Broken Promise breaks the ice

While reading about broken promises in the newspapers these days blaming the Government, it dawned on me that January is the month when ‘Broken Promise’ was screened many years ago setting up a record as the first Sinhala movie. That was 69 years ago on 21 January 1947. Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake graced the occasion as the chief guest at the Kingsley Theatre in Grandpass. 

It was the time we, as students were enjoying Hindi films at Gamini Hall in Maradana, one of several theatres which were burned down during the communal riots. Dilip Kumar (still around at 94), Raj Kapoor, Nargis, Madhubala were among the favourite stars. Naturally there was lot of excitement when the first Sinhala film came to town. 

Due to the South Indian touch in the film, many years later critics stared arguing that it cannot be regarded as the first ‘real Sinhala’ film. The fact remains that B.A.W. Jayamanne from Negombo who had pioneered the popular Minerva theatre-group took the initiative in making one of his stories which had a good run on stage from 1940 onwards. It was ‘Kadavunu Poronduwa’ that he selected first. Several more were to follow.

It was interesting to find that the Minerva plays were publicised in English possibly because English was the dominant language at the time. Sinhala plays were introduced with English titles and it was interesting to note that the productions went according to the English alphabetical order – from ‘A’ onwards. The list was on our fingertips – ‘Apparition’ (Avataraya’), ‘Broken Promise’ (Kadavunu Poronduwa’), ‘Changing Fate’ (‘Peralena Iranama’), ‘Defeated Aim’ (‘Veradunu Kurumanama’), ‘Evasive Denial’ (‘Sangavunu Pilithura’), ‘Fanatic Faith’ (‘Umatu Vishvasaya’), ‘Grisly Guardian’ (‘Kapati Arakshakaya’), ‘Hasty Decision’ (‘HadisiVinischaya’) and ‘Iranganie’.  Of these four were released as films within three years (1947-49) and four from 1950-54. Moving away from his own plays, B.A.W. also selected ‘Kele Handa’ (1953), the popular novel by W.A. Silva which was an instant hit. It also saw another star being born. She was Rita Ratnayake.

Although he had directed the Minerva plays, B.A.W. got Indian Film Director, J. Sinha to direct ‘Kadavunu Poronduwa’. The film was produced by S.M. Nayagam, an owner of a studio in Madras (now Chennai) who was keen to produce a Sinhala film and floated a company called Chitrakala Movietone. The film was shot in his studio with a South Indian crew handling the production and all the players going across to India. South Indian influence was naturally to be expected with the ingredients which local filmgoers were used to with the influx of Tamil films. 

‘Kadavunu Poronduwa’ registered several firsts apart from being the first Sinhala talkie to be screened. B.A.W. Jayamanne played the main role with Rukmani Devi, who by then had established herself as a popular songstress and leading actress on stage through the Minerva plays. The duo thus became the first romantic couple on screen with Peter Peiris as the villain (‘dushtaya’), thereby creating the precedence of the three-cornered formula of the two lovers and the villain as ‘musts’ in the Sinhala films to follow.

Eddie Jayamanne and Gemini Kantha (Manappu and Jossie) established themselves as the comedy duo (‘comit joduwa’), providing ample laughter and entertainment for the viewers. Rukmani Devi’s voice had to be made use of and she was made to break into a song ever so often. The songs naturally became popular. In fact, the opening scene in the film after the titles was Rukmani Devi crying over her father’s grave singing a song!

‘Kadavunu Poronduwa’ thus saw the birth of a new business more than creating a new form of art. At the time the film was screened, critics didn’t bother to comment. It was only a few years later that they began to evaluate and criticise the film as nowhere near what was expected as a Sinhala film.