Jayalath Manorathne and Madani Malwattage regaling Toronto audience
By Somasiri Munasinghe
The spotlight of the evening was on Madani Malwattage, a human dynamo who showed us what it takes to be a stage actress – power, commitment, talent – presenting us inspiring segments from Sinhala stage plays.
She reminds me very much of Anula Bulathsinghala in her heyday, but the difference between the two is that Madani has the added advantage of her niche in the social media and close rapport with the fans, which stars like Anula missed during their reign. Madani shows that if you have the talent you can shine in any media, let it be theatre, TV, cinema or web series – an area still in its infancy in Sri Lanka but going to impress us soon.
She was accompanied on stage by her alter ego Manorathne who reminded us of what we miss beyond the oceans and ensuring us that our heritage is still alive and kicking despite innumerable hurdles like shallow inroads made by modern technology and the people calling themselves artistes trying to tarnish what our native art forms have achieved so far.
Peradeniya alumni association played hosts to the two actors in the meticulously-planned event “Back to Hanthana 2018” held in Toronto on March 7 to coincide with the 75th anniversary of one of the best and most scenic universities in the world. The entrance to the auditorium was decorated with momentos from the alumni members’ university days – the rail track, Peradeniya station, the benches, the flowers and other nostalgic relics of Kandy’s other kingdom on the banks of the Mahaveli River.
I have been a witness to their commitment and close kinship in alumni cricket tournaments, a team hard to beat on any given day, but my brief association with this august institution was only an overnight stay during an inter-campus badminton tournament.
Manorathne, a proud product of the Peradeniya, talked about his past, his inspirations, and icons like Dr. Ediriweera Sarathchandra who single-handedly worked tirelessly to evolve native theatre traditions which people like Manorathne are still in the process of mastering and nourishing.
He, quite humbly, did not delve on his legendary services to improve the modern Sinhala theatre but we are aware of his enormous contribution in his 50-something years on stage, films and TV.
He reminisced about the power and dominant survival instincts of our heritage. Along with Madani, a powerhouse of talent in the modern generation of actresses, sang, acted and danced, borrowing from the evergreen stage plays like ‘Maname’, ‘Sinhabahu’, Hunuwataye Kathawa’, based on Bertolt Brecht’s iconic Caucasian Chalk Circle, Manorathne’s own ‘Kaneru Mal’ and ‘Booru Mahaththaya’, the only novel adapted for a stage play in Sri Lanka. This work of fiction, An Autobiography of a Donkey, was written by celebrated Indian writer Kishen Chandra, and Madani’s hilarious skit from the play where a donkey judges a beauty contest trying to deconstruct the whole myth of the modern glamour business.
Madani threw a curve ball at all men in a brief, forceful act from a revolutionary new play called ‘Suddek Oba Amathai’ (A White Man is Addressing You), ridiculing why only men write songs about women; why not vice versa.
As a man I can pose some questions! If most of the women’s songs are penned by men does it mean that men are more emotional and sensitive than women to their relationships and also possess much more creativity than the fairer sex? Or do we love women and wax lyrical about them because the first human being we see for the first time in life are our mothers? Don’t our men call their wives Ammi or Amma respecting them for their one-sided struggle to bring up kids? Consider the world famous male painters who were inspired mostly by female beauty while women artistes so ‘selfishly’ painted mostly women, vaguely suggesting perhaps that there is very little inspiration in men’s physique! Male writers like Jean Genet were inspired by men’s beauty, but there is another side to this fascination! Closer home, consider Mexican painter Frida Kahlo who painted only women, a huge repertoire vastly including also her self-portraits. Madani’s question was thought-provoking.
The two actors were ably assisted by young Canadian Sri Lankans who were trained by the two veterans in the shortest possible time turning us into star-struck audience by their raw power and talent.
Yogarasa Ponniah, a Peradeniya alumni, entertained with a couple of Tamil songs – one being the popular 60s hit Kalangalil Aval Vasantham penned by great South Indian lyricist Kannadasan. That is for ‘Sanhidiyawa’, quipped Manorathne.
Manorathne in his meandering reminiscences of the golden era of the Sinhala theatre listed Prof. Ediriweera Sarathchandra, Sugathapala de Silva, Henry Jayasena, Gunasena Galappaththi and Dayananda Gunewardene as the five main influences of the native theatre. He thanked all of those icons for inspiring and guiding him. He definitely is the six worthy artiste to be added into this prestigious Sinhala Theatre Hall of Fame.
Though he is sceptical about invasive modern technology trying to sully our native art forms, we have hope in committed and resilient artistes like Manorathne and Madani to protect our heritage.
At the beginning of the proceedings, the audience paid a worthy tribute by observing one-minute silence remembering popular Sri Lankan realtor Padmini Bandara, a prominent Peradeniya alumni member who worked tirelessly to organise ‘Back to Hanthana 2018’. She passed away recently at a relatively young age.
