WITH YOU. WITHOUT YOU – by Desmond Kelly ‘the Star of eLanka’

Oba ekka, oba nathuwa, (with you, without you), OR, the other way around, as far as this “title” was concerned, was a video-movie, made in Sri Lanka recently and now “features” on eLanka as well, especially for our Lankan Aussies (with sub-titles in English), BUT, because I say it like it is, whether it be the Lanka Times, eLanka, or any-bloody-body else, please do not watch this if you are feeling a bit down in the dumps.

For a start, “oba nathuwa”, is pessimistic. it should have been the other way around. Not only that, but, at the same time, I now intend writing a song with, what I think, is a beautiful “title” for one, namely ” WITH YOU, OR, WITHOUT YOU” (there you go, my copyright for it).

The Sinhala video-movie should have been suitably named “THE PAWN-SHOP BLUES” (now I might write a song with that title too, especially for those pawn-shop video-makers who make movies such as these.

The “female-lead” in the Sinhala video, rather pretty, long dark hair, sedate, hardly saying more than two words (in Sinhala) while handing pieces of jewellery to her leading man, a pawn-shop owner/manager. He looks at her through the counter-bars of his shop, evaluates each piece of jewellry and hands her some cash. Already, it is very sad. She keeps coming in, he keeps looking at her & falls in love with her, chases her all over the place on his motor-bike, and at a bus-halt, asks her to marry him. She neither says “yes” or “no”, which is still very sad, but her “servant” I think it was, gave him the good news that her “Nona”(lady) LIKED him & would he take care of her? . So far, talking about the rubbish, filthy words & inuendo produced in our Western films, at the moment, only about 18 words have been spoken in this one.

Suddenly, they are married, & the first honeymoon night is really something to talk about. He wakes up, fully clothed in his pyjama-suit, looks around at the empty pillow next to him, sniffs her aroma on it, gets up and goes to the kitchen, where she has already made his breakfast and SERVES IT TO HIM.!!. (Where did we Burgher-Buggers go wrong? ), I wonder.
That “first-night” must have been very good, because the girl who hardly spoke at all is now dancing and singing as she & her mother or servant, I am not sure which, are preparing the dining-table for him, again. They say that a man is happiest on a full stomach & this was the “happy” part of the film.

On purpose, I am not going to tell my good readers any more, except, don’t watch it if you are feeling sad.
Switch onto “Vinoda-Samaya” instead, and watch some really superb old “Sinhala-Comedy” with Bertie, Annesley & Samuel, comedy that is naturally so good, certain “skits” could be watched over & over again. If you want a good laugh, these are the guys to watch.

With you, or without you, I return to “Vinoda Samaya”