Bahuchithawadiya

Bahuchithawadiya
Theatrical release poster
Directed byMalaka Dewapriya
Written byMalaka Dewapriya
Produced byMalaka Dewapriya
StarringKalana Gunasekara
Veena Jayakody
Lakshman Mendis
Samanalee Fonseka
Damitha Abeyratne
CinematographyChinthaka Somakeerthi
Edited byHarsha Disanayaka
Music byChitral Somapala
Distributed byAlumni Organization University of Colombo
Release dates
  • April 2018 (2018-04) (Moscow)
  • 30 May 2025 (2025-05-30) (Sri Lanka)
Running time
90 minutes
CountrySri Lanka
LanguageSinhala

Bahuchithawadiya (The Undecided) (Sinhala: බහුචිතවාදියා) is a 2018 Sri Lankan Sinhala drama romance film directed and produced by Malaka Dewapriya. It stars Kalana Gunasekara and Veena Jayakody in lead roles along with Lakshman Mendis, Samanalee Fonseka and Damitha Abeyratne. Music composed by Chitral Somapala. This film is presented By Alumni Organization University of Colombo. The film successfully passed 75 days of screening.

The film received mainly positive reviews especially the cast, dialogues and scenery.

Etymology

in Sinhala language ‘Bahu’ means multiple and ‘Chitha’ means thoughts. ‘Bahuchithawadiya’ simply means ‘one in many minds’ or ‘one who lacks single-mindedness’. In other words ‘an undecided mind’ The term ‘Bahuchithawadiya’ was coined to denote the nature of our youth in contemporary society in Sri Lanka.

Plot

Sasitha works as the underpaid delivery man for Giftnet, an Internet-based business which accepts gift orders from outside Sri Lanka. Suffocated by economic pressures and sexual frustrations, like most of his peers he sees going abroad as the only way out of his wretched existence. Fascinated with the idea of "abroad" he forms relationships with the recipients of these gifts, most of whom are rich, lonely women. When the real world starts to look too bleak, Sasitha seeks greener pastures through virtual relationships he builds on Facebook and Skype with Sri Lankan women of his own class, working abroad. But when nothing seems to go right, he grows desperate

Cast

International and local recognition

Accolades

It is the debut feature film by Dewapriya and film has awarded in many film festivals. The film received many positive reviews from critics.

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipients and nominees Result Ref(s)
5th Derana Film Awards in Sri Lanka 2018 Best Film Cinema Of Tomorrow Malaka Dewapriya Won
Independents Film Festival in Karlsruhe 2018 Best Independent Film Malaka Dewapriya Won
34th Sarasaviya Awards in Sri Lanka 2018 Most Promising Director of Lester James Peris Special jury award Malaka Dewapriya Won
8th SAARC Film Festival 2018 Best Direction Special jury award Malaka Dewapriya Won
Best Sound Design Sasika ruwan Marasinghe Won
40th Moscow International Film Festival 2018 NETPAC In Compettiotion Nominated
37th Sarasaviya Awards in Sri Lanka 2026 Best film Malaka Dewapriya Won
37th Sarasaviya Awards in Sri Lanka 2026 Best Script Malaka Dewapriya Won
37th Sarasaviya Awards in Sri Lanka 2026 Best Promising Actor Kalana Gunasekara Won
37th Sarasaviya Awards in Sri Lanka 2026 Best Direction Malaka Dewapriya Nominated
37th Sarasaviya Awards in Sri Lanka 2026 Best Editing Harsha Disanayaka Nominated
37th Sarasaviya Awards in Sri Lanka 2026 Best Cinematography Chinthaka Somakeerthi Nominated
67th State Literary Awards in

