''Duhulu Malak'' is a 1976

Sinhalese language Sinhala ( ; , ''siṁhala'', ), sometimes called Sinhalese (), is an Indo-Aryan language primarily spoken by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, who make up the largest ethnic group on the island, numbering about 16 million. Sinhala is also sp ...

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

directed by Vijaya Dharmasri. The film stars

Nita Fernando Nita Fernando (born 5 September 1947, නීටා ප්‍රනාන්දු) in Negombo, Sri Lanka is an actress in the Sri Lankan cinema. She has starred in films like '' Duhulu Malak'' and ''Pavuru Walalu''. Biography Early life Nita ...

Ravindra Randeniya Liyanage Boniface Walter Perera (born 5 June 1945), popularly known by his stage name Ravindra Randeniya, is a Sri Lankan actor and former politician. He rose to fame in Lester James Peries's film ''Desa Nisa'' in 1972, and was a popular actor d ...

and

Tony Ranasinghe Deshabandu Ranasinghe Hettiarachchilage Ignatius Anthony Silva (31 July 1937 – 16 June 2015 as ටෝනි රණසිංහ), popularly as Tony Ranasinghe, was an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television. He is known as the Love ...

and is notable for containing the first depiction of adultery in a Sinhala film. that follows the lives of middle-class people in Sri Lanka. As per some cinema analysts, the story of the film advises young people to be aware of their own attitudes, such as understanding, fairness and patience as they will lead them to a better married life. The movie was critically acclaimed; the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

listed it on their long list of Top Sri Lankan Films in 2006. Also

reached the peak of her cinema career by winning the OCIC Best Actress Award in that year for the movie.

Plot

The movie examines a woman's sexual desire, similar to the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

movie

Lady Chatterley's Lover ''Lady Chatterley's Lover'' is the last novel by English author D. H. Lawrence, which was first published privately in 1928, in Italy, and in 1929, in France. An unexpurgated edition was not published openly in the United Kingdom until 1960, w ...

. A bored housewife married to a university lecturer, her cousin, seeks out external influences to remedy her boredom in 1970s middle-class society in Sri Lanka. One day the housewife, Nilupa Suraweera and their servant goes for shopping and they meet one neighbour, a young man named Rohan inside a shop and they talk and recognize each other. Then, gradually the friendship between the two grows into a deeper bond. One day, the young man invites the lady and family except the husband Suraweera, to visit a ship that had arrived from abroad at the

Colombo Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...

port. Inside the ship, the lady and the young man are left alone and their hidden feelings are exposed as a love affair blooms. The lady gets to know about a musical show conducted at a place that they can reach very easily, by one of her favorite music stars. She likes to attend this show, but Suraweera is not willing, although he finally agrees. They meet Rohan there as well and they have a small chat. They come home early because Suraweera is not interested in the show. In the meantime, the lovers meet each other secretly, mostly in the absence of the lady's husband. The servant of the house also shows a slight willingness to support their secret love affair. Once the couple escapes narrowly as the husband returns home earlier than before. One day, the family schedules to visit the hill country because the husband has some official commitments in the area. The lady informs her lover about this journey as well and they meet there secretly to enjoy. Later on, one neighbor who likes to gossip about other people's matters notices this love affair and informs the husband several times through anonymous phone calls. The husband who is now upset about the situation, decides to discuss the matter with his wife. Afterwards, he advises her not to step out of the house without his permission. During this time, the lady also begins to understand the complexity of this illicit affair as her only intention was to wipe out her boredom, although the lover is actually very serious about it. A lady who works in Rohan's office is interested in him, but he his not interested in her. So, she suspects that Rohan may have a girlfriend. She secretly investigates it and discovers that he is having an affair with a married woman. One day she meets Nilupa and informs her that she is going to marry Rohan and threatens her to stop the affair between them. In the same way, she visits Rohan's home and informs his adopted parents of the matter. One day, one of the lady's good friends visit them and ask her if she can visit her place to make a cake. After seeking permission from the husband, the lady goes with her friend to meet her lover. When they meet, she tries hard to explain to him the complexity of the situation, but the lover, who is crazy about her, is not willing to listen to her. Sometime later, one day the husband witnesses his wife going out with another person in a car. He immediately attempts to follow the car, but fails to reach them. Irritated with everything that had happened, he rushes home to send the child and servant to their parent's home. During this same period, the lady manages to make her lover understand the complex nature of this issue and thereby agrees to make a halt to their extramarital affair and return home. But, when she returns home, she finds her husband so furious, that he is almost ready to kill her. So, she apologizes to her husband for all the mistakes she had committed and also promises never to deceive him in that way.

