Kandak Sema (2023)

Nupa is a young girl of a working class family and her father is a lower grade officer in a government institution. Her mother is a house wife . Nupa has siblings from his father's Nupa is a young girl who marries an old Japanese farmer out of desperation to escape from poverty in Sri Lanka. A businessman is engaged in a lucrative business of supplying Sri Lankan maidens to Japanese men, especially from Neegatha. Since the Japanese women reluctant to marry these farmers in Neegatha, the they marry foreign women mostly from Philippine and Sri Lanka. Nupa marries Masaya San, an old Japanese famer from Sumikawa clan. Masaya turns out to be an emotion-less derailed man who is haunted by fond memories of his ex-girlfriend. Nupa San, somehow, gives birth to a daughter, Kasumi by Masaya San. Before Kasumi' birth, Masaya San retires from his job and commences writing petitions to Government officials on imaginary issues. From the very beginning of the story it is clear that the couple is a mismatched. They do not communicate with each other the way that a husband and wife should be. Nupa San without knowing a word of Japanese tries hard to master the language. The story is woven around the heroic struggles of Nupa San to overcome odds she faces in Japan and in adapting to a new culture. She is roaming in the city of Sanjo in search of her deprived youth. Nupa's family is a prototype tragedy of impoverished social segments of Sri Lanka. Nupa's character matures through hardships, betrayals in conservative Sri Lankan setup and in rural Japan. Mass marriages are held to wed Sri Lankan maiden to old Japanese who have paid handsome sums in return for brides. The marriage is performed according to Sri Lankan rites. However, till the bridegroom comes, the prospective bride and her parents have to wait outside the hotel. The purpose of this rather mock marriage is to take snaps of the couple and to register the couple in Sri Lanka Owing to conservative values, Nupa is compelled to carry out two abortions, one in Sri Lanka at the age of seventeen and another in Japan. Though the circumstances surrounding the abortions may differ, the primary issue remains the same. The abortion is done in order to avoid social stigma attached to it. The society still refuses to accept a woman with a child born out of wedlock irrespective of social standing of the woman. The spiritual aspect of love is being depicted through Nupa's character. Nupa is, in fact, in an endless journey in search of her true love, an ideal love in her mind. Her perception of love is rather a blend of carnal and spiritual love. Since she does not receive it from rather passive husband, she is roaming the city in search of the ideal love. One of the salient features of the film is a subtle use of symbolism. Masterly use of symbols such as Sakura is prominent to the theme of the film. In this context, Sakura is a potent symbol of prosperity and aesthetic beauty of rich Japanese culture. And society. For Nupa's family in Sri Lanka and most of the Sri Lankans, Sakura is a symbol of prosperity but for Nupa it is symbol of austerity.