Dr. Tilak Fernando

* Discipline needed from early stage of childhood

* Parents, teachers play vital role

* Films contribute towards inculcation of minds

The word challenge has an intense meaning. In a broad generalization a challenge can be imbued with a sense of difficulty and victory. It can embrace threat, competition, discipline in favourable as well as in worse situations.

A scene from the film Challenges. File photo

In a war two groups challenge each other. In sports one team challenges the opponents to win over. The general pattern in anything in life continues with challenges on a routine basis.

To face up to challenges one needs to be disciplined primarily from a very early stage of childhood. To this effect, parents and teachers play a vital role in moulding the young to become responsible citizens.

Story line

Our daily lives are influenced by many factors. Apart from parents and teachers, as main attributes to this effect, tele drama and motion films play an equally important role towards inculcation of minds. In case of the latter, the responsibility lays on the director of a film to guide the audience like a captain maneuvering a ship safely thorough rough ocean. In most cases producers of films are money orientated and the directorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s role in a production should make the operation worthwhile.

A few days ago, I was privileged to be at the premiere show of a Sunflower Production, ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”ChallengesƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢, at the Savoy theatre. Inspired by a ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”full houseƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ of filmgoers (which is a rare scene these days at cinema halls) impatiently I awaited the film to roll. Based on a story line, dialogues and direction undertaken by versatile film producer and director Udayakanatha Warnasuriya, the plot is based on a group of youthsƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ endeavour to encounter challenges in life.

Concentrating on a father-son bond, RenukaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s father Asale Randunne, a professor, gives advice to his handsome young son how to endure lifeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s challenges and grow up to be a respectable, law-abiding civilian. Youthful feelings of love begin to churn RenukaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s mind after seeing pretty Sharanya. However, father becomes averse to object in this instance when he himself takes a look at his own pubescent days. But the only obstacle Renuka finds is SharanyaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s cousin KishanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s admiration and doing everything to win her heart. During this ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”love challengeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ there is quite a bit of entertainment for the audience. Renuka finally comes out of KishanƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s challenges but realises that there is much more to win over lifeƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s challenges than outshining Kishan.

Undisciplined character

Udayakanatha Warnasuriya

In a directorƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s effort and responsibility to keep the audience captivated throughout the entire film, Udayakantha has been quite successful in garnishing it with some humour successfully. Once the father is shown taking the young son on a motor ride when suddenly he captures a person in a lorry spitting chewed beatle leaves (Bulath vita) on to the road at a traffic light signal. Outraged with such misdemeanour father jumps out of the car, despite sonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s pleading not to do so, approaches the offender to try and put some sense into the manƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s misconduct when the undisciplined character spits out again onto the road, as a means of protest, gets off his vehicle and beats the father viciously in public.

It is a typical scene, blended with humour, where several messages are sent out to the audience focusing on the unruly nature of behaviour prevalent in modern Sri Lankan society – ignorance or selfish attitudes at its height! Udayakantha Warnasuriya is a versatile a celebrity where he has shown his mettle from his very first attempt in compiling a plot, writing dialogs and producing and directing Menik Ketayama, a teledrama which became popular.

Ever since, his popularity has been sweeping across the film industry like wind sweeping transversely over a grass patch on a whole range of features with his stories, writing of scripts, direction and production. In Challenges too, he has undertaken the responsibility of writing the story, dialogues and direction. His success is due to the ability of being able to live in characters he chooses to writ, on a variety of personalities ranging from young to old, crooks to gentlemen, lovers to entrepreneurs, underworld to hip-hop and in this particular film, both father and son.

Family film

When I spoke with Udayakantha, after seeing the film, I learnt that the main idea in Challenges has materialised through his own personal experience in life with his paternal father, plus the bond he shares with his young son, a kind of hereditary manifestation.

Getting dialogues to appease the audience in a film is a major factor. In Challenges, UdayakanthaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s ability to acquire young menƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s jargon can be seen as the most contributing factor. During his escalating career as a film producer and director he has, in almost every film, picked new faces to the cinema, groomed them and paved the way to become ƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ”¹…”shinyƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢ stars in the silver screen. In Challenges too, he introduces Sheshandri, a young girl to the cinema along with a host of newcomers to team up with well known names such as Lucky Dias, Vasanthi Chaturani, Sangeetha Weeraratne, Roshan Ranawaka and Pubudu Chaturanga.

Challenges has been filmed mostly around Colombo suburbs and in Kukulegama holiday resort, Nuwara Eliya, Matale, Trincomalee and in the East. In cinemascope screen with DTS sound system Uresha Ravihari, Nalin Perera, Surendra Perera Bavi Prasan and Abisheka WimalaweeraƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s playback singing makes Challenges an entertaining family film where parents and children can sit together and watch.

The moral behind Challenges is to disseminate a sound message to the society, without making it to be a shaggy dog story while enhancing it simultaneously with humour and entertainment. There is not a dull moment during the show and it is certain to capture the audience in a significant manner.

Udayakantha Warnasuriya appears to be a follower of world famous film director Alfred Hitchcock. Those who are familiar with UdayakanthaƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s face can spot him in a short appearance in the film (a new approach!) emulating Alfred Hitchcock.

tilakfernando@yahoo.co.ukƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
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