Prasanna’s ‘Paradise’ received Kerala State Film Awards
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By Susitha R. Fernando
Renowned Sri Lankan filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage brought international recognition to Sri Lankan cinema after receiving the Best Story Award for his film ‘Paradise’ at the 55th ‘Kerala State Film Awards’, held last Sunday in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala.
Presented by the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy to honour excellence in Malayalam cinema, the awards also recognised Paradise in multiple categories. Lead actress Darshana Rajendran received the Jury Award, special Mention for Acting, while the film earned a Special Mention for its producers Anto Chitillapilly, Sanita Chittilapilly and Prasanna Vithanage. The acting award was accepted on Darshana’s behalf by her mother, Neerja Rajendran, herself an accomplished actress.
According to the festival press statement, 128 films were submitted for consideration this year. The jury for the film category was chaired by acclaimed actor Prakash Raj, while the writing category jury was headed by Madhu Eravankara.
‘Paradise’, presented by Mani Ratnam’s Madras Talkies and produced by Newton Cinema, is an Indo–Sri Lankan co-production and was further recognised with four nominations at the Asian Film Awards, including Best Film.
Starring Indian cinema’s Roshan Mathew and Darshana Rajendran in the lead roles, alongside Sri Lankan actors Shyam Fernando, Mahendra Perera and a large ensemble of local artistes, Paradise is set against the backdrop of Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis, when public unrest spills onto the streets amid shortages of food, fuel and medicine.
The story follows an Indian tourist couple who arrive in Sri Lanka’s hill country to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. What begins as a long-awaited romantic getaway soon takes a dark turn, with escalating conflicts exposing deep fractures in their relationship.
Amritha, a video blogger, and her husband Kesav, a film producer, travel from Mumbai seeking a mystical experience across Sri Lanka’s historic landscapes. Their journey is violently disrupted when three masked men break into their hill-country bungalow, stealing their mobile phones, laptops and Amritha’s camera. Turning to the local police for help, the couple reports the incident to Sergeant Bandara, who under pressure to deliver results, presents three unemployed men as suspects. Kesav identifies them as the alleged perpetrators.
Tragedy strikes when one of the detained men collapses at the police station and later dies after being admitted to hospital. From this point onward, the couple’s honeymoon descends into a nightmare, as the narrative unfolds through a series of violent and morally complex events, culminating in further deaths and devastating consequences.
The film has enjoyed a strong international festival run, winning the Audience Jury Award at the Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival in Spain and the Kim Jiseok Award for Best Film at the Busan International Film Festival. Darshana Rajendran also won Best Actress at India’s Critics’ Choice Awards, while Mahendra Perera received a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
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