AN UNQUIET CANVAS

Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage skilfully threads tales of human relationships against the backdrop of sociopolitical upheaval

- NIRMAL JOVIAL

Last year, as Sri Lanka grappled with a massive financial crisis, millions of its citizens were plunged into poverty. Widespread shortage of essential goods, electricity and fuel, coupled with skyrocketing inflation, led to outbreaks of violence across the island nation. Sri Lanka was in dire need of foreign exchange earnings from tourism, and looked eagerly towards India. Many Indians jumped at the opportunity as Sri Lanka had devalued its currency to avail a loan from an international agency. Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage’s Paradise, which recently premiered at the renowned Busan International Film Festival and received the prestigious Kim Jiseok award for best film, explores the relationship dynamics of an Indian couple on a ‘Ramayana Trail’ in Sri Lanka during the crisis.

Vithanage, widely regarded as a luminary in contemporary Sri Lankan cinema, is remarkably skilful in weaving tales of human relationships against the backdrop of the sociopolitical tumult in his homeland. “I believe human relationships are most revealing during times of crisis,” Vithanage told THE WEEK over Zoom. “The conflicts I choose for my characters often manifest in various forms. They grapple with inner conflicts and simultaneously they confront external challenges posed by the political environment and society.”

While Paradise primarily presents the challenges faced by the Indian couple during their trip, the film effectively serves as a compelling critique of how the state machinery treats the rich and poor unequally. It also highlights the continued scapegoating of ethnic minorities in Sri Lanka. Except for the lead roles, most characters in the film are played by Sri Lankan Tamil tea plantation workers.