly forever to realise. I would argue that in no other genre is that more glaringly obvious than the thriller and the epic.
What is predictable about the gangster thrillers is not just their stories, but their structures. The typical American Western follows the same format, but the story is made more vivid and interesting by the inclusion of side-plots, secondary characters, and other devices. The Sinhala crime thriller uses these same devices, but they turn out to be as predictable as the main plotline. Often comic relief is provided by an actor like Freddie Silva, Tennyson Cooray, or Bandu Samarasinghe, yet they get mixed up in side-plots that are more predictable than the main story. In Nombara 17, for instance, Freddie Silva finds himself enmeshed in a love affair which serves more to distract than to add colour. In these films, these actors fulfil the same function that Eddie Jayamanne did in the early Rukmani Devi films.
The historical epic is no different. Here too one notices a tendency to use comic relief. Even in as great a work as Maharaja Gemunu (2015) – which together with Aloko Udapadi (2017) goes down as one of the better Sinhala historical epics of recent years – the director resorts to light humour. In itself this is an effective device: it breaks the flow and the tension. In the case of Maharaja Gemunu we witness episodes of carnage right before the comic vignettes, prominently the sequence where the hero despatches female garments and jewellery to his father. In this regard Aloko Udapadi and, to a greater extent, Maharaja Gemunu broke away from the never-ending cycle of Mahavamsist epics like Mahindagamanaya (2011), which did away with light humour in favour of sombre ethno-religious homilies.
The moral universe occupied by the crime thriller is clearcut and Manichean. On the one hand you have good, on the other evil. There is very little moral ambiguity, even if the villain is redeemable or is shown to be working for the sake of a loved one. The biggest source of moral ambiguity in these films, however, is not the villain, but the heroine, who sometimes happens to be related to the villain. One of the earliest local films to feature this dilemma is Vasantha Obeyesekere’s Diyamanthi (1976). Nombara 17 features it as well. The prototype here is Bruce Lee’s The Way of the Dragon (1972), in which the villain is revealed to be the uncle of the hero’s lover. The Way of the Dragon also inspired another trope used by Sinhala crime thriller directors: the deployment of a Chuck Norris gun-for-hire before the revelation of the villain. In Nombara 17, this gun-for-hire is played by Sanath Gunatilake.
There is greater depth and ambiguity in the historical epic, though even these films operate within a Manichean framework. There are signs that the genre is improving in this respect, however. In Aloko Udapadi, to give one example, we know that the “Tamil” usurpers are the villains, and Valagamba’s final triumph over them represents the triumph of good over evil, of light over darkness. Yet these usurpers are shown not as menacing savages, but rather as intelligent if not shrewd political manipulators. Elara in Maharaja Gemunu is characterised by intelligence and self-doubt, qualities which popular narratives deny him. Played by the intrepid Jackson Anthony, he emerges from the story not so much an antagonist as a foe worthy of the protagonist. Indeed, Dutugemunu’s father and brother are shown to be much bigger obstacles to his ambitions than the Tamil and hence “infidel” king.
From all this, one can argue that while the crime thriller has become as formulaic and inert as ever, the historical epic, within the ideological confines it has had to work, has progressed somewhat. In terms of production values, it has improved considerably. One can contend that the genre has gone as far as to revert to the mood and tenor of its earliest prototypes. Sunil Ariyaratne’s Vijayaba Kollaya, for instance, evokes not merely the plotline but also the texture of Lester James Peries’s Sandesaya. These films have also benefitted from assured direction, of the sort one simply did not see with Mahavamsist epics like Mahindagamanaya. Maharaja Gemunu, for example, would not have become a hit without Jayantha Chandrasiri, just as Abha (2008) would not have set records without Jackson Anthony. The acting matters as well: Uddika Premaratne in both Aloko Udapadi and Maharaja Gemunu, Sajitha Anthony in Abha. The gangster or crime thriller, by contrast, lacks these qualities.
There is, however, one limitation in the historical epic, which a friend pointed out to me recently. Barring the swashbuckling adventure epics like Vijayaba Kollaya, these films tend to repress the heroism of its heroes. What I mean here is that the protagonists are denied any real agency in the flow of events and incidents they live through. Instead, these events are granted almost divine attributes. The telos of the Sinhala epic film is the triumph of one ethno-religious group over all others: the triumph of the Dhamma over the infidel. What that pre-empts is the triumph of the king. Unlike the Indian or the Western epic, the prince or king does not emerge as a hero in these films. Instead, he becomes an instrument of the forces he deploys to conquer his enemies. That explains the weak final act of Maharaja Gemunu: the confrontation between Dutugemunu and Elara is short, anticlimactically so. Perhaps with the passing years, directors will address this limitation.
The writer is an international relations analyst, researcher, and columnist who can be reached at udakdev1@gmail.com
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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