Handagama' s Asandhimitta: A Paradox within a Paradox
Asoka Handagama's Asandhimitta is an enigma to the audience even after the last minute of the movie. I desperately wanted to watch the movie again and perhaps if possible backwards. Asadhimitta is a genuine research in Sri Lankan film industry. What does Handagama tries to hint at the end of the movie? How does Handagama play with the book and its content to make a movie ? Is Handagama succesful ? What genre does this film fit into ? There are so many questions that need to be answered. To be honest I have not read the novel and, therefore, Handagama is taken for granted here for a just representation of the themes in the novel. (Having said that I totally believe that a director should have a liberal right to do adapt the original text to his/her will).
In the first place, the end of the movie is a shocking revelation to the audience. I never imagined that the two male characters are younger and older version of the same character. (Either I am so stupid or Handagama is extremely smart) Adding to the problems, Wickramasekara' s existence is another shocking enigma to the audience. Does this Wickramasekara exist for real ? Or is he a product of Asandhimitta's hallucinations ? What does Wickramasekara signify ? Is he a mere character or simply a symbol for a way of living like existentialist Aravinda Jayasena in Viragaya. If you have watched the movie, you would realise how craftily Handagama makes Wickramasekara a faithful husband as well as a fraud. He is a pendulum between goodness and badness. He cooks for Asandhimitta, he looks after her imaginary kids, he lights the lamp for the lord Buddha (a powerful religious ritual that almost all the rural Sinhalese follow), he protects her against rude sexual harassment of the bus conductor, he assists in various other what-not ways which qualify him as a faithful husband. But when is comes to fidelity he commits a grave mistake. His apparently polygamous affair with Samadara makes Asandhimitta a 'mistress' who does not have legitimate evidence to prove that he is Asandhimitta's husband. And more disturbingly, what if there is no Wickramasekara at all ???? Ahhh ? Yes this is typical Handagama for you ! You can scratch your head for ages, wonder these questions and still you will be at square one ! 😑😑😑😑 But I think that is the beauty of Handagama's use of cinematography and his wit. He is like John Donne in English literature. Many contemporary critics and readers could not properly acknowledge Donne simply because Donne was ahead of his era by thousands miles. Same goes for Hadagama . We cannot understand him or his enigmas simply because we cannot process what he is telling us. He asks you thousands of questions while slapping you softly right across your cheek. But one thing is sure, if Sri Lankan cinema is a big, shady tree, Handagama will be a big branch that produces buds and fruits. And if you have not watched the film yet and like to feel the warmth and protection of that tree please do watch "Asandhimitta: a love story of 300 pounds".
In the first place, the end of the movie is a shocking revelation to the audience. I never imagined that the two male characters are younger and older version of the same character. (Either I am so stupid or Handagama is extremely smart) Adding to the problems, Wickramasekara' s existence is another shocking enigma to the audience. Does this Wickramasekara exist for real ? Or is he a product of Asandhimitta's hallucinations ? What does Wickramasekara signify ? Is he a mere character or simply a symbol for a way of living like existentialist Aravinda Jayasena in Viragaya. If you have watched the movie, you would realise how craftily Handagama makes Wickramasekara a faithful husband as well as a fraud. He is a pendulum between goodness and badness. He cooks for Asandhimitta, he looks after her imaginary kids, he lights the lamp for the lord Buddha (a powerful religious ritual that almost all the rural Sinhalese follow), he protects her against rude sexual harassment of the bus conductor, he assists in various other what-not ways which qualify him as a faithful husband. But when is comes to fidelity he commits a grave mistake. His apparently polygamous affair with Samadara makes Asandhimitta a 'mistress' who does not have legitimate evidence to prove that he is Asandhimitta's husband. And more disturbingly, what if there is no Wickramasekara at all ???? Ahhh ? Yes this is typical Handagama for you ! You can scratch your head for ages, wonder these questions and still you will be at square one ! 😑😑😑😑 But I think that is the beauty of Handagama's use of cinematography and his wit. He is like John Donne in English literature. Many contemporary critics and readers could not properly acknowledge Donne simply because Donne was ahead of his era by thousands miles. Same goes for Hadagama . We cannot understand him or his enigmas simply because we cannot process what he is telling us. He asks you thousands of questions while slapping you softly right across your cheek. But one thing is sure, if Sri Lankan cinema is a big, shady tree, Handagama will be a big branch that produces buds and fruits. And if you have not watched the film yet and like to feel the warmth and protection of that tree please do watch "Asandhimitta: a love story of 300 pounds".
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