Cast

as Nilupa Suraweera *

as Rohan Atukorale *

as Suray Suraweera * Samanthi Lanerolle as Lechumi * Inoka Weerasinghe as Manjula Suraweera * Preethi Randeniya as Sulali Jayawardena * Agnes Sirisena as Sudu Amma * J. B. L. Gunasekera as Sudu Uncle *

Suminda Sirisena Kala Keerthi Suminda Sirisena ( Sinhala: සුමින්ද සිරිසේන) (born July 4, 1948) is an actor in Sri Lankan cinema, theater and television. He has played a wide range of starring or supporting roles and a recipient of Bes ...

as Upali

Music

The music in the film was composed by

Sarath Dassanayake Deepa Milton Sarath Dassanayake ( Sinhala: සරත් දසනායක; born 13 August 1942 and died 18 November 1999), popularly known as Sarath Dassanayake, was a Sri Lankan composer, film producer and a renowned musician. One of the pione ...

. Playback singing in the song "Rankenden Bendi Aadarayi" was by

Nanda Malini Mirihana Arachchige Nanda Malini Perera ( Sinhala:නන්දා මාලනී: born 23 August 1943), popularly as Nanda Malini, is a Sri Lankan songstress and playback singer. One of the best known and most honored singers of Sri Lanka, Malin ...

Sujatha Aththanayaka Kala Suri Visharadha Dr. Mudunkotuwa Munasinghe Arachchige Sujatha Perera (born 12 May 1942: as සුජාතා අත්තනායක), colloquially known as Sujatha Aththanayaka , is a Sri Lankan songstress and playback singer. She is a ...

and

Abeywardena Balasuriya Abeywardena Balasuriya (9 March 1947 – 26 March 2010 si, අබේවර්ධන බාලසූරිය), was a Sri Lankan musician, playback singer, writer and a television program producer. An A-grade singer with a career spanned more t ...

duet on "Bonda Meedum Kandu Relle", which was penned by

Ajantha Ranasinghe Ranasinghe Arachchilage Ajantha Sarath Kumara Ranasinghe (30 May 1940 – 27 February 2016), popularly as Ajantha Ranasinghe, was an award winning Sri Lankan journalist, lyricist, poet, and novelist. Considered one of the most iconic and prolific ...

Miscellaneous

*The psychological background of the story is very keenly highlighted here. The husband, who is always dedicated to his work does not bother to understand his wife's feeling nor has any time for her. The wife treats the husband well, but his disregard for her feelings, causes her to deceive him in order to search for love. The lover too has been adopted by a couple and does not have real parents, and hence no parental love. He too is in search of love. But, the lady who went in search of love also values family life, and so only treated the relationship as a place for her to ease her tensions. *The fantastic scenery shown in the film is from an area called "Selesumthenne" at

Nuwara Eliya Nuwara Eliya ( si, නුවර එළිය ; ta, நுவரெலியா) is a city in the hill country of the Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its name means "city on the plain (table land)" or "city of light". The city is the administrativ ...

with a background song "Bonda Meedum Kandu Relle-Surangana Rajadahane" (living in a fairyland surrounded by misty mountains).

References

External links