Bambaru Avith

Many will consider Indian cinema spearheads the arthouse/parallel cinema movement and it is justified because the films at that time boasted of critical appeal and great filmmakers like Mani Kaul, Kamal Swaroop, Ritwik Ghatak, S. N. S Sastry, John Abraham, MS Sathyu, Sai Paranjape, Kumar Shahani, Buddhadev Dasgupta, Deepa Dhanraj, Shakti Samanta, Nirad N. Mahapatra, S. Sukhdev, PA Backer, Mankada Ravi Varma, Ajayan, Sathyan Anthikad, Vishnu Mathur, Saeed Akhtar Mirza, Goutam Ghose, Bimal Roy, M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Satyajit Ray, Mrinal Sen, Tyeb Mehta, Govindan Aravindan, Awtar Krishna Kaul and Pramod Pati who is the oddball in the list and probably one of my favourites.

I know the works of these filmmakers deserves a lot of praise, but it is weird how cinephiles ignore Sri Lankan cinema which produced equally great movies. I don't want to go into the history, there's so many articles available online.

I like to keep things as simple as possible for this forgotten gem, it is a story with symbolism, together with commentary on class difference, representing with moral and social issues and with a pinch of black comedy. The laughs are aplenty with witty one-liners, you'll get it only if you follow the subtitles and the expressions of the characters.

Personally, I'm surprised that what gets portrayed in "Bambaru Avith" is still relevant in third world countries. The title is a pointed allegory for the wasps which feast on the nectar from flowers just as the city folks who disrupt the peaceful village. It is disguised simply as a film about conflicts between city folks and villagers. No, I'd say it has much more happening than what is captured in the film. I had the pleasure of rewatching this movie again during the lockdown and it was a better print. I loved it when I saw it long back and it did not lose any of its appeal over the years especially the climax freeze frame, the Udumbara song segments and the dialogues in the drinking sessions. This is a must see film and probably one of the best Sri Lankan film to date.

A spectacular tragic drama in the late 70's which was directed by the best(Dharmasena Pathiraja:How To Be An Adult- 9th Moscow International Film Festival'Special Award ),

acted by the best(Joe Abeywickrama- Death On A Full Moon Day/Best Asian Actor at 1999 Singapore International Film Festival)

and music score by the best( Dr. Premasiri Khemadasa). Film speaks about the young lust/love,rising communism and male dominance which stirs up an small ethnic fishing village in Sri Lanka. This movie was a rare and more natural piece of art which looks deep into the rural fishing community and their way of life !

Bambaru Avith ( The Wasps are here ) is the third narrative film of Dharmasena Pathiraja which was made in 1978. This film announces unequivocally his dedication to fashioning a cinema that is socially committed , that does not shy away from the troublesome issues of the time . A sense of freedom and true spirit pervades the movie which has the effect of unsettling and subverting some of the cherished beliefs of society .

in 1980, Pathiraja made Paara Dige ( Along the road) , based on a short story by the hugely gifted but unfortunately under-recognized short story writer Ajit Tilakasena . Here , he sought to open up a cinematic space in which the predicament of the reascended younger generation that migrates from the rural areas to the city in search of a better life . Another memorable film by Dharmasena Pathiraja is Soldadu Unnahe ( Mr. Soldier.) made in 1981. Devaka S. Jayasuriya 90, Old Kesbawa Road Nugegoda Srilanka.