Sri Lanka

 2026 Best Screen Play Script Malaka Dewapriya Won

References

  1. ↑ "'Malaka Dewapriya to release maiden feature, says cinematographers must contribute towards socio-cultural boost'". Daily FT. ft.lk. Archived from the original (Web) on 16 February 2012. Retrieved 28 January 2012.
  2. ↑ "Malaka Makes Maiden Feature" (Web). sundaytimes. sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
  3. ↑ "'Bahuchithavadiyage Agamanaya'" (Web). dailynews. dailynews.lk/. Retrieved 26 December 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  4. ↑ "'Malaka brings 'Bahuchithawadiya'" (Web). sundaytimes. sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  5. ↑ "Bahuchithawadiya – බහුචිතවාදියා". Sinhala Cinema Database. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "Sri Lanka Cinema History". National Film Corporation of Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 23 August 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  7. ↑ "ගොදුරු පසු පස පියාසර කරන "බහුචිතවාදියා" දින 75 පසු කරමින්..." mirrorarts.lk. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  8. ↑ ""බහුචිතවාදීයා" සමකාලීන අගනාගරික සමාජ සැකැස්ම සහ එහි දේශපාලන-ආර්ථිකය පිළිබද නියෝජනයක් ලෙස". mirrorarts.lk. 13 October 2025. Retrieved 13 October 2025.
  9. ↑ "A mirror reflecting the spirit of the left bank in an unstructured and modernist approach". sundaytimes. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  10. ↑ "ABahuchithawadiya - cinematic discourse beyond 'Toiya' and 'Baiya'". lankaleader.lk. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  11. ↑ "The wanderlust within The Undecided". .dailynews.lk. Retrieved 3 May 2025.
  12. ↑ ""Bahuchithavadiya" A Mirror Held to the Modern Self". dailymirror. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  13. ↑ "A counselor's perspective". sundayobserver. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  14. ↑ "BahuChithawadiya alias smooth operator and anti-hero". dailymirror. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  15. ↑ "Undecided: in search of contentment". dailymirror. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  16. ↑ "Bahuchithavādiyā: A Poignant Portrait Of Modern Longing & Urban Isolation". colombotelegraph. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  17. ↑ "'බහුචිතවාදියා' පතිරාජගේ ඩමියක් ද? හඳගමගේ බඩියක් ද? - විදර්ශන කන්නන්ගර". mirrorarts.lk. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  18. ↑ "Undecided: in search of contentment" (Web). dailymirro. aailymirror.lk. Retrieved 20 June 2018. 'We are like thrown away twigs; they may sprout but there are no roots'.As far as I know, however, after the year 2,000, there are no noteworthy films that portrayed the life of the youth so authentically.Malaka Dewapriya's The Undecided fills that void, I conclude. One may wonder why I took a long and arduous route to arrive at the conclusion. In my opinion, the analysis provides an appropriate backdrop for the better understanding of the protagonist in Malaka's Undecided
  19. ↑ "Malaka's debut 'Undecided' wins accolades". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 3 April 2018. The term 'Bahuchithawadiya' was coined to denote the nature of our youth in contemporary society. The film 'Bahuchithawadiya' was created to express this condition. As you know, in the 60s and 70s Sri Lanka had a closed economy. The ideology of the Left grounded in materialism and it is called in Sinhala 'Bauthikawadaya'. It shaped and disciplined the world view of a majority of youth belonging to that era. The art work created during that period is also a representation of this.
  20. ↑ "Contemporary movie completes shooting". Retrieved 31 December 2019.
  21. ↑ "BahuChithawadiya alias smooth operator and anti-hero". Retrieved 3 April 2018. He's a new type of anti-hero in Sri Lankan cinema. Examples of precedents can be found in Handagama's films, or in Dharmasiri Bandaranaike's 'Thunveni Yamaya,' or even from the 60s or 70s commercial cinema. But such anti-heroes – Gamini Fonseka, Senadheera Rupasinghe or Wally Nanayakkara were dashing crooks and conmen. They were also more ethical and morally upright. They were loyal to their friends and faithful lovers and husbands to their wives. They were in fact heroes. Credit is due to this young film maker for making an intelligent movie that is (intentionally or not) very funny at times. The challenge now is to find an intelligent audience.
  22. ↑ "Is local cinema really dying?". sundayobserver. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 3 April 2018. For the past ten years, there has been a great improvement in modes of social media and telecommunication compared to the time that I wrote the script. Skype has been replaced by various other much more developed apps such as Whats App, Viber, Zoom, Imo, Messenger and many others. Although, some who watched the film had mixed ideas about the uniqueness of the theme. Because they argued that due to this change of telecommunication modes, the film may look out dated which I don't agree with. Bahuchithawadiya is not about the progress of telecommunication but it is about what youth do with these most updated versions of telecommunication and how it has affected contemporary life and its relationships.
