The trailer of Paradise, the upcoming film directed by Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage, was released by the makers on Tuesday.
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Starring Roshan Mathew and Darshana Rajendran in the lead and presented by ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam, the film is the winner of the prestigious Kim Jiseok Award at the Busan International Film Festival 2023 and the Prix Du Jury Lyceen 2024 Award at the 30th Vesoul International Film Festival.
The trailer shows glimpses from a story that follows a TV producer (Roshan) and his wife, a vlogger (Darshana), who visit Sri Lanka to celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary. This is during the country’s financial crisis in 2022, during which inflation led to shortages in basic amenities resulting in public unrest. As their tour guide, Mr Andrew (Shyam Fernando) shows them around Sri Lanka, he takes them to the place where King Ravana is believed to be buried. “One day, he will wake up and save Sri Lanka,” says Andrew. Things take a drastic turn when the couple is robbed by a group of men, eventually emboiling them in all that’s going on in the country’s socio-political situation.
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“When things take an unexpected turn, conflicts deepen, revealing cracks in their relationship,” reads the plot description provided by the makers. “Now might be a good time for Ravana to wake up from his slumber,” quips Darshana’s character towards the end of the trailer.
Written by Prasanna and Anushka Senanayake, Paradise also stars Mahendra Perera in a pivotal role. The film has cinematography by Rajeev Ravi, editing by Sreekar Prasad, and sound design by Tapas Nayak. K (Krishnakumar) is the music director.
Produced by Newton Cinema and presented by filmmaker Mani Ratnam under his Madras Talkies banner, the film will be released in English, Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, and Sinhala languages.