"Ara Soysa" was a critical and commercial success, sweeping major awards at the 1969 Sarasaviya Film Festival:
T. Somasekaran, a student of Italian neorealism, shot Ara Soysa on location in the rural villages of Gampaha. He rejected studio sets for real mud huts, real rain, and real dust. Cinematographer W. A. B. de Silva used deep shadows and stark contrasts to mirror Soysa’s fractured soul.
The film’s most innovative technique is its use of "negative space." In many frames, Soysa is pushed to the corner of the screen, surrounded by vast, empty fields or oppressive colonial-era gates. This visual metaphor suggests that even in freedom, the poor man is caged. The haunting score by Premasiri Khemadasa, using only the rabana (drum) and a lone flute, eschews orchestral bombast for raw, ethnic sorrow. Ara Soysa Sinhala Film
The film revolves around a powerful and fearless village leader named Soysa (played by Hemal Ranasinghe). He is a man of principles who fights against injustice, corruption, and land grabbing in his rural community. When a ruthless businessman (Roshan Ranawana) backed by political power tries to seize village lands for a development project, Soysa rises as the people’s champion. The story explores themes of loyalty, sacrifice, love, and the clash between traditional values and modern greed. It builds up to a violent, emotional climax where Soysa must choose between his personal desires and his duty to his people.
If there is one reason to watch Ara Soysa, it is Tony Ranasinghe. Before this film, Ranasinghe was known for polite, urban roles. As Soysa, he transformed himself into a raw, sinewy force of nature. His eyes convey decades of pain; his dialogue is sparse, but his silences are deafening. "Ara Soysa" was a critical and commercial success,
In one unforgettable scene, Soysa looks at his shackled hands and whispers, "These chains are not made of iron... they are made of my mother's tears." This single line elevates the film from a crime drama to a Greek tragedy. Critics at the time noted that Ranasinghe did not play Soysa; he inhabited him.
To understand the significance of Ara Soysa, one must compare it to its contemporaries. If there is one reason to watch Ara
In many ways, Ara Soysa is closer to the Iranian New Wave (films of Abbas Kiarostami) or the early works of the Dardenne brothers (Belgian social realists). It proves that Sinhala cinema can be universal.