Somy Rathnayake

Malan is a jobless 25 year-old youth who spends his days playing cricket with friends. He suffers from an irrational fear of ghosts and retreats to the safety of his home after sunset. His fear is so great he prefers to sleep with his widowed mother Geetha and have her accompany him to the bathroom at night, and also at the eating time. This creates major annoyance in the household, including Malan's brother Gamini, sister-in-law Nirmala and their children.

Set during the British colonial reign in Sri Lanka (1905), this powerful drama follows Peduru who descends from a line of traditional drummers, crossing over to three generations. Peduru's struggle for survival in this harsh rural hamlet exposes the repressive Buddhist institutionalization of the locals, and the hierarchical structure backed by the British colonials.

Rathane Aiya lives in the neighborhood with a mother and two sons Jayasena and Siripala. The day before the Poya, Siripala kills his older brother. Rathne is the prime suspect and arrested. He is sentenced to death on the gallows. While awaiting death, he confesses his bad behavior during his past. He thrived in terrorizing the village with ill-gotten money and power. He came there to evade punishment for a double murder. Since then he has tried to live a good life, putting his past behind him, becoming a 'good Samaritan' who is respected by all.

The film is based on the life of Jesus Christ until the crucifixion. It was the first Sinhala film based on Christianity and directed by a Buddhist.

Set in the dry zone of Sri Lanka, Suddi is married to a notorious criminal in the village, Romiel. Convicted for a murder Romiel is jailed. Miserable Suddhi has to depend on Sirimewan Mudalalie, a shrewd businessman from town.

The cost of living sky rocketed. The government introduced an income ceiling. Private practice for doctors was abolished. It was the fate of Dr. Moladanda to live with a struggle he did not create.

A woman plots her revenge after being duped by a slick, ruthless man who impregnates her and tries to bail her out of marriage.

A continuation of “Bawa Duka”; via Peduru’s family, the narrative exposes the social stasis/class discrimination encouraged by the local Sinhalese Buddhist clergy, while the arrival of the Christian missionaries signals a more progressive mindset, though at the cost of conversion to a monotheistic faith. Tyranny is not only practiced by the British colonials but equally facilitated by local traditional institutions--thus, the resultant suffering (Duka) of Peduru is a combination of the two.