‘The Newspaper’ is out
he Newspaper’, the maiden film co-direction, award winning actors and script writers Sarath Kothalawala and Kumara Thirimadura, will be released over 60 theatres including EAP and other circuit cinemas from July 2.
Based on partly a true incident, the moving story revolves around a mother and a son who are ostracised by the entire village and inflict both physical and mental torture on them solely due to a misreporting of a bomb blast by a national newspaper. The newspaper reports about a bomb blast where one of the two sons who was in military too get killed. It is reported on page one of a leading newspaper that the soldier son was the suicide bomber. This enrage the poor, rural village and the villagers attack the mother of the soldier and his brother breaking his legs. They are chased out of the village. But one day the brother finds that a torn piece of newspaper without a date or name yet with the correct news- that the soldier was not the suicide bomber. However the village is not convinced and mother sends his disabled son, joined by his friend who looks after cattles to have a page 1 clarification on the same newspaper. The film features their agonising journey, the people who meet them and their harsh and cruel responses on their way to rectify the glaring mistake made by the newspaper.
The film is the major release following COVID-19 lockdown and its a challenge for any filmmaker and producer. Yet the award winning editor and one of the coproducers Ravindra Guruge said that the team is confident that the film will attract the film lovers to cinemas. “We took the initiative to restart the film culture and we are confident that this film will do well,” Guruge said.
The film stars Sarath and Kumara in main roles while the others in the cast are Natheli Nanayakkara Jayantha Amarasinghe, Ananda Athukorala, Sarath Chandrasiri, Pubudu Chathuranga, Dimuthu Chinthaka, Dharmapriya Dias, Sanjeewa Dissanayake, Dayadewa Edirisinghe, Gihan Fernand, Jayalal Rohana, Hemantha Iriyagama, Sarath Karunaratne, Giriraj Kaushalya, Vajira Kodituwakku, Nilmini
Kottagoda, Gihan Fernando, Ajith Lokuge, Mashi and Siriwardena and Nimal Pallewatte.
Behind the screen the musical score is by Gayathri Khemadasa, cinematography is by Chandana Jayasinghe, edited by Rukmal Nirosh, art direction by Ajantha Alahakoon, makeup by Premalal Liyanage, line producer-Sarath Chandrasiri and Dinindu Jagoda is the colourist. The film is co-produced by H.D. Premasiri, Bandula Gunawardena and Ravindra Guruge.