  23. ↑ "Nominations: The Awards 2018". sundaytime. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  24. ↑ "won: The Awards 2018". [bestindependentsfilmfestival. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  25. ↑ "Nominations: The Awards". dailynews. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
  26. ↑ "Nominations: The Awards2018". sundayobserve. 31 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.}
  27. ↑ "Films are not market products; Malaka Dewapriya" (Web). undaytimes. sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 20 April 2018. I strongly believe that any good art can be established in a society. This is common to cinema as well. If you observe the countries around us what Akira Kurosawa did in Japan, Satyajit Ray did in India and even what Lester James Peries did in Sri Lanka come under this form of art. I strongly believe that any good art can be socialized and inculcated to the society. The society will absorb this form of art. But what you dish out to the market would not become a part of the society. The good art will last long. So the role of the artistes should be create art that will live, last and change the society.
  28. ↑ "Discovery. Cinema of Sri Lanka" (Web). moscowfilmfestivalT. 40.moscowfilmfestival.ru. Retrieved 20 April 2018. The Moscow International Film Festival is one of the oldest in the world. For the first time it was held in 1935 with Sergei Eisenstein as chairman of the Jury. The program director of the MIFF is Kirill Razlogov, a culturologist, the selection committee is headed by a Russian film critic Andrei Plakhov. For many years the President of the MIFF has been the Russian director and actor Nikita Mikhalkov. The 40st Moscow International Film Festival was held in April 19 to 27,2018, under support of the Russian Ministry of culture. THE UNDEСIDED was screened (NETPAC) in-competition with, SOLDIER'S MEMENTOS /Korea, SEASON OF THE DEVIL /Philippine, CHINA'S VAN GOGHS/ China &Netherland, FORTITUDE/Uzbekistan, NU/Russia, THE LORDEAGLE/Russia.
  29. ↑ "BIIF-Awards 2018" (Web). bestindependentsfilmfestival. bestindependentsfilmfestival.com. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  30. ↑ "34thsarasaviya 2018" (Web). 34thsarasaviya awards – Daily News. dailynews.lk. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  31. ↑ "The Eighth SAARC Film Festival 2018 – Awards Ceremony" (Web). saarcculture.org. saarcculture.org. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  32. ↑ "loveisfolly" (Web). loveisfolly.com. loveisfolly.com. Retrieved 20 April 2018.[permanent dead link]
  33. ↑ "Jaffna International Cinema Festival 2018 – Schedule" (PDF). goethe.de. goethe.de. Archived from the original (Web) on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  34. ↑ "Best debut films in competition announced". sundaytimes.lk. goethe.de. Archived from the original (Web) on 23 March 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2018.
  35. ↑ "Demons in Paradise' removal: Devapriya removes film in protest" (Web). undaytimes. sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 20 April 2018. I An artist's expression can be partial or have dual or multiple points of view. That is determined by the autonomy and practice of the respective artist. The narrow-minded accusations made in the past against Prasanna, Handagama, Vimukthi, Sudath Mahadiwulwewa and Sanjeewa were also based on claims that their films depicted a one-sided view of the military, race, religion and the State. This, however, doesn't provide grounds to censor these works. Once it is screened for the public, a critique can be developed. It is the same for Jude Ratnam's film. Once it is screened it can be criticized. Although, personally, I do not agree with the ideology of his film, I stand for the films' right to be screened.Furthermore, the official responses put forward to justify the rejection are also ineffectual. Taking this situation into consideration, I have decided to withdraw my film 'Bahuchithawadiya' (The Undecided) from the festival. The basic reason for this is that I cannot maintain double standards with regards to censorship. It is true that it's a difficult task to organize an annual film festival within an anarchist state and social system. I respect the fact that the festival has been able to continue for several consecutive years. My objection is not directed at the public nor at those representing Tamil political ideologies but at the festival organizers who removed the film", Devapriya said.
  36. ↑ "The program of film screenings" (Web). bestindependentsfilmfestival. kazan-mfmk.com. Retrieved 20 April 2018.