ABA

A prophecy is foretold that the son of Unmada Chithra will slay her ten royal brothers and claim the throne. Subsequently the brothers seek to kill the child upon his birth. In order to save his life, the newborn Prince Aba is whisked away to safety by a man named Habara. He is spirited away to the quaint village of Doramadala. There Aba grows into a young man under the watchful eye of his adopted parents and Habara. Meanwhile the blood thirsty uncles receive word that Aba lives. A death squad is dispatched to Doramadala, simply ordered to kill every child and burn the village. From the ashes of this dark incident rises Aba, the future Prince Pandukabhaya.   

ABA is written and directed by Jackson Anthony and stars an ensemble cast which includes Malini Fonseka (Bhadra-Kachchayana), Ravindra Randeniya (Pandula Brahmana), Sabeetha Perera (Unmada Chithra), Saumya Liyanage (Habara), Sriyantha Mendis (Parumukhaya), Bimal Jayakody (Chiththaraja), Kingsley Loos (Thissa), Madhumadhava Aravinda (Girikhandashiva) and Sajitha Anuththara as Aba.

I am not a Historian, only a humble film critic so I will not endeavor to criticize the historical inaccuracies in the film, if there are any. I merely attempt to analyze what I observed on the silver screen. The plot revolves around the tried and true facets of political conspiracy, betrayal, treachery and murder, the hallmarks of an epic movie. Unfortunately what worked for films such as BRAVEHEART and GLADIATOR does the opposite for ABA. The plot simply dies by the end of Act One. The plot in a nutshell is as follows; a grim prophecy is foretold, the uncles try to kill their newborn nephew, Aba is smuggled away and hidden for many years, Aba yearns for the company of his biological mother, the uncles get to know he is alive and consequently order their soldiers to wreak havoc on the innocent village. Although the themes of the plot are similar to the above mentioned films, the tone set at the beginning makes it difficult to take the story seriously. A dire and gripping tone is replaced by a silly and comical atmosphere. This can be attributed to the accidental expressionistic style of acting by many of the actors. The same plot in the hands of a skilled storyteller could have produced a completely different film. The lack of twists and turns in the story is apparent. The story felt dragging and extremely boring.

The script is complacent in its dialogue because the writer has chosen flamboyance over subtly.

The cinematography is probably this film's only redeeming quality. Frame composition has taken precedence because all the visual elements have been arranged according to specifications. Set design and wardrobe have also contributed to the visual spectacle that is ABA. The typical Sri Lankan cinemagoer has been programmed to applaud films according to how many beautiful images are shown. With that in mind ABA does not disappoint for it is a visual feast for the eyes. But I must reiterate the fact; beautiful scenery does not make up for an inadequately told story.

ABA is notable in the fact that the performers have set the tone and not the story. That was not a compliment to the actors. As far as acting is concerned, it looked as if a stage play was filmed. This motley crew of veteran and amateur actors are simply too many to write about so I shall paraphrase the stand out performances. Malini Fonseka's and Bimal Jayakody's portrayal of their respective characters is outstanding in a sea of mediorcre acting. Ravindra Randeniya in my opinion is a "Hot & Cold" actor. Sometimes he's hot and sometimes he's an igloo. His Lankan version of "Gandalf the White" is ridiculous to say the least. Saumya Liyanage's brand of 'performance art meets monkey imitations' is inappropriate and does not belong in this film. Sabeetha Perera's hiatus from acting really proves that it wasn't long enough. Ladies and gentlemen the queen of melodrama has returned. Local singer, Madhumadhava Aravinda's attempt at serious acting is only second in hilarity to the attempt still being made by Anarkali Akarsha. And alas Sajitha Anuththara proves that nepotism is alive and kicking in Sri Lankan cinema. The son of Jackson Anthony gives an ineffectual and unmemorable performance in the title role. The lack of screen presence is evident and absolutely no depth of the Aba character was presented.   

"The Epic Tradition of Sri Lankan Cinema," "Jackson Anthony's Grand Cinematic Composition," and "Jackson Anthony's Cinematic Saga" are the marketing gems being used by the ABA publicity campaign. Jackson Anthony has the dubious honour of continuing the epic tradition in Sri Lankan cinema known as self-glorification. ABA's marketing department has bamboozled, flimflammed and hoodwinked hordes of unassuming cinemagoers into thinking this is an epic movie. To be honest it isn't even an "Okay" movie. Deluding the viewer with a false sense of patriotism and dazzling them with the amount of money spent does not compensate for the defectively told story. As an avid supporter of Sri Lankan cinema, I too was impressed at the lavish sets built from scratch and the sheer magnitude of this filmmaking enterprise. In fact I was thrilled at the film's box office profits because this will eventually promote production of more Sri Lankan films. But alas, thirty minutes into the first half of the film my stomach began to churn. Call it my "Spidey-Sense" warning me that the film I'm watching is going to turn out horrid. I felt no tension or anxiety during the opening scene where the uncles stand outside Chithra's room awaiting to murder the newborn. I was not at the edge of my seat when Habara and the infant Aba narrowly escape the royal guards. And I truly felt like leaving the cinema during the lethargic middle period of the film. But the true slap in my face was the ending. (SPOILER AHEAD: Do not read further unless you actually intend to waste money and time watching ABA). Normally every epic movie has a few of this key ingredient thrown in for good measure. This ingredient is called "A Battle Scene." I guess Jackson Anthony didn't read that chapter in his copy of "Making Epic Movies for Dummies." The epic battle scene is replaced by a depressing massacre scene where every little village boy and girl gets killed, villager's houses are burnt to the ground and all the while Aba hides inside a hollow tree.

When the President of Sri Lanka feels compelled to go on national television and speak about his ABA experience, I too am compelled to watch. The president referred to the film as a "monumental movie with a strong theme." He further stated that it is monumental for two reasons. The first is its "strong theme' and second "the patriotic spirit contained in the movie." I am unaware of how the history books depict Aba, but the cinematic depiction certainly did not induce patriotic spirit in me. Trying to kill your baby nephew and hiding inside a tree while your friends are massacred are not examples of patriotic spirit. The writer/ director has made a glut of mistakes; casting your own son as the lead, speeding up the movement during the "Pig Attack Scene" (Yes, you read correctly, Pig Attack Scene!!!), and the use of ridiculously unnatural wigs are a few of Jackson Anthony's epic blunders. But the biggest mistake was making every single character indifferent and distant to the audience. There is no personal connection with the characters on screen. No remorse was shown on Aba's face after the slaughter of his friends. No anger was displayed by the villagers after their houses burned down. Cinema is an intimate medium, where use of the "close-up" can reveal the deeper feelings within the characters. This tool is rarely utilized in ABA. If Disney can make an animated robot named WALL-E endearing why couldn't Jackson Anthony make his live actors accessible?  I'm sure ABA is merely the beginning of a LORD OF THE RINGS type saga. Judging from its box office success, I believe a sequel or two is inevitable. ABA is a good example of big budget compensating for small directing. The immortal words of another great President come to mind.

"Fool me once, shame on...shame on you. Fool me, you can't get fooled again."    

George W. Bush

Rating: 2/5

S. V. Fernando