When your Whatsapp is jammed with news of a Sinhala film coming to your local cinema in London, I did what any curious Lankan would do. ‘Buckets of popcorn on our laps, a childhood friend and I settled for a visual feast.
‘Gaadi: Children of the Sun’ was a beautifully shot film with cinematography which captures not only the lush beauty of the island of Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) but also the local forms of communication of gestures and facial expressions and body language that is peculiar to that region; idiosyncrasies which seem not to have changed even with the turn of centuries. One could not convey much with your eyes, nodding of the head in quite so many ways, than folks from that part of the world that an outsider can easily be left confused.
Directed by Prasanna Vithanage, the choice of cast was stellar. From the Lankan equivalent of Dame Maggie Smith in Iranganie Serasinghe and other vintage actors like Ravindra Randeniya, it also portrayed a rising star as the main protagonist, Tikiri. Dinara Punchihewa played this debut role exquisitely, filmed on location in the rugged hills of the Kandy district, Punchihewa was joined by Sajitha Anthony playing Vijaya.
The backdrop of the story was the final leg of the British takeover of the island. The last King of the land was ruling in the kingdom of Kandy, which was in the central hill country part of the island which two other European nation invaders were unsuccessful in capturing. The suave British diplomat, John Doyle, strikes a deal with Kandyan aristocracy to oust the king. Caught in the negotiations is the Ehalapola family, prime minister at the time, who colludes with the British. Ehalapola is of the Radala caste, the Brahmins of Sri Lanka, the ruling landed gentry of the highest order.
The caste system was very prevalent in Kandyan society where the lowest, the Daalit equivalent called the Rodiyas (or Gaadi in this instance) were outcasts or the untouchables. They lived in communes in the jungle and were hunter gatherers who were a tight knit community with its own rituals and way of life. Their lives were considered by others to have absolutely no value outside their community, unless being used as pawns in the machinations of the upper classes, where one such instance forms the twist in the tale of this story.
Caught in the coup of attempting to topple the ruling monarchy, the punishment given to the families that betrayed royalty was that their women were either beheaded or thrown with a millstone around their necks into the local Bogambara Wewa – a large lake which still exists to the day. The film portrays this gut-wrenching scene of a row of noble women lined up on the jetty walking to their demise. The proud, honourable look on their faces embodied the unstinting loyalty they had for their caste and kith and kin yet could not mask the fear as they plunged to the mass of water, causing ripples of a life ended for a noble cause of pride and dignity.
If the women did not walk into their death this way, the other option was that the rodiyas who were witnessing this scene from the opposite side of the lake would swim across and claim the woman as their own. It was visible in the faces of the noble women that they would much rather die than live a life of shame and dishonour of being betrothed to the outcasts. Such was the valiant nature of the women who were closely linked to the ruling aristocrats.
Tikiri, the young wife of Ehalapola refused to be killed this way as she remembered his children she was minding after the death of his former wife. As a result, Tikiri is claimed by Vijaya, an impish young rodiya chap who takes her away to the jungle and there begins the quest of survival and wooing of this strangely beautiful creature who was his trophy wife.
The rest of the film mostly was their life in the jungle. It was eerily silent, and at times felt like you were watching an old silent movie. There was very little dialogue as Tikiri was almost mute through the entire movie. She refused to cooperate with the primitive way of life in which Vijaya’s clan lived. Most of their survival techniques of hunting and making shelter from sticks and branches from trees and sometimes, stealing from the wealthy town dwellers were captured rather well by camera in this period drama set in 1814 Ceylon.
One way Tikiri maintained her nobility and distinguished herself from the rodiya clan was to cover herself in white robes, both the upper and lower halves of her body. The rodiya women did not clothe themselves on the upper half. What was heart-warming to watch was the way in which Vijaya treated Tikri. He did not mind that she never acknowledged him or talked to him, yet he did not stop caring for her and seeing to her safety and wellbeing. This showed the humanity and kindness of Vijaya which surpassed the humanity of the nobility featured in the story.
Through the twists and turns of the political backdrop, there was an opportunity for Ehalapola to rescue Tikiri, but he chose to pretend he did not see her or acknowledge her. This was a severe blow to the young woman who sacrificed her dignity to save herself for him and his children.
I was struck how well the movie captured the dark side of culture which comes from honour and shame, and which will go to great lengths to disown and dismiss even the nearest and dearest to save oneself from shame. This national trait is something that seems not to have gone away even down the centuries.
The costumes are worth a mention. The noble women in their cloth and jackets with lace trimmings and Kandyan accessories were rather beautiful. As for the men, the cumbersome Kandyan royal attire looked a world away from reality; although there is a renaissance of this period fashion for weddings and such like at present.
If there was one word to describe this film, I would call it ‘betrayal’. The colluding of the Sinhala Kandyan aristocracy with the British to oust the last King who was of South Indian Tamil descent and the betrayal of the same group of their own women is engraved in the history of the island. In the 21st century we would call it misogyny and racism. Traits still found everywhere.
What changed the course of history for the land was the ultimate betrayal by the invaders.
In any story, fiction or real, betrayal does not confer life happily ever after to the betrayer. Judas comes to mind in the greatest story in history. The shame that is thrust on others caves in on the betrayer.
Whilst history was made in the macro scale, Vijaya’s persistent tenderness and love for Tikiri and his tribe, saves the day in the fictional micro setting. The evolving political takeover proceedings left the entire rodiya commune massacred in the crossfire. Vijaya and Tikiri were in the jungle being sent off by the Chief of the tribe to ‘make something out of their relationship’. I believe this may have spared their lives. Witnessing the carnage caused to his entire tribe by the European invaders Vijaya is left bereft and alone and still unsure of any reciprocal love by the woman whom he protected from all snares. Finally, the noble cold heart of young Tikiri is warmed as she recalls the words of the Chief who wished Vijaya to continue the line of his clan. With all his family fallen under the sword, she commits to becoming one of them by taking off her upper garment and identifying herself as a rodiya woman by the side of Vijaya. A poignant ending with only a few words uttered by the mostly silent Tikiri of her willingness to finally be the wife Vijaya desired. Was it love or loyalty or a resignation to her plight. We will never know…..
Whatever one thinks, it was an epic cinematic portrayal of betrayal of a nation and family, affirming the fact that the nobility of love and loyalty transcend caste and manmade divisions in society.
“The British went back on the promise given to the Kandyan leaders. On 15th February 1815 Ceylon became a colony under British rule. They abolished the influence of the caste system on the specification of professions. The members of the rodiya caste thus gradually changed their identity and integrated themselves with the other lower strata of society.”
intercultural musings 