Children’s movies and shows have come a long way. There was a time when anything related to someone below 12 was just assumed to be a movie for children. But with more and more universal themes that click with all age groups, there is no way that such feature films can be called solely children’ movies today. The same holds true for ‘Hora Uncle’ (Uncle Thief) as well.
Actor turned Director Harshana Wickramasinghe’s debut movie ‘Hora Uncle’ (Uncle Thief) premiered at Centro Asteria cinema, Milan, in Italy on June 25 last year. It toured the country screening at some of the main cities and also took over cinemas in countries such as Australia, England, France and Austria before reaching local soil.
The film premiere in Milan was a fantasy fulfilled for Wickramasinghe. He said that he could not have picked a better place to launch his maiden direction as Italy encompasses a cinematic heritage which is rich and influential.
Harshana Wickramasinghe
“Many Hollywood movies have taken this path of hosting several film premieres in different Italian cities. I felt elated that my debut film too was able to follow those footsteps,” he said, adding that he got this opportunity of releasing his film internationally during an era when releasing a film has become a challenge in Sri Lanka.
Aiming for int’l audience
He also wants to submit his movie to international film festivals across the globe as he believes it will appeal to international cinema and its audience.
‘Hora Uncle’ is a film with a novel twist that is suitable for audiences of all ages. It is especially aimed at adults, motivating them to have more understanding towards children and their matters. It is an exciting, entertaining, and suspenseful story. The scenes were shot in locations in Ingiriya, Neluwa, Godagama, Horana and Seethawaka in 2018. Saman Dharmawansa and Dr. Suminda Low have co-produced the film.
Wickramasinghe is no stranger to the film scene. His father, Rathnapala Wickramasinghe, was a famous playwright in Ragama. Many thespians such as Jackson Antony, Sriyantha Mendis and Jayantha Chandrasiri have come to watch his productions. However, his father did not encourage his son Harshana and his brother to make this field their profession as it was not possible to make a stable living out of it.
However, Wickramasinghe said that acting and directing were in his blood from a young age. He began his acting studies at the National Youth Services Centre, Maharagama. His debut stage play was Rathna Pushpakumari’s ‘Romantic Sihinaya’. Later, he joined the Sri Lanka Royal Shakespeare Centre to perform in Shakespearean plays like ‘Hamlet, ‘Othello’ and ‘Macbeth’. Popular actress Umayanagana Wickramasinghe was one of his contemporaries. He said he got a lot of experience studying Shakespearean plays. These honed his skills in the art scene.
“These characters have so much depth and studying them was an asset for me even when I turned to directing. This was the foundation of my film directing venture,” he said.
After producing and acting in several stage plays, he joined the teledrama scene as an assistant director for 15 to 20 tele productions.
Wishing to pursue his dream of becoming a filmmaker, this ambitious youth began working as an Assistant Director on six films, including two international productions in Sri Lanka. ‘Adarei Mang’, ‘Ape Kalaye Patachara’, and ‘Sikuru Yogaya’ are a few of them.
‘Hora Uncle’ fell on his lap after having a chat with seasoned journalist Nihal Peiris. He discovered a unique and remarkable story within this discussion and decided to base his maiden production on this storyline.
“Many have questioned why I titled the project thus. We brainstormed a lot to get a suitable name for this project and came up with this name because we wanted this film to be a mouthpiece for children. Obliviously, only a child would call a thief ‘uncle’. Children do not have a mature mindset and see every human being in the same light. They do not see the world through black and white tinted glasses but only in white hue.”
“This is how innocent, pure and new the world is to them. If they are treated nicely with kindness and love, even a thief becomes an ‘uncle’ for them. There is a human quality inside this phrase. I am not justifying a thief here, but only looking at the bigger picture with a psychological perspective,” Wickramasinghe said, adding that this intriguing title itself drew masses to watch the film.
Almost 20 years in theatre, television, and film, gave him the confidence to tackle this project. Wickramasinghe said that the main challenge he faced as a director was taking the risk of making a solo film in Sri Lanka.
“I have witnessed and gone through the hardships that a director has faced before launching my maiden film because I have worked as an Assistant Director for a stint. This is a lone journey and whether it makes or breaks you, you are still alone. I mainly chose this mode as a means of bringing my philosophy forward,” he said.
Wickramasinghe added that he learnt his ABCs from veteran actor Mahendra Perera whom he considers as his mentor. Therefore, one of the highlights of his maiden movie was having the actor who inspired him in a starring role.
“He is one of the best character actors in our industry. I couldn’t have made such a successful film without his support,” he said.
Speaking about the theme of his film, Wickramasighe said that characters like thieves are mostly created by society.
Thieves, a social construct
“The story concerns two children who can recognise the true nature of the thief and the circumstances surrounding him. A thief is also another human being. Thieves are frequently forced to become who they are through society,” he said.
Wickramasinghe said that the most significant lesson we can learn from children is that our perspective on problems and issues differs greatly from theirs.
“The film is based on child psychology. The reality is that children are more forthright and truthful. We just need to listen to them and see things from their point of view. Unfortunately, this does not always happen. Due to elements like the competitive nature of the world and examinations, the innocence of the children’s world has been destroyed today. Adults are the ones who influence them towards this path. Therefore, they do not engage in acts of love, and kindness and supporting others anymore. They have become selfish and wish to thrive on their own. We hope for unity in our society. This is the positive message that ‘Hora Uncle’ hopes to bring forward,” he said.
Wickramasinghe said that the film draws inspiration from Iranian productions. Iranian filmmaker and producer Majid Majidi’s productions ‘Children of Heaven’, ‘The Colour of Paradise’, and ‘Baran’ in particular and especially, Mark Herman’s ‘The Boy in the Striped Pajamas’ helped him reveal the best of what children can offer. He was also influenced by Satyajit Ray’s techniques to mould his production.
Well-loved artistes such as Mahendra Perera, Dulani Anuradha, Anuruddhika Padukkage, Kumara Thirimadura, Janaka Kumbukge, Umayangana Wickremesinghe, Senulya Danthanarayana, Nethpriya Madhubhasitha and Dewmi Sathiska make up the cast. The cinematographer is Suresh Dhammika; the makeup is by Mananuwan Rupasinghe, and the art direction is by Dhammika Hewaduwaththa. Dilan Gunawardena handled the editing, sound designing and colour grading. The musical score was written by Navaratne Gamage. Lyrics for the playback songs were written by Bandula Nanayakkarawasam and Harshana Wickremesinghe. The vocal renditions are by Lakshman Wijesekera and Parami Aloka. Nihal Peiris wrote the screenplay. The still photographer was Sheethan Gunawardhana.
Wickramasinghe said that there are ample young actors who can take on this challenge.
“They mainly need guidance from someone with experience. I did constant research on this topic and trained the child actors on this for the film. I look forward to taking realistic acting methods forward even in my next productions,” he said.
Wickramasinghe’s next cinematic venture is titled ‘Nattukari’. It is a family film based on a child who has a flair for dancing. He has scripted a romantic story called ‘Vihanga Swara’. He has also joined hands with a novelist and has compiled his detective stories into four films which he hopes to begin shooting in the future.
