So, now we know the end of Koombiyo! A gossip website posted how the drama ends, obviously in a show of professional jealousy and malice against someone’s success, drawing parallels with our oft-heard popular proverb: dog doesn’t eat hay, nor does it allow the cow to eat it.
Apologizing that Koombiyo’s ending was seen in a Facebook post, the website revealed its climax and some fans took to social media commenting that it is of no use seeing the serial now because all the suspense is lost. The massive success of the tele-drama depends on its deft use of suspense, but all hope is not lost. Still, the revelation hasn’t dented its popularity or fan response even among the Sri Lankans living in foreign countries.
Social media in Sri Lanka is like a monkey getting hold of a razor and accidentally hurting its vital organs, and above all, the web site action displays the sorry state of professional jealousies among the artistes themselves.
I have not seen any statement from the production team in response to the Youtube revelation, but who cares! What matters is not the end; how it reaches the end.
Judging by Hiruni’s (Yureni Noshika) coy advances and her persistent hot pursuit of Jehan (Thamindu Dodanthenna) may reveal us some truth about her intentions as mentioned in the gossip site.
Now we are getting to know Jehan’s devious character but we have also begun love him and hate him in the same breadth. We know him as a youth with a shady past who deserves punishment for what he has done going by the art’s perennial love for crime and quick punishment.
According to what he said last week, we don’t know his parents or his background. The only man in the drama with healthy family bonds is Priyantha, representing the vanishing village values. He is torn between many loyalties. He is loyal to his family, treats Jehan as an elder brother, ready even to commit hara-kiri on behalf of him, is still unable to understand why city folks are so mean. He is loyal to his work place. Jehan is one of the most evil characters I have ever seen on our TV or in films. He has a grudge against the world and when he settles his score several innocent people around him very well be his unsuspecting victims.
However, it is unrealistic how a minor worker like Priyantha can roam in the factory premises at his will with Bluetooth ear piece stuck to his ears and photographing highly secured areas in his cellphone.
No wonder many actors had rejected the role of Jehan who is the embodiment of evil. Our actors are still concerned about projecting positive image on screen. Koombiyo director said in a TV interview that even Yureni Noshika rejected the role of Hiruni initially, probably because the femme fatal character has a negative and evil edge to it. He said they had to wait four years to find a TV willing to air the serial. That shows how hard it is to swim against the current in Sri Lanka with new ideas and visions while everyone prefers to go with the flow.
Whoever chose Dumindu to play the villain/hero has done it with purpose. He is handsome and cute in a diabolical manner and there is an element of deviousness and evil running just below the surface. He is sly, aloof, cold, calculating, street smart deftly using people to his utmost advantage.
One of the most important aspects of Kumbiyo is its cast. Even a minor character in the drama is capable of being described in superlatives. Late Sanaka Titus, W.A. Jayasiri, Dharmapriya Dias, Bandula Sooriyabandara (I know some ruthless MBA qualified men like him running garment factories in real life) the police officer who grills Jehan and the gang of thugs all play their roles perfectly. That can be described as a hallmark in the drama.
Sahodaraya, which began telecasting few weeks ago, looks as if it is inspired by the massive success of Koombiyo, but it seems to have far deeper political implications. Unlike Koombiyo, the action is based on family atmosphere with a possible ethnic angle possibly coming into play later. Most of the cast members are from Koombiyo and we wish the action could take a brisker pace. The present episodes are still stuck in a groove over the mysterious disappearance of a journalist and his wife’s persistent mourning. – newstrails.com
