Ali Kathawa

Ali Kathawa අලි කතාව
Theatrical poster of Ali Kathawa
Directed by	Sunil Ariyaratne
Produced by	Sipvin Films
Written by	Sunil Ariyaratne
Starring	Kaushalya Fernando Dhananjaya Siriwardena Ravindra Randeniya [1]
Music by	Rohana Weerasinghe
Cinematography	Channa Deshapriya
Edited by	Thissa Surendra
Distributed by	EAP Theatres
Release date	18 May 2017
Country	Sri Lanka
Language	Sinhala

Ali Kathawa (An Elephant's Tale) (Sinhalese: අලි කතාව) is a 2017 Sri Lankan Sinhala children's film directed by Sunil Ariyaratne^[2] and produced by Gunapala Rathnasekara for Sipvin Films. It stars a Baby Elephant, two child artists Kaushalya Fernando and Yehani Hansika in lead roles along with Ravindra Randeniya and Dhananjaya Siriwardena. Music composed by Rohana Weerasinghe.^[3][4][5] It is the 1276th Sri Lankan film in the Sinhala cinema.^[6]

Background

That came to pass once upon a time in this country. There lived a king (Dananjaya Siriwardana) whose queen was saddened (Tharuka Wanniarachchi) all the time. That was simply because they did not have children. The kingdom had no heir. In the meanwhile, the countrymen were getting ready to celebrate the fifth wedding anniversary of the royal couple. Preparations were ready to celebrate the event on a grand scale.

One dancing troupe was journeying across a forest, with its drunken chief(Rodney Warnakula). This drunken chief stirred the wrath of the wild elephants, who in turn assaulted the whole troupe. While everyone ran amok, one mother fainted with her child trapped in a basket. While the wild elephants were retreating, the child gave a cry. One female elephant grew fond of the child. So she carried the basket with the child on her shoulder and made way into the forest.

That forest was home to an ascetic and a Veddah family too. The female elephant had a calf too (Raja). The human child (Bhanu) grew up with the elephant calf. The Ascetic ( Ravindra Randeniya) taught him the letters and martial arts, while the Veddah family observed all this from afar.

Ascetic named the elephant calf as Raju and the child as Bhanu.

Since they both get to grow up in an isolated environment, they develop a mutual understanding. In the meanwhile, the childless queen is getting ready to leave the palace. The ministers advise her to adopt a child. The queen approaches Alimandava Kovil, a sacred site reserved for ladies, as a last resort. What would the queen, flanked by her assistants, get to see on her way to the kovil located in the forest? Bhanu who takes a bath in the river with his elephant sibling. But suddenly they disappear. The queen develops affection for Bhanu at the very first sight. She goes back to the palace, and cries for Bhanu.

The king seeks assistance from the Veddah family to locate Bhanu. The ascetic smells what the Veddah family and the royal courtiers are up to, and tries to rescue Bhanu and Raju from them.^[7]

Cast

• Kaushalya Fernando as Bhanu
• Yehani Hansika as Sumangali
• Dhananjaya Siriwardena
• Tharuka Wanniarachchi     
• Ravindra Randeniya         
• Duleeka Marapana             
• Rodney Warnakula     
• Sarath Kothalawala     
• Kumara Thirimadura     
• Wilson Gunaratne
• Deepani Silva
• Giriraj Kaushalya ^[4]   

Production

The script based on a story by Leticia Botheju,Anusha and Raja Kumaru. All scenes of Baby elephant was filmed in Chiang Mai - Thailand. Other scenes were shot in Sri Lanka.^[8]

Soundtrack

References