Indu brings Tommiya to Colombo

By Shiran Illanperuma

The prolific Indu Dharmasena is set to take the stage once again as fan-favourite character ‘Tommiya’ – from his long-running series about a Sri Lankan village boy and the hilarious ups and downs of his taking on the big city – later this month.

Harking back to an earlier entry in the series, ‘Madai Tommiya Shooting Giya’ – which was first written and staged in the year 2000, chronicles one of earlier Tommiya’s escapades after moving to Colombo. 

Here, Tommiya is called upon to assist recurring character Ananada with hair and make-up on a film set. However, due to a hilarious twist of fate, Tommiya winds up playing a ‘fart’ (actually a part, but our country mouse protagonist has difficulty with his p’s and f’s) in the film.

Indu himself is stumped when asked what chapter in the story, ‘Shooting Giya’ is. The ‘Tommiya saga’ consists of around 11 plays that have captured the hearts of Lankan audiences, as the play demonstrates Dharmasena’s characteristic flair for slapstick humor while still showcasing characters with heart and story with a universal moral.

For Indu, the timeless tale of village boy tackling the big city is most importantly a moral one, addressing common anxieties like class aspiration and identity crises in the developing world, where the urban-rural divide is perhaps more pronounced than in the West.

“Richard D’Soyza and I used to discuss doing a take on the play ‘Hello Dolly’. Sadly, after his death, such a collaboration was never to happen. However, it did inspire me to eventually write the story of Tommiya, which I would say is something of a Lankan take on ‘Hello Dolly,’” says Indu, elaborating on the development of the series.

Dharmasena’s plays, though enjoyed by many for their accessible humour and unpretentious drama, often mask a layer of satire. Indeed, most of his works centre on the drama and dalliances of Colombo’s elite. The Tommiya saga however, differs with its focus on a village boy, thereby switching up perspectives and casting the Colombo middle class in a new light.

Says Dharmasena, “Some people tend to think I’m mocking the poor with this series of plays but that’s not the case at all. My intention was to highlight the importance of staying true to oneself and one’s roots. Having aspirations is one thing, but losing yourself in the process of attaining them is another.”

Like most of Dharmasena’s productions, a portion of proceeds will be directed towards a charitable cause. This time, money earned from tickets will go towards the Homagama hospital, which was built by and donated to the Government by Dharmasena’s own grandfather.

Says Dharmasena, “About seven years ago my uncle took over the hospital to modernise the whole thing. We don’t get money out of it and we’ve made sure to put plaques everywhere saying that treatment is free.”

‘Madai Tommiya Shooting Giya’ will be staged at the Lionel Wendt Theatre on 21, 22 and 23 October. The show on 21 October will be sponsored by the Bamunuarachchi Foundation, with all the proceeds being directed towards the building of the Operation Theatre Complex at Homagama Base Hospital. Tickets can be purchased from the Lionel Wendt Theatre from 10 October onwards and range from Rs. 500 to Rs. 2,000.

The Print Media Sponsors for the show are Daily FT, Daily Mirror and Sunday Times. The play’s Electronic Media Sponsor is EFM 88.3.