I WAS INSPIRED BY ARAVINDA: SANATH
The role of Aravinda in Viragaya will always be remembered for many reasons
“Viragaya does not depict Aravinda, but brings to surface the values of human beings. Most of those qualities I saw in Aravinda, by coincidence had later blended into my personal life."
Sanath Gunathilaka who played the memorable role in Viragaya said, though many people hailed the decision to transform the novel into a film there were some who didn’t endorse Sanath playing Aravinda’s role.
“I later knew that there were no ulterior motives behind such protests which came for the true love they had for the creation. It was director Tiss Abeysekara who coaxed me to such levels that I had to accept the offer. Prof. Carlo Fonseka, Gunadasa Amarasekara and Dr. Ranga Wickremasinghe also backed me with lots of trust. I met Ranga and learnt what kind of Aravinda his father the great author Martin Wickremasinghe had in his mind. Ranga told me that Aravinda was not a person who simply gave but one who understood the real meaning of life. He told me that Aravinda was another Sugath who ruined his future just because he did not get Dhammi. I read Viragaya several times and tried to understand who Aravinda was. Tissa was a great source of inspiration right from the beginning,” recalled Sanath.
1. “Viragaya does not depict Aravinda, but brings to surface the values of human beings. Most of those qualities I saw in Aravinda, by coincidence had later blended into my personal life. My father who also led a simple lifestyle might have influenced me further.he was not a rich man, but he was rich in qualities and human traits. My father was sick when I was hooting for Viragaya. Aravinda never gave up and surrendered to any pressure. He always did what he thought was right. He always gave priority to the welfare of others. He never tried to challenge anyone and there were allegations levelled against him. Aravinda was a rebellion on one hand. He did not let life take on him. When Aravinda died in Viragaya the ordinary people thronged his house and responded in pain and grief. People who did not understand or value Aravinda were stunned by the people’s response. However, they were too adamant to realise the truth. But Aravinda was not among the living to witness this reality. In the end what matters most is how well did you live, how well did you love and how well did you learn to let go