Neera, a One-Sided Sinhalese Movie
This review contains spoilers. A few weeks ago I went to watch Wasawa Baduge’s 2025 romance drama “Neera”. I thought there were aspects of the movie worth praising. Such as its use of metaphor (like the pen pal relationship), believable chemistry between the two main actors, and witty dialogue that I thought the common Sri Lankan can relate to such as “kiyai thamai akurak naara” or “hoda awadhiyen, nirantharayen awadhiyen” or my favorite “dekama ekai” . Though I enjoyed the movie I couldn’t help but walk out of the movie theater with disapproval for it. The movie starts with Megha (the protagonist) planning a protest with a group of university students, symbols that imply communist affiliation are seen in the background. The line “monawa keewath athulata ganna epa” is heard. A few minutes later the protagonist is seen demanding proper compensation for being terminated from his post. This scene made me wonder if the scriptwriter wanted the audience to think such individuals are used ...